Wood carvings: the Anchor Cross
At the front of the sanctuary are four beautiful wooden pieces that were conceived, designed and produced by people in our church, a scallop shell, a fish, an anchor cross, and wine, branches and fruit.
The symbols represent some of the ways the church has communicated the changeless message of and about Jesus through the centuries. We intentionally picked Christian symbols that tie in with our location on Cape Cod and our proximity to the ocean.
Learn more about these symbols: scallop shell, fish, anchor cross, boat, and wine, branches and fruit.
The Anchor Cross is a symbol of hope.
Hebrews 6:19 speaks of the hope we have in the promises of God as
"a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul."
An anchor gives stability, especially in turbulent times. Sometimes, the anchor cross was depicted with
the Greek or Latin word for "hope" intertwined. Benjamin Baker was a Brewster sea captain who had just
had the entire front of his clipper ship refurbished in Jakarta, with new anchors and sturdy new
anchor
lines. As he set sail back to America, a Dutch captain warned him to stay as far as he could from a turbulent volcano.
Obediently, Captain Baker gave the volcano a wide berth. But suddenly there was one violent explosion after another; dark clouds of ash descended on the deck, and huge waves began to surge violently. Running forward, the crew managed to drop all of the anchors. The new lines and the front of the hull held fast - the only thing that saved the ship from being pulled to destruction. The dead bodies of animals and people floated passed, but Captain Baker, his family and the crew were held safely by the strong new anchors. In Boston, the ship was given up for lost and its safe arrival was greeted with celebration. That vessel was the closest to survive the greatest volcanic eruption in history - Krakatoa, all because of their ability to stay anchored through a violent upheaval. The anchor cross reminds us that the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross is sufficient for all us to be forgiven and that promise gives us hope and stability in even the most turbulent times.
Links: scallop shell, fish, anchor cross, boat, and wine, branches and fruit.