Artist’s Statement

More than anything else, Twin Oaks Presbyterian Church is a community of the cross of Christ. It is by the work of Jesus Christ on the cross that we are saved and therefore established as a distinctly Christian church. So, more than any other physical symbol, the cross defines who we are as individuals and as a group.

Besides being an instrument of death and torture (Matt. 10:27, 42, Mark 15:30, Jn. 19:19), the cross is where Jesus Christ bore the wrath of God for the sins of the elect (1 Pet. 2:24). It’s where He reconciled us to God forever (Eph. 2:16, Col. 1:20). It’s by the work Christ did on the cross that we, as individuals and as a community, are healed even of our most dire ailment, sin (Acts 2:23, Eph. 2:16, Col. 1:20, 1 Pet. 2:24).

Twin Oaks is a community of the cross. This truth is captured sculpturally by having several of the hands clinging directly to the cross. They are not supporting it, but clinging to it. In addition, the cross stands above them, triumphant and radiant as a banner of the work of Christ on behalf of the community of the elect. The hands have come together to grab the cross. It’s why they are in the same place at the same time. Indeed, these hands personify a community of, or established by, the work of Christ at the cross.

While it is supremely true that we cling to the cross in this Christian community at Twin Oaks, I also wanted to demonstrate that we cling to each other. This simple yet profound point is proven emphatically by the fact that God tells us to “love one another” at least 13 times in the New Testament alone. All true communities of the cross, like Twin Oaks, come together often to worship Jesus and encourage each other in Him as did the early church (Acts 2:37-47). Jesus hails that our love for each other should be similar to His love for us as demonstrated at the cross. He made such cross-emulating brotherly love a defining characteristic of those who live in Christian community (John 13:34).

From time to time, in any Christian community there will be those who can not cling so strongly to the cross occasionally due to intense pain, doubt, or hardship. Such afflictions cause some in the community to temporarily weaken in their apprehension of the love and mercy of Christ their Savior. It is in part for this reason that the Spirit tells us to encourage one another and to regularly meet together. In times of weakening faith, a Christian whose grip on the cross may be slipping can grab hold of another believer who has a firmer grip at that time. This is how those in a community of the cross help each other remain true and steadfast to the Lord.

To demonstrate this truth in sculpture, you will notice in the piece that not all the people are grabbing the cross directly. There are a few who are clinging to people who are clinging to the cross. What a glorious picture of a true Christian community of the cross! The cross remains central. It is the anchor. And to it cling the faithful, who in turn have others clinging to them for a season.

If you look carefully, you will see hands of various ages and life-stages in this community of the cross. So it is with any true Christian community. There’s a married couple wearing their wedding rings. There is a single person – perhaps a youth, a divorcee, a young adult? There is a senior adult whose hands have seen many seasons of joy and triumph. And there is an infant holding onto another’s finger. This infant’s tiny hand personifies both the born and unborn little ones in this community of the cross.

Notice also the general roughness and organic texture of all the elements of the sculpture. The hands are not perfectly manicured but show young bulging veins and knotted elderly knuckles. The cross is not gold-plated, but is rough and real. Even the base is a bit gnarled. There is a purpose in all this. It is to show the reality and grit of the cross itself and what it is to live as a community of the cross. Such communities, like Twin Oaks, deal with the reality of life lived in the shadow of the cross but not yet in the radiance of glory (i.e. heaven). The cross is not the logo for a country club, and those in attendance are not pampered spectators. Glorious and wonderful as it is, to live as a community of the cross means sharing in the real and often tough road of the God of that cross, Jesus.

Finally, drink in the coloring of the sculpture. It is made of real wood, finished simply to let the natural grain come through. The hands are made of kiln-fired clay containing a fair amount of grog (sand) for texture and warmth. The patina (finish) on the hands is a wash that brings depth to the crevices and richness to the overall piece without sacrificing the texture of the clay. All this was done to communicate a genuine and inviting warmth that is contained in the cross and her community. Would you like to add your hand to the group? If you confess your sins to Jesus Christ and put your trust in Him as your Lord and Savior, you are welcome (Rom. 10:8-10). Indeed, anyone who does this is to be embraced into Twin Oaks, a community of the cross.

The Old Rugged Cross

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.

Refrain: So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.

In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see,
For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me. Refrain

To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me some day to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I’ll share. Refrain

The Old Rugged Cross, by George Bennard, 1913.