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The story behind the new gathering network icon: +
If the mission of Jesus could be represented in one symbol, we believe a red cross would be a good place to start.
A red cross symbolizes so many things:
emergency response to a crisis
safe refuge
help and healing
provision for the poor
We want to be these things.
We were surprised to realize as we were designing the icon that it was actually a cross.
[Note: you would think that it would be obvious when designing an image that is indeed a cross that it's a cross ... maybe we aren’t that bright—still, we realized that there was a deep significance to this image that had become a simple cultural icon of emergency response.]
Jesus died on a cross and that means everything to us. Without it we feel we would be lost in shame, confusion, anxiety, insecurity, and so many other things.
This cross is red, and blood is red [sorry to state the obvious], and we believe that the blood of Jesus was shed to heal the hurt of the world.
The Gathering Network has been praying around a scripture, Isaiah 61:1-4, for years. This verse in Isaiah was foreshadowing the ministry of Jesus and the ministry that would one day be ours by following him.
preach good news to the poor
bind up the brokenhearted
proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners
proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
provide for those who grieve
bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes
the oil of gladness instead of mourning
a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair
This sounds like all the things this icon represents: the blood and the cross of Jesus, his heart to respond to the poor and the broken, and his desire to bring healing and wholeness to the nations.