Three Crosses Easter Display

     Zion Lutheran Church is getting ready for Easter! Zion's Ernie Burnett, Charlie Canning, Milt Luoma, Pete Midgarden, and Ralph Utter were reassembling the historic three crosses just before Palm Sunday. The three “log” crosses have graced the church front yard during the Easter Season for the last 40 years. The present set of crosses is about 15 years old. Each year holes must be dug in the sod in the church front yard on Good Friday and the crosses anchored securely.

     Caption (l to r): “You've got to check them out every year,” said Charlie Canning (from Magnolia Springs) as he checked three crosses. Then he supervised Milt Luoma (Summerdale), Pete Midgarden (Silverhill), Ernie Burnett (Fairhope), and Ralph Utter (Silverhill) as they assessed the weight of the central “Jesus” cross for Zion Lutheran Church's “Three Crosses Easter Display.” (The “INRI” sign is Latin shorthand for “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.”) The crosses have been “raised high” at the corner of 4th Avenue and 7th on the Zion Lutheran Church campus in Silverhill each Easter for 40 years or more. ~ Click to enlarge.

     The central cross represents the cross of Jesus Christ and the remaining two represent the crosses on which two thieves were crucified with the Lord 2000 years ago. The central cross is draped with a black cloth, the church color for mourning, representing the sorrow and grief of God’s people for the crucifixion of God the Son, Jesus Christ, on Good Friday. On Easter the cloth is exchanged for a white cloth draping, representing the triumph of God’s Son who overcame death and the grave in bringing salvation to mankind. The white cloth and the crosses remain in place through the balance of the Easter Season.

     Good Friday morning 2006. Pete Midgarden (l to r), Ralph Utter, Charlie Canning, and Ernie Burnett ready Zion's "Three Crosses of Calvary" display for Tenebrae and Easter. The central cross will be draped with the purple color of the Passion until Easter Sunday when it will be cloaked with white. ~ Click to enlarge.

     The central cross bears a sign with the letters “INRI.” This is an abbreviation for the Latin title that Pontius Pilate had written over the head of Jesus Christ on the cross. The sign was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin—the Latin words were “Iesvs Nazarenvs Rex Ivdaeorvm,” which translates into English as, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” (Latin does not have the “u” of the English alphabet, hence the use of the “v.”) This INRI inscription has been “Western Church” usage for 2000 years and has been expressed throughout the centuries in many paintings, sculpture, and other artifacts relating to the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Book of John notes that there was unhappiness with the sign at the time of the crucifixion, but stubborn Pontius Pilate answered his critics, “What I have written, I have written” (John 19:19-22). Zion Lutheran Church, in the orthodox Lutheran tradition, acknowledges that Pilate got it right, at least in this instance.

     Easter Sunday began with a light Easter morning breakfast with folks lining up for the goodies at 9 AM sharp.

     Zion Lutheran Church celebrated Holy Week with a light supper at 6:00 PM on Maundy Thursday, April 13, 2006 followed by Evening Vespers with Communion at 7:00 PM. The three crosses were displayed at Tenebrae, a service of mourning for the crucified Savior, at 7:00 PM on Friday, April 15, 2006. Easter, a great time of celebration for all churches, was welcomed by Zion’s people at 10:00 AM worship on Sunday, April 16, 2006 after a light breakfast at 9:00 AM.