I Am Banners

The "I Am" banners were first envisioned as an act of worship during Lent to illustrate a sermon series on the "I Am" sayings of Jesus from the book of John. There are actually seven sayings, but the shape of the chapel where they were to be displayed and the amount of time that we had to work on them led us to make only six. The last one, "I am the Bread" and "I am the Vine," seemed to fit together and make a communion banner. After the basic designs were sketched in, we began cutting. In all we had about a dozen people-- men, women, and children-- that worked on them. We worked several hours every day from Ash Wednesday until Maundy Thursday. It became a communal and contemplative project.

"Light of the World"
John 8:12
cut paper 3’x9’

The fragility and the strength of the creation are reflected in this banner. The heaviness of the cross dominates, but yields to the airiness of the stained glass and the starry universe. The challenge of paper cutting is maintaining its connectedness. Colossians 1:17 says "He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." The border is composed of enlightenment crosses.










“Door"
John 10:7
cut paper 3’x9’

My friend, Anna Lide, designed this one. She wanted the shepherd's crook to provide a window to show the security in the sheepfold. The border was made up of nail crosses to reflect the wound in the hand.














"Good Shepherd"
John 10:11
cut paper 3’x9’

This banner holds in tension the tenderness and the agony of the shepherd as he bends over to pick up the lost sheep. His hair and the sheep's wool all curl together. The three celtic crosses interrupt and become his crown of glory. The border is celtic crosses.











"Resurrection”
John 11:25
cut paper 3’x9’

The celebration of freedom and release fill this banner. Lazarus, graveclothes loosed, hands uplifted, celebrates the dawn and the empty grave. A tower of lillies and a swirl of butterflies arise from the grave through the sunrise. Butterfly crosses form the border.













“Way, Truth, Life"
John 14:6
cut paper 3’x9’

The diffence between a labyrinth and a maze is that in the labyrinth you can't make a wrong choice. The next step always leads to the center, even though it may actually be further away at the time. If you keep putting one foot in front of the other you will eventually get to the center. The border is a Jerusalem cross, which represents the spread of the gospel to the four corners of the world.














“Vine/ Bread of Life"
John 15:1: John 6:51
cut paper 3’x9’

The vine grows from the central lattice cross, which is marked by thorns and brokenness. As the vine grows it bears fruit. The harvest continues in the sheaves of wheat. The fecundity of the vine and the wheat is completed in the communion cup and wafer around the border.