About Making Crosses

Making crosses for churches is a strange task.  As a piece of sculpture, a cross is very simple.  As a reminder of what God did for us through his son, Jesus, it is the most important symbol in all of Christianity.  In Catholic churches, you will generally see a cross with Jesus on it.  In most other Christian churches the cross is “empty”.  This is the reminder that Jesus was resurrected from the dead and is now seated at the right hand of God.

 

I never thought about who built crosses and why they were in that business.  I still don’t think about it much.  For me it blends my passion for art with my passion for Christ.  When I design a cross, I think about the mission of the church and the personality of the pastor leading that particular church.

 

A cross needs to be prominent and humble at the same time.  It should invite people to think about and consider that Jesus “humbled himself by being obedient to death-even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:8).  It needs to be front and center but not draw undue attention to itself.  In its day the cross was an instrument of torture, not just death.  Today it is a symbol of hope for those who put their faith and trust in Jesus.

 

So, on the one hand, it is easy to build a cross.  On other other, it is a real challenge to build the right cross for a certain church.  The pastors I have built crosses for are personal friends and have been instrumental in my own spiritual journey.  I count is a privilege to have the work of my hands and heart blessing their congregations.