Wreath of Christ


The Wreath of Christ, also known as the Lutheran rosary, are a set of prayer beads developed in 1995 by Swedish Evangelical Lutheran bishop emeritus Martin Lönnebo. The Wreath of Christ contains 18 beads, which are known as "pearls", with many including a crucifix. They are an often used devotion in the Lutheran Church 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 was stranded on an island in Greece for several days because of a storm. When he saw the Greek fishermen with their kombologia, 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.
  1. The bead of God
  2. The bead of Silence
  3. The I bead
  4. The bead of Baptism
  5. The bead of Silence
  6. The Desert bead
  7. The bead of Silence
  8. The Carefree bead
  9. The bead of Silence
  10. Bead of God's love
  11. Bead of God's love
  12. Bead of Secrets
  13. Bead of Secrets
  14. Bead of Secrets
  15. The bead of Darkness
  16. The bead of Silence
  17. The bead of Resurrection
  18. The bead of Silence
  19. Crucifix

Prayers

The following prayers are said on the Wreath of Christ:
After these eighteen prayers, the Lord's Prayer is recited.