In the year 1530, Martin Luther wrote a letter to a friend named Lazarus Spengler. Martin told Lazarus the meaning behind the "Luther Rose" that Martin had started using as a symbol for his faith. Do you think that Martin could have ever guessed that 500 years later people would be building a LEGO™ Luther Rose!?
Are you ready to build your own Luther Rose? Well get ready because I'm about to take you through the steps to build our
Tini Luther Rose design (that's right, this is just the small version). You may not have all the exact same colors for the pieces that I show. No problem! You can give this Luther Rose your own twist.
1. We are starting with the outside circle. Martin Luther started his letter by saying, "Grace and peace, honored dear sir and friend." If Martin were here today, would he call you his friend? I think so! I would call you friend too. We already have a love of LEGO™ in common!
2. Let's keep going building that outer circle. Martin wrote, "As you wished to know the real meaning of my seal, I shall write my thoughts on my coat-of-arms as indicative of my theology." Theology means the study of God. In other words, Luther is about to tell his friend Lazarus what he believes about God. What do you believe about God? I believe that God loves for us to use our imaginations and awesome skills to make things.
3. In the next step, we're going to finish the circle so that it makes a blue and gold ring. Martin wrote, "Heaven's joys and possessions are far above all earthly pleasures, even as gold is the most precious of metals." Even the most expensive golden ring in the world is worth less than the joy of heaven that Jesus taught us to build here on earth. Even the most expensive LEGO™ set in the world is worth less!
4. We're adding some more blue pieces to the circle. Martin wrote, "On a field there is a golden ring, to show that the bliss of heaven endures forever." You may have already learned in school that a ring or circle is an extra special shape because it has no beginning or end. A ring goes round and round, and on and on forever, just like God's love.
5. We're adding some pieces to help fill in the circle. Martin wrote, "The field is tinted with the hues of heaven." Have you ever seen a big field with a huge blue sky above? Sometimes a field or the sky stretches out so far that it seems like it goes on forever. I live in Ohio, where we have lots and farms and fields. My brother lives in Colorado with big huge prairies. What do you have where you live?
6. Let's add the beginning of some white flowers. Martin wrote, "This signifies that the joy and faith of the world to come have already begun to bloom here below." Jesus taught us that we can build and grow heaven right here on earth, just like a great tree or a beautiful flower can grow up from the earth. Right now, I'm growing some willow trees on my farm. What do you grow?
7. Flip over your LEGO™ Luther Rose to add some more pieces on the bottom. Martin wrote, "Through hope we are even now in possession of that which is only manifest to the eye of faith." Martin's coat-of-arms not only looks like a ring but also an eye. He was always looking for God. Do you think that you can see God in the things you even build with LEGO™. I hope so.
8. Let's add some roots to the flowers with some more green pieces. Martin wrote, "A rose will be placed in the field to show that faith yields joy, consolation, and peace." Martin used the color green in his Luther Rose to represent a field but I've seen fields that are yellow with wheat or brown after being plowed, and I've even seen fields that are red with clay. Fields are made from all kinds of earth and grow lots of different things. What are the fields where you live like?
9. Flip the Luther Rose back over so that you can add flower petals. Martin wrote, "The rose is white and not red, for white is the color of the angels and the spirits." White is such a great color to add more color on to. Coloring pages and painting canvases start with white that we cover with color. The Holy Spirit is always guiding us to think and make new things. What did the Holy Spirit guide Martin to add onto his Luther Rose next?
10. It's time to add a heart! Martin wrote, "A heart is placed on the rose, to remind me that the blood of the Crucified One makes us blessed." Jesus had such a big heart that he loved and died for all of us. Love is what it's all about.
11. Finish off that heart with a couple more pieces. Martin wrote, "Whoever believes this is justified." I believe that Jesus loves me. Do you?
12. Add the final piece. We include a sticker with
our Tini Luther Rose kit but you can just draw a cross on the last piece. Martin wrote, "The greatest thing is a cross, and although it inflicts pain, it does not kill, but rather makes alive." Jesus died and rose again! Jesus' big heart led him to the cross where he died, but that didn't last for long. Jesus rose from the dead and challenged his disciples to follow the Holy Spirit and build God's kingdom of heaven. That includes you!
Martin ended his letter to a friend with the words, "May Christ, our dear Lord, be with your spirit." I can't think of any better words to leave you with, so I'll just say amen.