The sign of the cross may be made by all in remembrance of their Baptism.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In pretty much all Lutheran worship services, this is the very first thing you encounter. We are reminded that we are God's children of promise, made so through our Baptism, which is a daily renewal of our life in Christ Jesus. We remember the name that was put upon us in those washing waters. We remember the God who has claimed us as His own. We remember that we are recipients of God's grace.
In most cases, these words are typically spoken by the Pastor, as he makes the sign of the cross over the congregation. In many respects, this is a reminder to us that it is God's declaration and gift to us. We are His, and He is the one who put His name on us, and so we passively stand to receive His gift yet again.
Theologically speaking, that is how things always are for us. As we live our lives in this world, though, it is often helpful to enact a ritual to remind us of the name that was placed upon us. In fact, for Christians, it is and should be more highly emphasized that the name of God is upon us each day of our life. When we wake up, we do so with God's name on us. When we go to sleep, we do so with God's name upon us.
As we at Oak Road begin planning and putting into place an active family ministry, one of the elements of that will seek to bring our faith practices and talks into our homes. It sounds so simple, and yet, one of the facts is that many Christian households simply lack Christian practices and rituals outside of times together in worship. At Oak Road, we will be working to introduce these back into the place where the majority of Christian instruction is Biblically expected to take place.
So, let's take the example from above. What if, in worship, rather than merely having the pastor proclaim God's name over us, we instead encouraged the heads of household to make the sign of the cross over each family member, followed by the Pastor's pronouncement of that name over the whole congregation? Then, what if families were encouraged to take that practice, and to start and end each day with the head of the household making the sign of the cross over each family member, reminding them of the God who has redeemed them and put His name on them?
It sounds simple, almost too simple. And yet, far too often, such practices are lacking in our Christian homes. But as we look to develop family and children ministry at Oak Road, we will be looking to such practices to bring the faith into our homes on a daily basis.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In pretty much all Lutheran worship services, this is the very first thing you encounter. We are reminded that we are God's children of promise, made so through our Baptism, which is a daily renewal of our life in Christ Jesus. We remember the name that was put upon us in those washing waters. We remember the God who has claimed us as His own. We remember that we are recipients of God's grace.
In most cases, these words are typically spoken by the Pastor, as he makes the sign of the cross over the congregation. In many respects, this is a reminder to us that it is God's declaration and gift to us. We are His, and He is the one who put His name on us, and so we passively stand to receive His gift yet again.
Theologically speaking, that is how things always are for us. As we live our lives in this world, though, it is often helpful to enact a ritual to remind us of the name that was placed upon us. In fact, for Christians, it is and should be more highly emphasized that the name of God is upon us each day of our life. When we wake up, we do so with God's name on us. When we go to sleep, we do so with God's name upon us.
As we at Oak Road begin planning and putting into place an active family ministry, one of the elements of that will seek to bring our faith practices and talks into our homes. It sounds so simple, and yet, one of the facts is that many Christian households simply lack Christian practices and rituals outside of times together in worship. At Oak Road, we will be working to introduce these back into the place where the majority of Christian instruction is Biblically expected to take place.
So, let's take the example from above. What if, in worship, rather than merely having the pastor proclaim God's name over us, we instead encouraged the heads of household to make the sign of the cross over each family member, followed by the Pastor's pronouncement of that name over the whole congregation? Then, what if families were encouraged to take that practice, and to start and end each day with the head of the household making the sign of the cross over each family member, reminding them of the God who has redeemed them and put His name on them?
It sounds simple, almost too simple. And yet, far too often, such practices are lacking in our Christian homes. But as we look to develop family and children ministry at Oak Road, we will be looking to such practices to bring the faith into our homes on a daily basis.
I am a former Catholic. Having been a Protestant and been to various denominations, I found none making the sign of the Cross, including most LCMS Lutherans. I think it is a wonderful gesture to start prayers and end them. But I haven't been doing it out of a knee jerk reaction to something from my Catholic past. I wish pastors would encourage us to return to this practice, which Luther encouraged as well.
ReplyDeleteJohn, sorry I haven't been replying to your comments. That hasn't typically been my mode of operation. But thanks for the comments. I've enjoyed reading your responses. As to this one, I've come to believe that the role of ritual has been lost in the Christian Church, or, in places where it has been practiced, it hasn't been explained well, and therefore comes across as a "Do this" kind of thing. Ritual with explanation is often some of the most powerful means of expressing what something means. And sometimes, the rituals can be very simple, yet, when explained and followed properly, can truly serve to deepen us in our relationship with God in Christ.
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