The Sign of The Cross

You may have noticed it, a quiet, almost automatic gesture made by some worshippers at certain moments in the service.

The hand moves from forehead to chest, from shoulder to shoulder. The sign of the cross.

where did this come from?

The sign of the cross is one of the oldest gestures in Christian history. Tertullian, writing in the second century, observed that Christians of his day traced the cross on their foreheads as a habitual act of devotion, at every journey and movement, at every going in and out.

When made at Baptism, the sign of the cross marks the newly baptised as belonging to Christ. It is a spiritual branding: this person is claimed.

When made at the Gospel reading, it marks the mind, the mouth, and the heart, asking that the Good News be received, proclaimed, and held in the deepest place.

Not all Anglicans use it, and it is never compulsory. But for those who do, it is not a magical gesture or an empty tradition. It is the body saying what the soul believes: I am crucified with Christ. I am marked.

I belong to Him who died and rose for me.

Do you make the sign of the cross in worship, and was it something you were taught, or something you chose for yourself?

By Biodun Bakare