The Wreath of Christ ( sv, links=no, Frälsarkransen; Danish and Norwegian: ''Kristuskransen''), also known as the Lutheran rosary, are a set of

prayer beads Prayer beads are a form of beadwork used to count the repetitions of prayers, chants, or mantras by members of various religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Shinto, Umbanda, Islam, Sikhism, the Baháʼí Faith, and some Christian denominations ...

developed in 1995 by Swedish Evangelical Lutheran bishop emeritus

Martin Lönnebo Karl Martin Lönnebo (born 27 February 1930) is a Sweden, Swedish clergyman who served as Bishop of the diocese of Linköping from 1980 to 1994.

. The Wreath of Christ contains 18 beads, which are known as "pearls", with many including a

crucifix A crucifix (from Latin ''cruci fixus'' meaning "(one) fixed to a cross") is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the ''corpus'' (Lati ...

. They are an often used devotion in the

Lutheran Church Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

after their popularization through the text ''Pearls of Life''; the Wreath of Christ has been used in ecumenical Christian settings as well.

Background

Bishop Lönnebo of the Lutheran

Church of Sweden The Church of Sweden ( sv, Svenska kyrkan) is an Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. A former state church, headquartered in Uppsala, with around 5.6 million members at year end 2021, it is the largest Christian denomination in Sw ...

was stranded on an island in Greece for several days because of a storm. When he saw the Greek fishermen with their kombologia (which are in fact

worry beads Worry beads or kombolói, kompoloi ( el, κομπολόι, , ''bead collection''; plural: , ) is a string of beads manipulated with one or two hands and used to pass time in Greek and Cypriot culture. Unlike the similar prayer beads used in man ...

that have no religious or spiritual function), he was inspired to create the Wreath of Christ. He first developed, on paper, a set of Lutheran 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. The devotion began to spread rapidly in Sweden and to other Lutheran countries.

Pearls

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 A catechism (; from grc, κατηχέω, "to teach orally") is a summary or exposition of doctrine and serves as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adult c ...

. #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 #Bead of God's love #Bead of God's love #Bead of Secrets #Bead of Secrets #Bead of Secrets #The bead of Darkness #The bead of Silence #The bead of Resurrection #The bead of Silence #Crucifix

Prayers

The following prayers are said on the Wreath of Christ: After these eighteen prayers, the

Lord's Prayer The Lord's Prayer, also called the Our Father or Pater Noster, is a central Christian prayer which Jesus taught as the way to pray. Two versions of this prayer are recorded in the gospels: a longer form within the Sermon on the Mount in the Gosp ...

is recited (either on the Golden Bead of God or on the crucifix).

References

External links

rukoushelmet.net
{{Lutheran Church Christian religious objects Lutheran liturgy and worship Prayer beads 1995 introductions