Entertaining T


3 By Jessicah Krey Duckworth


Download a study guide for this article (free to print/Web subscribers) at www.thelutheran.org (click on “study guides”).


38 www.thelutheran.org


I mentioned that Martin Luther encouraged Christians as soon as they woke in the morning to make the sign of the cross and say, “Under the care of God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” A gentleman found me aſt er the presentation and asked me to repeat what I had said about the sign of the cross. He took my hands and asked,


“Can I really cross myself as a Lutheran?” I said, “Yes.” He smiled broadly and walked away. Some years later I gave a similar


presentation and a young woman approached me during lunch and asked whether I could repeat what I had said about the sign of the cross. She thought only Roman Catholics and Episcopalians could make the sign of the cross and shared that it was a prayer practice she had always wanted to try. “Luther encouraged Christians to


cross themselves?” she asked. “Yes,” I responded.


unsettling questions


source, I take note. Once that same idea passes by my eyes and ears for a third time, I recognize the Spirit’s presence and feel a sense of obliga- tion to act. Tending to patterns of threes has helped me discern where to direct my energy. I call it Samuel listening (1 Samuel 3:1-9). During a presentation years ago


hrees. T e Spirit moves in threes. When someone off ers up an important idea, I lis- ten. If I hear a similar idea from a diff erent


A few weeks later I met a third


person who, as did the other two, found me aſt er a presentation. She told me how she had grown up Roman Catholic, married a Lutheran and had never known that Luther had encouraged Lutherans to make the sign of the cross. I had an extra copy of the catechism in my bag that day and showed her the page that included Luther’s words. I told her to keep the catechism. Her eyes glistened as she shared


with me how meaningful it would be to recover that practice of prayer in her life. T ree diff erent people called on


me to tend to this particular ques- tion about making the sign of the cross. Yes, yes, sweet Spirit, I am listening, taking note, and now com- pelled from this threefold experi- ence to be prepared for this question in the future. Making the sign of the cross is


not my question, but it has become one that I am called to tend on


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52