7 Marks of Discipleship Cross
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From the Open Files of: |
NW Synod of Wisconsin Resource Center (715) 833-1153 |
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Contributed by: |
Pastor Jim Carlson, Eleva Lutheran Church, Eleva, Wisconsin |
Our congregation's Worship task force decided
last summer (2000) that we would do something
throughout the following school year to highlight
the 7 discipleship practices. We chose one practice
to emphasize each month which seemed to fit with
the time of the year. Here is the schedule we came
up with: September: Kickoff Sunday
to introduce the theme of Discipleship
Practices October: Worship
(We felt worship needed to head the
list.) November: Inviting
(We asked others to come to worship with
us.) December: Giving
(It seemed appropriate in December since
people were buying gifts to celebrate God's gift of
Jesus. Our youth did their local mission project
buying gifts for needy families in our community.
They also wrapped and delivered them. All were
invited to contribute.) January: Praying
(We chose to highlight the less active practices
during the cold months. Some of the Epiphany themes
fit well. We also began making a congregational
prayer book, inviting people of the congregation to
share their prayers with others. These we published
and passed out on Easter Sunday.) February: Studying
March: Encouraging
(We needed it after a long winter. Children in
our congregation made get well cards with their own
art to be sent to the sick and shut-ins of our
congregation. They were, needless to say, well
received. Some of the children are still making the
cards for us.) April: Serving
(The text of Jesus washing the disciples' feet
came up at this time.) May: Celebrating and
rededication On the second Sunday of each month, we focused
our worship service on the discipleship practice of
that month and added a new picture to our
Discipleship Cross. Various groups did skits
during worship that related to the theme on some of
the Sundays. We found skits on the Internet and
with some of the evangelism material sent out by
the ELCA. The ELCA web site had these graphics on the
Teach
the Faith: Call to Discipleship web site. The pictures we adapted for our cross were taken
from the ELCA web site. Donna Engen, a member of
our congregation volunteered to draw and color the
pictures for our cross when we found that the web
site pictures were not detailed enough to blow up
to size. The Cross was made with a colored cloth
background to which the 22"x28" poster-board
pictures were added each month. People of all ages
participated in one way or another in the variety
of special projects we did during the year.
The following article was published in our church newsletter, summarizing the events and themes we studied.
Discipleship Cross is
Complete! All seven of the discipleship faith practices
are now on the Discipleship Cross in our sanctuary.
The cross is complete. But as we continue to
worship during the Easter and Pentecost seasons we
will see, from the biblical story, that the doing
of the practices is never done. They are the
actions that mark our life together as the body of
Christ. On Sunday, May 13, the children of the
congregation will be invited forward for the
children's sermon at worship to see if they can
remember all of the discipleship practices without
looking at the cross. There will be a surprise for
those who are successful (a laminated cross
bookmark - shown actual size to the right).
Perhaps parents will want to help their children
remember by using the picture and the parts of
their own bodies that correspond to the cross. Many of you have commented on the meaning of the
cross and how to remember the practices. Here are
some of the thoughts that you shared: Worship: Study: Studying the word of God is an expression of how
we love God. Pray and Give: Invite: Encourage: Serve:
It is the center of our life as a people of God and
the center of the cross. Like the heart which is
the center of the body and pumps life-giving blood
to the body, worship is where we share the body and
blood of Christ which gives life to all the rest of
the practices.
Just as studying is at the head of the cross, we
are to "love the Lord...with all your heart, and
with all your soul, and with all your mind, and
with all your strength."
We use our hands to pray and give. Pray and Give
also form the arms and hands of the discipleship
cross.
Invite is next on the cross just below worship.
This reminds us that Jesus isn't for us alone but
wants us to invite others to receive abundant life
from him and to be welcomed in our community.
Encourage forms the legs of the cross.
-Encouragement is like strong legs that give us
courage to move ahead in faithfulness. -"Strengthen
the weak hands and make firm the feeble knees. Say
to those who are of a fearful heart, 'Be strong, do
not fear! Here is your God.íî (Isaiah
35:3-4) -"Therefore encourage one another and build
up each other, as indeed you are doing."
(1 Thessalonians 5:11)
Serving forms the feet of the cross. -Jesus washed
the disciples feet as an example of the loving
service that is to mark the lives of Jesus
followers. This reminds us that humblest act of
service done out of love for Christ and neighbor is
blessed by God.
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