OTHER WORKS

The reading of the Bible and the sermon, or preaching, are the central points of Lutheran worship. To be perfectly heard by the faithful, Lutherans position the pulpit in a strategic location. The pastoral pulpit consists of a raised basin accessible by one or two stairs, and a sounding board intended to properly amplify the preacher's words. However, their placement and decoration may vary. Practical considerations, stemming directly from its fundamental function - the listening to the Word - have imposed it as a central piece of liturgical furniture. It is from the top of the pulpit that the majority of the liturgy takes place. It generally sits on one side, at the junction of the choir and the nave in Lutheran tradition churches. Adjustments are possible depending on the architecture: being perfectly heard by all the faithful, in the absence of any other sound system, being the absolute priority. Since the mid-20th century, with the development of sound amplification, the pulpit is no longer indispensable. The liturgy and sometimes the preaching are increasingly done from a lectern, or ambo, placed in front of the pulpit. It is important to preserve this heritage whose symbolism remains strong in a Protestant church. In Sofia church, the pulpit is located on the left, while usually, in other Lutheran churches, it is located on the right. A rare peculiarity linked to the architectural constraints of the building.

Light is one of the realities that the people of the Bible know best. It awakens them each morning to a new life that emerges to leave the realm of the death of the night. Light is associated with the thought of God, with life, with salvation: no life without water, but also, no life without light. Already in the Old Covenant, God himself is Light for his people: "The Lord himself went ahead of them: a pillar of cloud during the day to guide them on their way, and a pillar of fire at night to give them light" (Exodus 13, 21). The law is considered as a light illuminating the path of man: "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path" (Psalm 118, 105). In the gospel, Jesus presents himself clearly: "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8,12). Christians, called from darkness to light, become themselves "the light of the world" and those who are "blameless children of God" must "shine like stars in the universe" (Philippians 2, 15). The four small three-armed lamps on the walls were designed by G.A Falk, the architect. The luminary near the organ is original to the Ornano chapel. The other two are copies given by Skultuna in 1913.

Among all the sacraments, baptism is the one that best ensures the transmission of faith among the faithful. It marks entry into the Christian community but is also perceived as a death and a rebirth allowing access to the path of Salvation. The importance of such a ritual quickly justified the creation of a specific architecture within the religious landscape. Since the early Christian era, baptisteries have thus allowed the proper conduct of the rite through basins allowing total or partial immersion of the catechumens. Widely established in the West and less subject to conversion issues, the Church gradually made young children, rather than adults, the privileged recipients of the ritual. However, the high infant mortality rate led to no longer limiting baptism to Easter and Pentecost, key moments of the liturgical year when it was previously practiced. A more daily ritual appears, closer to the moment of birth. The age of the neophytes, the increased frequency of the ritual, and the modalities of the use of the lustral water are all elements that explain the appearance of a new object in liturgical furniture around the 10th-11th century: the baptismal fonts. Visible in the entrance vestibule of the church, these baptismal fonts come from the first Sofia church of Paris. They were replaced by other fonts of a more sober and contemporary style.A.

The entrance as well as the exit of the ministers of worship is a procession. The whole assembly stands up and turns to watch it. For it is Christ who is the leader, the first. It is he who opens the processions. Such crosses have a long history: the members of the Gregorian mission of Augustine of Canterbury in England carried one in front of them, as they were accustomed to, according to the Venerable Bede. Other sources suggest that all churches were supposed to have one. These crosses became detachable, to be removed from the handle and placed on a base at the end of the procession. The most important churches have "Crux gemmata," richly ornamented processional crosses, sometimes with jewels and precious metals. Ancient examples include the cross of Justin II, the crucifix of Matilda from the 10th century, Lothair's cross dating from 984, and the cross of Cong. The processional cross is a gift from Mrs. Marguerite Nobel in 1971 in memory of her husband Gösta. The design is by Barbro Littmark and the realization by the court goldsmith W.A. Bolin. On the same occasion, she donated the silver candlesticks and liturgical vases.

The Trinity icon is a Russian icon painted by Andrei Rublev between 1410 and 14271, whose subject is Abraham's hospitality, a theme from the Old Testament on which the Fathers of the Church have reflected to speak of the Trinity. It is the best-known Russian icon representing the Trinity. It measures approximately 1 meter wide by 1.5 meters high and is made up of three wooden panels whose joints are slightly deteriorated. Until 1929, it was part of the iconostasis of the Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra in the city of Sergiev Posad. It is now exhibited at the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. This icon is visible to the right of the altar during each service. It is a work of art not to be worshipped but to be contemplated.

Lutherans have returned to the organization of the early Christian communities in ancient Rome. The hierarchy of religious interveners is simplified: the local communities of believers (the parish) are supervised by a pastor. The pastor is a layperson (without religious authority) who has received solid theological (religious) training in order to be able to lead a community. At the end of their studies, the pastor receives ordination, which is the recognition of their abilities and gives them the right to represent the Lutheran Church locally. They may be married and often have a family. In many Lutheran churches, women can be pastors. All pastors, regardless of their rank, have equal rights. The Lutheran Church has a fairly democratic organization. The pastor and a few laypeople form the presbyteral council, which manages the parish and decides on religious activities. Parishes come together in regional synods where both pastors and laypeople are found. Major religious orientations are debated there. At the national level, there is a national synod where delegates from regional synods sit. This plaque was created for the 300th anniversary of the parish of the Church of Sweden in Paris. To this day, it has had 32 pastors, about a dozen per century. A beautiful testimony to stability and longevity!

Upon leaving the church, one can read above the door this excerpt from Psalm 121:7-8: "The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore." A way like any other to return to the world with this Word of God inscribed in one's heart.

In architecture, the tympanum (from ancient Greek túmpanon, "drum") is the vertical surface delimited by the cornices of a pediment. It also refers to the semi-circular space of a portal, between the lintel and a semicircular arch or a ribbed vault, and also, a panel surmounting this portal. The tympanum often bears ornaments or sculptures. It is notably used to present a bas-relief on the façade of Romanesque or Gothic churches. The tympanum of the main western door, the most important one, presents the fundamental dogmas of the Christian faith. The current tympanum, a vestige of the first Sofia church of Paris, has as its theme Christ welcoming a symbolized crowd. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened," an anticipation of the monumental Christ located in the choir of the church..

Sweden has long maintained a staunch neutrality in most recent conflicts.
That said, about thirty Swedes gave their lives, died in combat, during the Great War of 1914-1918.
Died for France, this plaque, located on the left in the entrance courtyard, commemorates them.

The Anschaire statue in the courtyard is by sculptor Gunnar Nilsson (the same as Saint Peter in the nave, Olaus Petri and Anschaire on the organ) and was inaugurated on June 18, 1972. It reminds us of the links between the churches of France and Sweden. It was purchased with parishioners' donations. Anschaire left Picardy and his Benedictine abbey of Corbie, which at that time was a very lively center of science and sanctity. He first founded an abbey in Saxony, in Corwey (Corbie), and then evangelized the "men of the north," the "Normans" first in Denmark, then in Sweden. In the northwest of Stockholm, on the island of Björke, and in the region of Russland, he founded a monastery from which he evangelized the Varangians, these Eastern Normans who descended the Dnieper to the Black Sea and who were the "Rus", the first Christians of Kiev, a century before the conversion of Prince Vladimir. He returned to the north of Germany and was entrusted with the bishopric of Bremen where his earthly pilgrimage ended.