Processions were a feature of Israelite festal worship, in which there seems to have been a procession of the Ark of the Covenant into the sanctuary (see Psalms 68 and 24). In Israel, the ark symbolized the Lord's leadership in battle, for he was said to be "enthroned above the cherubim" (Psalm 80:1, Isa. 37:16), the guardian figures o­n the cover of the ark. The processional cross symbolizes Christ's leadership as head of a victorious army, as powerfully set forth in the Revelation to John (19:13-15). The Apostle Paul also portrays the ascended Christ as the leader of a train of captives (Eph. 4:8, based o­n Psalm 68:18). The worship procession reminds us that we are not our own, but were bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:20), rescued from the grip of the enemy by our victorious Leader, and now enlisted in his army as warriors against the forces of evil. Special thanks to Church of the Resurrection of Illinois (http://www.churchrez.org/actions.htm) for their help in answering this question.

Young or Old, male or female, anyone can be the crucifer. The o­nly requirement to being a crucifer is that you have to be strong enough to carry the cross. For most people age 15 and older this is not a problem. The duties of the crucifer are to carry high the cross into and out of worship. We are in the processing of collecting the names of people who would be willing to be the crucifer. All who are willing are encouraged to submit his or her name to Church Office. A list will be compiled of willing individuals and a schedule will be made for the coming year. If you discover that you cannot be the crucifer for a week that you are assigned, it’s ok! You will be given a list of other crucifers whom you can call to be a substitute for you. This is a o­ne-year commitment. At the end of the time you will be asked if you would like to continue to serve as a crucifer, or if you would like your name to be removed. Please contact Church Office (churchhoffice@stmarksclaremont.org, 459-2161 ext. 10) if you would like to serve as crucifer.

Do you have a question about worship, but did not know who to ask? Submit your question to Church Office and your answer can appear in the "Worship Matters" column. (churchoffice@stmarksclaremont.org, 459-2161 ext. 10)