While I am at it, I just also want to show off what I received for my confirmation, apparently on May 2, 1976. I think a crucifix like that makes a excellent present and memento. You actually put in on the wall and look at it, instead of receiving little booklets that end up who knows where.
This little crucifix hangs in our dining room now and I have never seen a confirmand here receive anything like it. Also precious is that you have your verse on the back and you can't forget it. Mine was, as you can see, Romans 1:16. Well, there are many wonderful verses, each more wonderful than the other, but this one is especially wonderful! :)
Paul writes: "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes; first for the Jew, then for the Gentile (the Greek)."
I think it has been a good verse for me. It has made me bolder and happier.
The point is, I wish our confirmands here could have something like that.
8 comments:
What?!!! A Crucifix for confirmation?!!!! You don't understand Brigitte, you can't have that if you are protestant!!! What an awful evil gift to give a confirmand!!!! Seriously you can have a cross with anything but Christ on it in America. There used to be a heresy called patripassionism, the idea was that the Father suffered and died for you. Hence Patri Father, like you don't know how to decipher Latin. Today we have Pneutopassionism, evidently it was the spirit that died on the Cross, because I keep seeing a dove nailed where Christ is supposed to be.
And for those who have no sense of humor. Realize I have no problem with a Crucifix. I like them. I do not like seeing Doves nailed to a cross.
I like seeing doves bbq'd inside an Jalepeno with mozzarella, and rapped in bacon. Nailed to a cross seems like a waste.
And if I offended your sense of piety, well get over it. Go home think about it. Then find a Catholic goods store and buy a crucifix to replace that awful precious moments kitch cross you have hanging above the dinner table you never use.
Is it that bad in your synod? Or just mainly America?
In Bavaria, there are crucifixes everywhere, like everywhere, along the roads, in the fields, on the mountains.
But confusion reigns. Even my sister said to me the other day: the ev. luth. church in our larger town, Aschaffenburg, had a very nice man-size crucifix right on ground level in front of the altar, (so when you communed, you were right at its feet; something else); she thought that was there because that church used to be Catholic. No, no, no, no, nonsense dear.
But we were always told that the empty cross served to reinforce our belief in the resurrection and that that was protestant. So hence her confusion.
Yes, doves on crosses are strange, when it was a body that hung there.
Brigitte,
Mostly just America, though you do see the sentiment in the synod also. I'm not sure how an empty cross reinforces anything. when you think about it, many people were taken down off crosses, only one ever came back from the dead. Sometimes I think an empty cross is just that, empty. Empty of all and everything, empty of Christ.
Hi Brigitte,
Did you pick your own confirmation verse or was your verse given to you? I remember mine was given to me: The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want." Psalm 23:1 I was somewhat disappointed when I received it, thinking it too well known. But now I'm glad of it -- it is simple and reminds me of how I am God's precious lamb. I didn't receive a gift with the verse -- just the confirmation certificate. In later years I bought a coffee mug with the verse on it which I use often and am gladly reminded of the simple truth.
Ruth!!! You did it! Welcome. Nice to see you here. (Ruth is one of my bestest... girlfriends.)
I've never heard of picking your own verse until I heard it at Bethel. Either way is nice. I don't think I would have ever dreamed of choosing Rom. 1:16.
"The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not be in want" may sound a little lame at first to a young person who has everything and does not worry yet about all kinds of things, and has heard it a zillion times before.
But trusting the Shepherd certainly gets more interesting as time goes on and life throws you all kinds of different curve balls. Trusting becomes such a vital part of all types of well-being and is often not easy.
Do you remember the first hymn at
Stefan's funeral was "I am Jesus little lamb." Maybe it's one of your favorites, too. My grandpa used to sing it to us always.
Bror: I agree with you. The empty cross probably also impacts the theology. Now, that Christ died and rose, everything is supposed to be peachy and new. We don't even need to have communion that often.
While we don't have a repeated sacrifice, the dying and rising is for us daily, or more often.
Gerald gave a sermon the other day at the staff appreciation dinner (Ruth you were there, too.) He spoke about the theology of the cross and then he showed off a little gold crucifix that he keeps on his desk (like the monks used to keep a skull on theirs, he likes to talk about that). He said, as his day permits he will touch it repeatedly and remember that he is baptized.
And indeed, it is there on his desk, very prominently. I saw it when Martin had to go sign a bunch of papers.
An empty cross doesn't necessarily reflect an empty theology, but it is surprising how often it does.
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