Thanks for the question. Using the right hand is merely a custom which allows everyone to be moving in sync. There is no inherent meaning in either hand. I would recommend using the right hand during worship in order to move in unison.
I would recommend reaching out to see if any other signers have encountered this issue. Thank you for the reply, I shall use right hand when crossing to avoid offending others for looking odd.
I will ask around about signers who may have encountered this issue. Much appreciated. I am returning to Anglicanism after many years as an evangelical. I was raised in the Episcopal church,so the liturgy is very familiar to me. I feel a bit sheepish yet desirous of making the sign the cross, but I do feel like a rookie Anglican. I am not yet formally in the Anglican church.
I imagine it is still ok since I am a Christian. Thanks for commenting Leslie. Thankfully the sign of the cross is totally free for all! Blessings to you! Hi Leslie, just wanted to clear something up. Some of the founding fathers of Anglicanism were very much low-church, protestant, and Evangelical. My late grandfather, who was an Anglican Priest and Rev. Canon, was very Evangelical and a member of the Evangelical Alliance, of which the well known John Stott, was as well.
Lived it. My booklet got lost. Can you review this Episcpal suggestion? Greg, this information is so helpful. Then one day, I automatically crossed myself after drinking the cup. And it just felt right, although I never truly understood the symbolic intent. I guess I did not need the instruction, but I am sure glad to have a deeper understanding!
I was brought up in the Baptist church so much of the Anglican liturgy is new — but I love it, and the idea that people were using the same rituals to worship together for centuries. Thanks for this blog — helped to answer some of my many questions…but I will progress slowly. Hi Greg! So glad you are sharing this info. Thank you for this article! Fairly new to Anglicanism, learning to make the sign of the cross is not unlike wearing a necklace with a cross hanging from it. Thank you for explaining this.
Still learning how the be an Anglican! Thank you for the insightful article. In my country Anglicans do not ever make the sign of the cross. So when i married a Catholic, I struggled with whether he was doing the right thing, and worried aboutnthe ritualistic nature of many catholic practices.
Dear Greg. I was brought up believing the Catholic religion was a cult. So, kneeling, making the sign of the cross, and going to confession were taboo. Thank you for clarifying this for me. The sign of the cross on ones person. I have seen people do it as you say from forehead to middle of chest and side to side.
If you take a moment and look at the motion. You are actually doing a sign of an upside down cross. It use to be as we were taught to go from head to midsection to shoulders it seem more correct. My opinion. My late wife was Catholic but could not answer my question. In tv shows and movies, a person of faith finds a dead body and with a scared look quickly crosses themselves, I presume, to protect themselves.
Is this just Hollywood or an actual act of faith? Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Previous Next. We want to try to answer those kinds of questions, so here we go… Frequently Asked Questions about the Sign of the Cross What is the sign of the cross?
How do you do the sign of the cross? What is the correct way to cross yourself? What does it mean to cross yourself? Share This! About the Author: Greg Goebel. Greg is a coach and consultant to pastors and leaders. He is the founder of Anglican Compass previously known as Anglican Pastor. He served in a non-denominational church before being called into the Anglican church in He has served as a Church Planter, Rector, and Canon.
Email him at greg pastorcoach. Related Posts. All Things Anglican by Throup Review. August 16th, 0 Comments. August 12th, 0 Comments.
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Prosser June 30, at pm - Reply. Iwuchukwu July 26, at pm - Reply. Thanks for sharing this piece of information, Fr. The religious leaders of the people wanted him gone, and the Romans were always happy to crucify someone who might serve as an example to other would-be rebels. Of course, for Christians this horrible means of oppression and death became a symbol of salvation because Jesus allowed us to crucify him so that he could become the final and ultimate sacrifice.
And when he rose again on the third day, the cross became an eternal symbol of his complete reversal of all of our fallen human expectations. People have created crosses and visual images of the cross based on their own cultures and history. The cross as a symbol has been used in many ways, some of which are not in keeping with the cross of Christ, such as an Imperial army fighting under the banner of the cross.
In Anglican worship, the processional cross may look different in different places, but its purpose as a symbol is to help us lift up the cross of Christ in our own hearts and in the midst of our congregation. You might see four main types of bowing in Anglican liturgical worship. Genuflecting, which is less common, is the act of bowing the knee and making the sign of the cross.
A deep bow is when you bow from your waist. A simple bow is when you bow the head at the neck. In some places, what you might call a nod of the head is a bow of reverence at the name of Jesus Christ.
So we come to our original question. With liturgical matters, it is important that we do not give rigid explanations for why we do such and such.
The liturgy and ritual is traditional, meaning that it has been passed on. It was not passed on with rigid, detailed definitions of each act. This is because it is something we practice together, reflect upon, and pass on to others. Yet there are some very clear Christian foundations to this action as well.
Finally, a cross carried in procession harkens back to the words of St. With this foundation in mind, we bow to the cross to reverence Christ, his cross, and his triumphal procession. The cross leads the way. The cross leads us into the presence of God. The cross leads us out into the world. We are under the cross, we march under that banner alone, to love and serve the Lord. In the Books of Exodus and Nehemiah, the people often bow the head as they worship the Lord.
The Gospel of John also records that Jesus bowed his head as he died on the cross. Since bowing the head has, from ancient times, been a common human gesture for reverence and respect, it is fitting that we would bow the head as the cross passes. And since the congregation does not normally process into the church on most Sundays, the act of bowing the head is a way of acknowledging participation in the processional toward the manifested presence of God in the sanctuary.
Anglicans tend to emphasize Christian freedom from liturgical rubrics rules that would require everyone present to participate in every common gesture. If a person does not choose to participate in this action, they are not seen as disrespectful. And yet the invitation to participate is always there. Bowing the head as the cross passes is a longstanding and common way to participate in the procession, and to reverence Christ himself. This is a very simple act.
There is no need to turn completely sideways. As you see the procession nearing you, simply bow your head at the neck as the cross passes.
Currently, as I write, many churches are worshiping online, or in small groups, or outdoor services. Many of the Anglican churches have had to remove the processional from the liturgy. When participating online, of course one could bow the head when the cross first appears on the screen. In an outdoor service, some might bow the head toward the cross before being seated.
Perhaps a cross could be placed at the entryway of a socially distanced in-person worship service so that worshipers could bow the head upon entering the church. As we adjust to the realities and constraints of COVID, we can still find ways to carry on the worshiping traditions that we have received from those who have gone before us.
In doing so, we might have congregational processions together. Praying a Litany of Thanksgiving, we could process around our churches and perhaps even the community around the church, bowing our heads reverently in thanksgiving to the Lord who humbled himself and became obedient, even to death on a cross, for our salvation. Thank you for explaining why people bow as the cross is carried by in the processional! When I join the Episcopal church in North America, the membership class did not cover the bowing or the different ways which are acceptable.
Glad to have this reverent way explained. Thank you pastor Goebel. May God bless you more… I have learnt alot from your communication. I will put your teaching in to practice even when I become a Reverald. In two years to come… AMEN. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Previous Next.
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