An unexpected aspect of online worship is the opportunity to have a close up view of altar and pulpit furnishings. My pew partner Joan recently wrote me, asking that I expound on the woven cross she saw closely on Zoom Easter worship. I created this white frontal for our congregation, Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in Winchester VA.
The cross is created from two sets of gold silk bands, woven together. The different lengths of the horizontal bands add visual variety and subtlety suggest that the church uses variation when it reaches into community. The cross symbol is often presented with a simple boldness. I wanted a more complex symbol to remind us of the incarnate Christ, the resurrected Christ, and the reigning Christ.
My love of Trinity began in childhood. In my 60s I discovered the desire to have a complex answer to a simple question. Both factor widely into my creative work. I believe God meets us in our daily lives, extending love in a variety of ways and circumstances The chapel tapestry pictured above features the three banded cross at the center of a mountain community. In the center banner, a community appears under a tree of life motif, a variation from a cross. The spiral sculpture in my studio is a favored representation of the Trinity, expressing energy and repetition. But the woven band cross reminds me that we do not ever see the whole picture, recalling the line from the Nicene Creed: seen and unseen. Do you think I hid something behind the woven band?