Artwork

The Artwork at St. John

The Silent Ministry of St. John

The statement “a picture is worth a thousand words” is certainly true as you walk through the facility of St. John. Although no words are spoken, the gospel of Jesus is communicated constantly through the various works of art found throughout the church.

The elegant stained glass windows and Christian symbols surround you as you worship, reminding you about God’s plan for the salvation of the whole world. And likewise, the wall displays also depict the mission of the church.

As you move around the building, stop, and take note, not only of the beauty of the art, but also the powerful messages that are portrayed.

The Mosaic Collection of the Twelve Disciples of Christ

When the new school was built at St. John Lutheran Church in Forest Park, Illinois in 1964, one of the objectives was to portray the Christian faith through artwork. Professor Reinhold Marxhausen, art professor at Concordia University, Seward, Nebraska, was commissioned to create illustrations of the twelve disciples of Christ which were to be located in each classroom. After doing research from the Bible and from Church tradition, Marxhausen created 12 mosaic panels, one for each of these men. The panels were 84 inches high and 38 inches wide and installed in each classroom. Marxhausen used a variety of materials to create each panel to portray the distinctive character of each disciple. Some of the materials used were tile, glass, metals, wood, nails, pebbles, stones, and other handy items he had in his studio. Through colors, symbols, words, and pictures, these abstract mosaics told the story of each man’s faith and commitment to Jesus as they recognized him as their Lord and Savior. The panels documented some of the encounters each disciple had with Christ which motivated them to travel throughout the world telling people of all nationalities about Christ's teachings.

The Collection of the Twelve Disciples of Christ was unique only to St. John Lutheran Church. From 1964-2014, the teachers of St. John used these panels as visual aids to present Jesus to their students. Thousands of students learned of the impact that Jesus had not only on his disciples, but also that he could have an impact on their lives too. With the closing of the St. John School, the mosaic panels were no longer in the public view. This prompted the church to look for another location to house them where more people would have access to them. Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska showed a definite interest in providing a new home for them. In June of 2023, the members of St. John voted to donate these mosaic panels to the university and add them to the Marxhausen collection. It is hoped that this remarkable work of art will create a spirit of curiosity in the spectators to meet Jesus just as experienced by those twelve men.

Background on the Reinhold Maxhausen: Artist Reinhold Marxhausen created the Mosaic Collection depicting the twelve disciples of Jesus in 1964 for the school’s dedication. Each of the disciples is represented in an individual mosaic. He also designed a thirteenth mosaic for the church narthex titled “The Great Catch” depicting Jesus calling his followers.

From 1951 until his retirement in 1989, Marxhausen taught at Concordia College in Seward, Nebraska. He was the art department’s first chairperson and fully trained artist and, during his tenure, he mentored hundreds of students. During this time, Marxhausen gained national recognition by exhibiting his artwork and embarking on a nationwide tour to give talks and hands-on seminars at churches and schools. His most well-known works span the scale from two giant mosaic murals in the Nebraska State Capitol building to the charming, pocket-size sound sculptures called Stardust.

Below is a list of the Mosaic titles with a brief description. Click here to go directly to the Mosaics page where you can view them and read the full descriptions.

The Great Catch of Fish - Narthex

The mosaic panel in the Narthex illustrates The Great Catch of Fish as written in Luke 5:4-11.

The Disciple John

John is the disciple our congregation is named after.

The Disciple Matthew

This mosaic depicts the Disciple Matthew who was a tax collector.

The Disciple Philip

This panel depicts two events in the life of Philip, based on John 6:2-14 and John 12:20.

The Disciple Simon, the Zealot

Not to be confused with Simon Peter, the Bible does not give us much information about Simon or why he was was known as the "Zealot"

The Disciple Peter

In contrast, the Bible provides a lot of detail about Simon also known as Peter - the Rock.