When the Table Tells the Story: The Quiet Power of Symbol

At our Christmas dinner table this year, a small gold deer stood among the evergreens. It wasn’t grand or flashy. In fact, it might have been easy to overlook. But it carried a story.

The deer once belonged to my mother-in-law, and placing it at the center of the table felt like a gentle act of remembrance, a layering of memory, beauty, and meaning. In Christian tradition, the deer has long symbolized longing for God, echoing the words of the psalmist: “As the deer pants for streams of water…” It is an image of faith that seeks nourishment, hope, and presence.

Surrounded by evergreens, symbols of life that endure through winter, it became more than a decoration. It became a quiet proclamation: that even our tables can tell sacred stories. Stories of longing and abundance. Of love passed down through generations, of Christ’s presence woven into ordinary moments.

This is something I return to again and again in my work at Carrot Top Studio: symbols help us tell the story when words fall short. Whether it’s a deer nestled into a holiday table, a candle stitched into a stole, or a motif repeated across fabric and thread, symbols carry meaning across time. They invite us to pause, notice, and remember.

In worship,

visual symbols do this same work. A stole becomes more than a garment; it becomes a visual sermon. A banner becomes more than fabric; it becomes a shared language. Symbols gently teach, quietly reinforce, and often linger in memory long after spoken words fade.

In worship, visual symbols do this same work. A stole becomes more than a garment; it becomes a visual sermon. A banner becomes more than fabric; it becomes a shared language. Symbols gently teach, quietly reinforce, and often linger in memory long after spoken words fade.

I think that’s why I’m drawn to using imagery that feels rooted and familiar: gardens, paths, animals, light, water. These aren’t abstract ideas; they are tangible, embodied ways of telling God’s story in the midst of our own. They remind us that faith is lived not only in sanctuaries, but around tables, in homes, and in the daily rhythms of life.

That small gold deer reminded me that storytelling doesn’t require grandeur. It requires intention. It asks us to notice what we place at the center of our tables, our worship, our creative work.

And when we do, even the simplest symbol can whisper something sacred.

At Carrot Top Studio, we believe symbols matter because they help us see the story unfolding all around us. Whether through a clergy stole, a piece of table art, or a thoughtfully chosen motif, these visual cues invite reflection, remembrance, and connection. If you’re drawn to storytelling through symbol and design, we invite you to explore our work and join us as we continue creating art that serves the sacred, both in worship and in the everyday moments that shape our lives.