Concordia University, Nebraska - The Center for Liturgical Art

11/18/2025

Explore the auction and place your bids! Link in bio:)

Proceeds will go to help the CLA’s mission to support visual arts and the church. Thank you and blessings on your Christmas season!🎄

10/23/2025

CLA Anniversary Silent Auction! All proceeds go towards supporting the CLA and these artists.

To place your bid visit https://auctria.events/CLAanniversary

Bidding closes on November 30th at 11:59 pm

All artwork shown in post is available plus many more! Thank you for your support!💚

09/24/2025

Help us celebrate the Marxhausen Mosaic Dedication during Homecoming Weekend!

We look forward to seeing you there!

11/17/2024

Happy Sunday!✝️ Today’s symbol is the Latin Cross!

By far the most common and widely recognized symbol of Christianity is the Latin Cross. This cross dates from the second century after the death of Christ. This image appeared and took hold in the early Church because it did not depict the corpus, or body, of Christ on the cross. This image of Christ hanging on the cross would be a harsh reality for the early Christians as they still saw real crucifixions regularly. Thus, the early Church used the Latin cross to represent the cross upon which Jesus gave His life up for the sins of the world, that we, the sinful, might be redeemed by the one who hung on the cross, the sinless.

Pictured above is the cross in Valle de los Caídos near Madrid, the highest cross in the world (Juan de Ávalos 1959)

10/29/2024

Weller Chapel on Concordia’s campus is a great example of how liturgical art can transform a worship space! Everyone is welcome to join us for chapel everyday at 11:00 am:)

10/20/2024

☀️Happy Symbol Sunday☀️Today’s symbol is the descending dove!🕊️

The descending dove is a visual representation of the Holy Spirit, taken directly from scripture in the creation of the world and the baptism of Jesus. The dove is most commonly seen in the descending pose, flying downward to be with us. In depictions of the scene of Pentecost, the dove is typically seen surrounded by seven tongues of flame. Seven flames represent the seven gifts of the Spirit given in Isaiah 11. The dove, when depicting the Holy Spirit, is usually depicted with a halo, differentiating it from other doves mentioned in scripture, such as the dove of promise mentioned in the flood narrative. The dove, when being used in a context to represent peace, prayer, or hope, appears without the halo and is usually in the ascending pose.

Next time you’re in church make sure to look around for the descending dove!:)

09/29/2024

Its Symbol Sunday!🎉Today’s symbol is the Greek cross!

The Greek cross is made of equal length beams that intersect in the center. This cross found its footing in the 4th Century as a component of early church architecture. The symbol is still used today in many Church bodies because of its simplicity and symmetrical design. The cross can be interpreted in various ways, however the most common interpretation of the cross is that of a symbol of the New Testament Church with the four directions of the Gospel going out into the world. Another interpretation suggests that it is the cross of the risen Christ since the equality of the arms suggest a fullness or completion of the work of Christ. A common use of the cross within the Church is on altars or altar linens.

09/03/2024

The CLA was recently featured on the Barna podcast “Making Space”. To hear more about our mission and other commentary on art in the church check out the link below! 👇

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-space-podcast/id1651507911?i=1000658784876

08/26/2024

As we welcome students back to campus, we’d like to reintroduce ourselves! The Center for Liturgical Art advocates for the visual arts in Christian life and practice, primarily through partnering with churches to enhance the use of visual art in worship spaces, while creating opportunities for Christian artists to be involved in liturgical art. We also work to educate and inform about the importance of liturgical art and the impact it has on our lives as Christians. We’ll be sharing some exciting new updates soon, so make sure you’re following us on Instagram and Facebook!

03/01/2024

Happy Spring Break Bulldogs!! We hope you have safe travels and enjoy your break with friends and family!

"The Lord replied, 'My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.'" - Exodus 33:14

01/17/2024

If you would like to learn more about Reinhold Marxhausen's mosaics and the restoration that our team has been working on, you can read more here!

The Center for Liturgical Art (CLA) at Concordia University, Nebraska recently received 12 mosaics chiefly created by former professor of art Reinhold Marxhausen from St. John Lutheran Church in

12/26/2023

Merry Christmas from all of us at the CLA! We hope you have a blessed holiday!

"But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." - Luke 2:10-12