Faith’s Processional Crucifix
Theology of the Cross
In 2024 Faith commissioned local artist, Paul Johnson, to craft a cruciform (a body of Jesus) for our processional cross. This beautifully crafted piece provides an important symbol that reminds us of Martin Luther’s Theology of the Cross. Luther states that God revealed Godself to us through the weakness, humility, and suffering Jesus endured on the cross. Now our crucifix (cross with Jesus on it) will sit near the empty cross on our altar so that as we worship we can see both God revealed in suffering and the joy of the resurrection in the empty cross.
Paul Johnson’s Artist Statement
When asked if I would create something “different” as the corpus for the Faith Lutheran Church crucifix, I immediately thought of the years of driftwood collected from the shores of Lake Superior. With so many unique pieces to choose from, ultimately 11 different pieces were joined to create the basis for the body of Jesus Christ. Symbolically, the use of driftwood seemed perfect to me. What is driftwood, but broken pieces of trees and shrubs churned over and over by waves, finally spewed onto the shoreline. We are broken and many as the body of Christ, who died for us all.
