College Crest

The badge or crest of a school is intended to be a distinguishing symbol which identifies the school and its students and should ideally attempt to make a statement about the school, its ideals and goals. Those who designed the badge of Redeemer Lutheran College had all these goals in mind. At the centre of the badge is the cross, the universal symbol of Jesus Christ and of the Christian church. Its position is a strong statement that the message of the cross of Christ, the sacrificial and unconditional love of God in Christ, lies at the heart of the work of the college. The education which it offers is founded unequivocally on Christian teaching and living, and that message will be proclaimed boldly and clearly. The cross is the empty cross, the cross of Easter, of the risen and victorious Lord who not only died for each of us but also conquered death, and whose victory over death holds a blessed promise for His people. The white colour of the cross is the liturgical colour for the season of Easter.

Above and below the cross are a stylized crown and book. The book represents the Bible, the Word of God through which he speaks to us today as throughout the ages. The writer of the book of Hebrews wrote: “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets..., but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.” Jesus in his coming to earth as a human being was God’s ultimate revelation of himself to us. But the days of the Old Testament prophets who pointed to the coming Messiah are gone, and Jesus no longer walks this earth in human form. God’s revelation to us is now enshrined in His Word, the Bible. Through it he speaks to us clearly, teaching, leading, encouraging, admonishing, giving us all we need to come to know him and to live as his people. For the Christian the Bible is the source and foundation for the most important knowledge and understanding, the knowledge and acceptance of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The central message of the Bible is the message of the cross, of suffering, sacrificial and victorious love. Through that love of God in Christ, because of Jesus’ victory over sin and death, we can confidently hope for and look forward to eternal life in glory with him, the crown of victory. The crown therefore sits above the cross, indicating that it is not something which we can attain through our own efforts or goodness. It is a free gift of God to those who believe and trust in him.

Above the crown are the words of the college motto in Latin: Spes nostra in Christo est - Our hope is in Christ. Our hope of eternal life and our hope for a strong loving relationship with God in this life are based not on our own efforts, our knowledge, our erudition, our goodness, our piety, our Christian work and witness, but only on the saving work of Jesus. That hope is not a faint aspiration, a desperate grasping for the unattainable, but a confident hope, a certainty firmly founded on God’s promises. Holy Scripture abounds in references to the hope which characterizes the Christian life.