A bright yellow, daffodil cross stood outside the front door to Ascension Memorial Church on 31 County Road for almost two weeks not only to commemorate Easter, but also to offer all a symbol of hope.
The cross for Christians, of course, symbolizes Jesus, his suffering and his resurrection, but Rev. Brad Clark, rector at Ascension, also sees something more basic and applicable to all in the cross.
“The cross also mimics a person standing with arms open. It’s very affirming in a universal language. With fear, we close our arms and peel back. This seems like open arms, leaning forward. And that’s a great thing,” Clark said.
The cross represented a church effort to reach out to the public in a physical way.
The yellow daffodil cross is a tradition at Ascension and takes about 200 daffodils each spring, which the church orders from Gordon Florist at 24 Essex Road.
Usually, 30 to 40 children put together the daffodil cross, under adult supervision. In this year of deadly COVID-19 and social distancing, people stopping by made the cross each staying 6 feet apart, the proper social distance. Clark said it was difficult to say exactly how many people stopped to help put the cross together.