In this sermon on Christmas Eve, Pastor Karyn explains the decoration of 1,000 peace cranes hanging in the sanctuary. A brief description is also provided here:
For centuries the crane has been a symbol of good health and good luck and longevity. After the bomb dropped in Hiroshima, a legend arose of a young girl dying from radiation poisoning. She set out to fold 1,000 cranes as way to get well and to promote peace. At her death she still had a little over 300 to fold, so her classmates honored her by folding the rest of the cranes. Now, there is a monument erected in Hiroshima in her honor and as a sign for peace. After 9/11, people from around the world sent peace cranes to the United States as a sign of solidarity and peace. During this season of Christmas, we have hung 1,000 peace cranes in our sanctuary as a way to welcome the Prince of Peace and as a sign for our continued work to promote peace in our world.