The Sign of the Cross
by Julie Canlis
Godong / robertharding / Getty Images
Dear Trinity...
“But as simple as the sign of the cross is, it carries a brave weight: it names the Trinity, celebrates the creator, and brings home all the power of faith to the brush of fingers on skin and bone and belly. So do we, sometimes well and sometimes ill, labor to bring home our belief in God’s love to the stuff of our daily lives, the skin and bone of this world - and the sign of the Cross helps us to remember that we have a companion on the road.” Brian Doyle
For those of you furtively (or not so furtively) signing yourself with the sign of the cross, it has been interesting to watch this slowly spread through Trinity church - probably only in the past four? five? years.
For the dubious: there is nothing superstitious about it.For the curious: there is something very ancient about it.For the enthusiasts: doesn't it feel good to put yourself fully under the cross of Jesus, body and soul?The sign of the cross is the oldest liturgical sign that is not just for catholics, but is your inheritance too! Some cite Rev 7:2-4 but regardless if that is what motivated Christians to sign themselves, it was universal by the late 100s and probably in use during the time of the apostles. Every baptized person received from their pastor the sign of the cross upon baptism, and they continued this sign over every aspect of their lives. Tertullian wrote, "“At every forward step and movement, at every going in and out, when we put on our clothes and shoes, when we bathe, when we sit at table, when we light the lamps, on couch, on seat, in all the ordinary actions of daily life, we trace upon the forehead the sign.”
This meant that Christians were signing themselves often - provoking Tertullian's hilarious comment that Christians were in danger of wearing out their foreheads!
Regardless, we at Trinity don't have an opinion about whether you "should" or "shouldn't" use the sign of the cross. If it feels good/natural, then do it! If you want to try it, go for it. If it feels fake, then definitely don't do it. Just make sure that you are placing yourself under the cross often, whether in heart or body or both.
What I find interesting is how much teaching in the early church, the Reformation, and in the contemporary Catholic church centers on the importance of the sign of the cross for children. (Yup, this surprised me). In the 300s, Cyril of Jerusalem wrote a special catechism for children, teaching them about the sign of the cross. In language that children would love, he says that it is the "dread of dragons" and says
"Despise not the seal of baptism, because of the freeness of the Gift"
More than a millennia later, Martin Luther in his children's catechism, wrote ""In the morning, when you get up, make the sign of the holy cross and say, ‘In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.’ … In the evening when you go to bed, make the sign of the holy cross and say…."
And finally, a 20th century Catholic reformer named Romano Guardini writes of the importance of children entering into the movement of their bodies, and that adults need to model for them that "In the sign of the Cross, the Lord is present. In it, he inclines himself down to you, and he takes you up into his arms because he loves you so much. Do it now ... very slowly ... very wide ... from your forehead to the chest, from one shoulder to another ... the Lord blesses you, he blesses all of you: your head, and your heart, your arms, your body, and your soul. He makes it so that you are fully his - he wants to make all of you holy."
I have a friend who has written the HOW TO CROSS YOURSELF blog, and so if you want further instructions, here they are: Making the Sign of the Cross
"And here is a Catholic priest explaining to catholics why they make the sign of the cross - its origin in the OT and what it means" 2. the Sign of the Cross
If Tertullian said that we should cross ourselves "at every step," then you can do it as often as you want :) but I particularly like to do it when waking and going to sleep. During Trinity's service, you'll also see people doing it (often haphazardly - when we remember - when we are awake enough ...)
whenever we say the Trinitarian names
at the prayer for forgiveness
And other common times for extravagant crossers are
before the Gospel reading (when we are all standing)
before receiving the bread and wine
sometimes people just do it when they heard the name Jesus
I don't think we are "high Anglican" (meaning very formal or precise in our liturgical rules) enough to know when it is "proper" or not (thank goodness). Let's just be exuberant about Jesus, whether this involves our crossing ourselves or not. Enough said.
Again, this is not to prescribe anything to anybody. It is more to do the theological work of "noticing" something happening in Trinity, and to give words (and a bit of history) to it. No one is watching you. No one cares what you do. You are free in Christ! And the whole world is under the cross, whether we know it or not, or cross ourselves or not. God is just that big. And that good.
Julie Canlis
The George MacDonald book club discussion of Robert Falconer will be July 28 @ 6:45pm at the Canlis home. Looking forward to seeing you there!
George MacDonald Webinar Tomorrow
There will be a free webinar conversation about GMD with Julie Canlis' close personal friends, Kirstin Johnson and one of Julie's PhD professors, Trevor Hart tomorrow, Friday July 19, at 10am. Register below.
Summer at a Glance
June 23 - Aug 18 - ONE Service for the Summer at 9am
July 28 @ 6:45pm - George MacDonald Book Club
Aug 11 @ 10:30am - Baptism Sunday at Ingalls Creek Interested in being baptized? Contact one of our pastors, Matt: 206-953-4129 ... or Carson: 509-881-7737
Aug 25 - Resume two services at 8:30 & 9:45am
Aug 25 - Congregational Meeting
Sept 6-8 - Church Camp at Tall Timber
Bulletin Board
If you have a personal need (like a job, or housing, etc.), an event you’d like to promote, or something you’d like our church body to be aware of, you can email hello@trinitywenatchee.org for us to review before posting.
Do you enjoy musical theater? Come support Jessie Evans and Ansley Edwards in the Stage Teens performance of Guys and Dolls, July 24 - 27! Tickets can be purchased here. (Note that Jessie plays the lead character, Sarah, during the Wednesday and Friday performances.)
Are you a Shakespeare fan? Caleb and Josiah Kellogg will be preforming in A Midsummer Night's Dream with the Short Shakespeareans youth theater company and would love to see you in the audience! Performances are July 31-August 3 and you can purchase tickets here.
England Pilgrimage - Summer 2025
Calling ALL pilgrims!
There is a group that has expressed interest in going to England in Summer of 2025 to walk the Golden Valley Pilgrim Way with Simon Lockett as our guide.
We will have an informational meeting after church on Aug 4. If you have any slight inkling of interest, please come!
This pilgrimage is for ANYONE!
While this is the pilgrimage route our Evensong choir helped open 2 summers ago, this particular trip is for ANYONE regardless of age, gender or involvement with choir.
Check out this video promoting the route….. you might recognize some faces and the voice…
Also, please explore these two websites to give you a better idea of the route and of some of our options. (Final details/route/dates will be solidified as we learn who all our pilgrims will be!)
Please reach out to Nikki Fritz 509-630-7704 or Sarah Little 206-240-8739 with questions.
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