The Symbol of Protestantism – Luther´s Rose – Made from Flowers in our School Garden

Our clever 6^th grade pupils have created an original “Luther Rose” from actual flowers. They decided by themselves that the symbol of our church should be made from flowers and must come from our own school garden. Having this lovely floral symbol right here at our school has brought smiles to many people’s faces!

The 6^th grade students got the idea about creating the Luther Rose from the project “500 Schools Celebrate 500 Years of the Reformation.” This floral beauty lives directly in our school garden, where it attracts the attention of local believers and visitors alike. We believe that this colorful symbol made out of flowers proclaims a beautiful message about the life of faith which is growing in our schools, classes, and between our students and the community. We are the aroma of Christ! (2 Cor. 2:15).

The “Luther Rose” is the name that Martin Luther’s symbol is best known by and is the official symbol of the Lutheran Church A.C. (Augsburg Confession). Each part of the symbol has its own symbolic meaning. What is so special about the symbol? The answer to that question is given to us by Martin Luther himself. In a letter to his friend Lazarus Spengler in Nuremburg, Luther writes: “First, it is a black cross on a heart that has its natural color. The cross reminds us that faith in the Crucified makes us blessed. The heart is surrounded by white roses, because white is the color of angels. This rose is in a sky-blue field, because the joy we have now in our spirits is the beginning of our future joy in heaven. Surrounding the field is a golden ring, because the bliss of heaven is a rare joy and above all.”

Let us add our own meanings of the symbols on Luther´s rose:

The black cross on a red heart symbolizes the center of the Christian life. It represents faith in the Crucified. This belief is the source of true happiness and the meaning of life. The white rose symbolizes God’s peace, joy, and consolation, which comes to a Christian by faith. The blue area represents the beginning of heavenly joy that believers in the Lord Jesus already possess. The Latin inscription vivit (not visible in the figure made of flowers) on the blue surface of the rose’s leaf means simply “alive”. It refers to the Risen Christ, who died for our sins, but came to life and is still living. It reminds Christians of their belief in the living Lord. The gold ring around the perimeter has no beginning and no end. It symbolizes the eternality of our heavenly happiness that will exceed all earthly possessions and pleasures of life and this world.