Sign of the cross

Some Lutherans do make the sign of the cross; many do not. It is entirely a matter of Christian freedom.

You might be interested to know that in his Small Catechism (in the Concordia Triglotta) Martin Luther included this preface to his Morning Prayer: “In the morning, when you rise, you shall bless yourself with the holy cross and say: In the name of God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen. Then, kneeling or standing, repeat the Creed and the Lord’s Prayer. If you choose, you may, in addition, say this little prayer” [which we know as Luther’s Morning Prayer].

Similar wording precedes his Evening Prayer: “In the evening, when you go to bed, you shall bless yourself with the holy cross and say: In the name of God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen. Then, kneeling or standing, repeat the Creed and the Lord’s Prayer. If you choose, you may, in addition, say this little prayer” [which we know as Luther’s Evening Prayer].

In addition, The Lutheran Hymnal (1941) included this rubric for worshipers: “The sign of the cross may be made at the Trinitarian Invocation and at the words of the Nicene Creed ‘and the life of the world to come.’”

Lutherans are free to follow or disregard those instructions for making the sign of the cross. There are no ceremonial laws for New Testament children of God.

Anecdotally, I can tell you that some Lutherans make the sign of the cross when they receive the Lord’s Supper. Lutherans who do that are exercising their Christian freedom. Lutherans who do not join in that practice are also exercising their Christian freedom.

Making the sign of the cross can be a helpful reminder that Christians are redeemed children of God—people who enjoy salvation only because of God’s forgiving love and not because of anything they have done (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5-7). Wearing a cross can serve that same purpose. With untold words and various actions, Christians seek to point others to Jesus and his cross (Galatians 6:14).