That’s known as a “Greek cross.”
I thought the altar was a table of sorts. The entire stage area is the altar?
Sometimes. Different denominations use different terminology. The space around the altar table can be called the altar, the chancel, the presbytery, or the sanctuary. And possibly some other terms that I’m forgetting.
Lutherans use the Greek Orthodox Cross to embellish their Altars? What world do you live in?
Not a “Greek Orthodox Cross” – an equal-armed “Greek Cross”. There’s a difference. I suspect you had the Eastern Orthodox Cross in mind:
I haven’t heard back from the church FWIW. I’ve been keeping an eye on my spam folder, too.
Perhaps their secretary won’t be in until the weekend. Or no one checks the email, which is how my Lutheran church works 
It’d be a great conversation to have with the pastor after church on Sunday. You are going Sunday, right? Let us know what he says (or she says - oh wait, it’s Missouri Synod, never mind).
You could also tell them to take out the apostrophe from Sunday’s on their website.
Yes but most do it from text and not symbols; there are exceptions though. And the number of them doesn’t correspond to the “Stations”.
Interesting. Crucifixes are fairly rare in Lutheran churches. I’ll be curious to see if they are ELCA, something else, or just and independent congregation. But some other day.
Actually some Slovak Zion Synod churches did; especially before Seminex and the founding of the ELCA. Old habits and customs die hard.
I plan to call them some time this week. It’s still driving me nuts.
I am curious too. Please let us know.
The Greek cross, also known as the crux imissa quadrata, is an early symbol of Christianity and predates the Latin cross. I’m not saying that Lutherans use the Greek cross as a matter of course, but the name of the symbol is a Greek cross and it’s used outside Eastern Rite churches, too. For example, see the altar of the Lutheran Church of Honolulu. Or Faith Lutheran Church.
Missed edit window: I’ve never seen it to represent anything but God, though, in the same way I would not expect to see twelve Latin crosses up there, either. Then again, maybe the artist was intending some sort of symbolism of those twelve being “with God” or something like that.
I got an answer from the church. It’s pretty mundane:
I also received the answer. What a boring result. I guess there were not 12 crosses to include Matthias, but the squiggle does represent Judas.
Also, Paul wasn’t a disciple, but I think she just was in error using that as an example.
Thanks, ZipperJJ. So the very first theory proposed in this thread turned out to be the correct one.
Although I’m still not entirely sure why it would “make sense” that a squiggle, in particular, would represent Judas.
Good catch, Mahaloth. It may be fair to call Paul a disciple in some sense of the word, but he certainly wasn’t one of the Twelve.
Not a very well-developed sense of humor in that church, I guess.
Neither was Luke, for that matter.
Perhaps a snake.
Well…Lutherans. If Ole and Lena don’t feature they take a little longer to get it.