Wreath of Christ

A Wreath of Christ

The Wreath of Christ (Swedish: Frälsarkransen, Danish and Norwegian: Kristuskransen), also known as the Pearls of Life are a set of prayer beads developed in 1995 by Swedish Evangelical Lutheran bishop emeritus Martin Lönnebo.^[1] They are an often used devotion in the Lutheran Church.^[2]

Background

Bishop Lönnebo was stranded on an island in Greece for several days because of a storm.^[1] When he saw the Greek fishermen with their kombologia (which are in fact worry beads that have no religious or spiritual function), he was inspired to create the Wreath of Christ. He first developed, on paper, a set of prayer beads where he gave all the pearls a specific meaning. After the return home to Sweden, he made the actual pearl ribbon, based on his sketches and started using it in his prayers.^[3] The devotion began to spread rapidly in Sweden and to other Lutheran countries.

The Pearls

The Wreath of Christ is a kind of simplified non-denominational rosary, with each of the 18 pearls carrying a specific meaning, a question of life, a thought, or a prayer. There are no prayer formulations, as a user may meditate or say a prayer on each bead.

Schematic Presentation

The bead of God
The bead of Silence
The I-bead
The bead of Baptism
The Desert bead
The Carefree bead
The bead of Love
The bead of Secret
The bead of Darkness
The bead of Resurrection

The order starts at the golden "God" bead and goes counter-clockwise. In this order, the pearls symbolise the course of life, and also represent a catechism.

The bead of God
The bead of Silence
The I-bead
The bead of Baptism
The bead of Silence
The Desert bead
The bead of Silence
The Carefree bead
The bead of Silence
Two beads of Love
Three beads of Secret
The bead of Darkness
The bead of Silence
The bead of Resurrection
The bead of Silence

References

1 2 "Ett armband har blivit en trädgård". Ett armband har blivit en trädgård. Svenska Kyrkan. Archived from the original on 7 January 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
↑ Johann G. Roten, S.M. "Lutheran rosary". University of Dayton. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
↑ Lerner, Thomas (2 February 2015). "Så blev Frälsarkransen Sveriges första moderna radband". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 12 August 2016.

External links

Lutheranism
Luther's Small Catechism	The Ten Commandments Apostle's Creed Lord's Prayer Sacrament of Holy Baptism Confession Sacrament of the Eucharist
Chief articles of faith in the Augsburg Confession	I. God II. Original Sin III. The Son of God IV. Justification By Faith V. The Office of Preaching VI. Of The New Obedience VII. Of The Church VIII. What the Church Is IX. Of Baptism X. Of the Lord's Supper XI. Of Confession XII. Of Repentance XIII. Of the Use of the Sacraments XIV. XV. Ecclesiastical Usages XVI. Of Civil Affairs XVII. Of Christ's Return to Judgment XVIII. Of Free Will XIX. Of the Cause of Sin XX. Of Good Works XXI. Of the Worship of the Saints
Practices	Divine Service Confirmation Common table prayer Sign of The Cross Matins Vespers Easter Vigil Liturgical Calendar Wreath of Christ
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