Recently, you may have been surprised to find a six-foot tall, hammered-copper image of Jesus between the main entrance doors to our church sanctuary. For over sixty years, this beautiful work of art hung on a large wooden cross over the altar of Lakeview Lutheran Church in Chicago (a few blocks from Wrigley Field). How in the world did it get to our church?
The story begins about 1960 at Valparaiso University. Ernst Schwidder, a young artist from the Northwest, had been hired to build up the Valpo art department. He soon met Charles Edward
Stade, the architect responsible for designing the Chapel of the Resurrection. These two champions of modern Christian art formed a partnership—Stade designing church buildings, Schwidder crafting liturgical furnishings. One of their early projects was Lakeview Lutheran, dedicated in 1961. Most of Schwidder’s artwork (in over 300 churches in the U.S. and Canada) consists of substantial, wooden altars and altar crosses, pulpits, baptismal fonts, and wall plaques, all ornamented with his
distinctive combination of words and images. The Valparaiso University Archive now holds Schwidder's papers, and a number of his works are in the Brauer Museum on campus.
A few months ago, Valparaiso University Chaplain Jim Wetzstein, who is writing a Ph.D. dissertation on Schwidder, learned that, because of changing community needs, the Lakeview congregation had decided to tear down their church and replace it with affordable senior housing and a small chapel. They were unsure what to do with Schwidder’s art. Pastor Jim sent me an email. Being a fan of Schwidder’s work, I thought, “Hmmm. I wonder if Christ Lutheran
would be interested?” The answer was: Yes! Pastor Tim, Pastor Erica, and Marla Niksch responded enthusiastically. The Lakeview congregation generously gifted the artwork to our congregation, and very soon Christ in Blessing was making the journey to Valparaiso thanks to Milan Coburn and Scott Schnabel.
When you walk by Christ in Blessing, notice the scars on his hands and feet, his right hand raised in blessing, his left holding the cup of communion. Other symbols include the water of life, a palm leaf with a crown, and the Star of Jacob. Interested in learning more? Look
for a future Sunday morning Faith Formation program with Pastor Wetzstein, who will teach us about Schwidder’s life and work and help us think about the role of art in the church. Date TBD!
Please complete the brief survey attached regarding this piece of art by Ernst Schwidder:
http://tinyurl.com/newCLCart
