The Name, The Logo, and The Vision of This Ministry
A reflection on the meaning behind the Beholding Christ logo and how its design points to the believer’s transforming gaze upon the glory of the Lord in 2 Corinthians 3:18.
The Beholding Christ logo is a circle split down the middle. One half is navy. One half is teal. A ring surrounds the outside, and rays of light begin from the navy middle and extend into the teal beyond the circle.
Every element of the logo is drawn from 2 Corinthians 3:18:
But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Over the years, as I contemplated what platform to use, what mediums to provide, what categories to have, and what content to fill them with, I never really thought much about “branding.” Quite frankly, the idea of branding often sounded fleshly to me. Branding, especially when it comes to a logo, can seem like it is merely about pleasing the eye.
Now, having gone through some kind of self-taught process, I understand a little more about branding — at least when it comes to a logo. I admit it is easy to get caught up in design. But as silly as it may sound, I did not want merely a logo. I wanted the logo to theologically represent something. I wanted it to show, in a simple visual way, the whole purpose of what has come together in Beholding Christ.
The nudge to write about the logo has come from my initial hesitancy, the understanding I gained through the process, and the intended purpose behind both the name and the logo. I understand if you do not read any further — this may be more for me than for you!
The Split Circle
The left half of the circle — navy and dark — represents the beholder. The beholder is the believer who has received and continues to benefit from the new testament and its corresponding ministrations of righteousness and life.
The dividing line represents the glass. It is “as in a glass,” through the Word of God, that we behold with open face the glory of the Lord. The glass of God’s Word enables us to behold His open face, and that beholding changes us.
The reflection of glory is real. We do not see ourselves when we behold; we see Him. Of course, this seeing is with spiritual eyes. Our eyes must be open. They must be exercised. This is not only important because of the act of beholding, but because the One we behold is gloriously bright.
It is only by continual gazing that our spiritual eyes are exercised to truly see such exceeding and excelling glory. Therefore, we behold by faith. The direct, unmediated beholding of Christ is still coming.
The right half — teal and lighter — represents the glory we are beholding and the glory into which we are being changed. It represents the change we are hoping for, the substantive change that is different from what we are in ourselves.
Therefore, the glory of the Lord is visibly different and attractive to the beholder. It is worthy to be beheld. And it is doing something to the one who beholds. It is the very change the beholder needs.
The Ring
The ring around the circle represents the security of the believer. It also has a double meaning: it holds the gaze in. It disciplines the eye.
Even when the eye loses sight of the glory, the brightness of His glory radiates into the peripheral vision, continually enlightening the eye.
The Rays
The rays represent the sustained, fixed gaze that the word beholding carries. It is the idea of continual, non-turning-away attention.
The rays are beholding the glory, and they ought to be fixed, for nothing else is truly glorious. This beholding is not passive. It is not merely information. It is transformational.
The glory goes in through the eye of faith and comes out through the changed life of the believer. The rays show that this transformation does not stay contained. It radiates outward to God’s glory and to the spiritual profit of those around us.
Having considered the meaning of the logo, my tongue is like the pen of a ready writer — or in this case, my fingers are ready to type — as I look forward to examining 2 Corinthians 3 in future posts.
Look Up,
—Josh Strelecki, Pastor-Teacher
(Stay tuned - in the coming weeks Beholding Christ will be launching. More podcasts, articles, and plans for this Substack! Consider becoming a “Fellow-Beholder”.)