Nine years ago when I built the Easter flower cross, I wrote a little description to explain my thought process in crafting it. Many at St. Philip will, perhaps, remember it. Here it is again in time for your meditation on the Cross in Holy Week.
At the cross’ base, cedar wedges stylize the hill of Golgotha. The disproportionate size of the ‘hill’ relative to the cross reminds us that the death of Golgotha is dwarfed by the victory of the cross.
At first glance, perhaps most notable are the many holes. Holes are emptiness. Remember, though, those many holes are supported by the surrounding wood, and the holes do not weaken the wooden strength. The cross superstructure of Easter surrounds and strengthens after the emptiness of Good Friday.
Of the many flower holes, three sets stand out; the arc at the head of the cross is reminiscent of Jesus crown of thorns. The arcs at the crosspiece ends show us Jesus’ hands, open wide, extended to embrace all who, like the criminal crucified beside Jesus, call upon Him.
Note the cross within the cross. Its rich, red-coloured padauk wood recalls both Jesus’ blood, shed to usher in the Kingdom of God, and presages the Pentecostal fire of the Holy Spirit that waits to empower His resurrection people. The redness of the inner cross juxtaposed with the light purity of the maple wood superstructure also remind us to be offended that such innocence and beauty could be treated so violently.
Finally, at the heart of the cross is the heart of God. Also fashioned from padauk, the heart is anatomically realistic to remind us that the life on the cross was entirely human; just like us He was fully capable of experiencing pain in suffering, barrenness in loneliness and the desolation of feeling utterly forsaken. Here, though, the heart is cracked open because God’s heart breaks over the plight of His broken people. Yet, hope, not brokenness, is the ultimate message of Easter; hearts that are broken open are, above all, open. The cross’ open heart speaks of the spacious place God has made open to us. Hope and spaciousness, through the cross, is at the heart of the Easter message.
- Larry Anthony (2015)
The cross is shown in its place on the wall to the side of the altar next to the paschal candle, where it hangs for most of the year, and full of flowers in the nave on Easter Sunday.