I made this cross for the First United Methodist Church in Waynesville, NC, in 2017. It builds on the earlier cross I made for Andover Newton Theological School in 2010.
In making the standing/processional cross I thought of the maple disc at its center as a sunburst of energy, a circle of light. In its center is a circle of purpleheart reminding us of the self-giving sacrifice at the heart of God’s love.
The walnut arms radiating out from this core bear a light of healing in the holly laminate that forms a cross reaching out to the world in all directions. The staff is an octagonal shaft made from walnut. The walnut and maple came from the nearby forests. The holly is from Georgia, and the purpleheart from Latin America.