Weekly Confession – Small & Large Catechisms
The First Commandment “Idolatry”
Can you relate to the prophet Elijah? I’m not talking about encountering God in a fire, earthquake, or a fierce windstorm. I mean when you’ve done everything right, and you still land in trouble. It can seem at times as though the maxim “no good deed goes unpunished” is all too true. But Elijah had done no wrong. God is not here to punish him – or us. According to the First Commandment, “we should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.” That is what Elijah had done by refusing to worship Ba’al – much to the ire of the wicked Queen Jezebel. All the while God, the true King, was taking care of His own. He is bigger than any trouble we may face.
The Second Commandment “Blasphemy”
Bl. Dr. Martin Luther isn’t known for his winning charm. In fact, if we were to meet him, I’m not sure we would take an immediate liking to him. Call it being “harsh,” “brutally honest,” or even “boorish” – Luther was right into it. But Luther was also a father. He wrote songs and fun games to teach his children lessons from the Bible. Tenderly he wrote in his Large Catechism that, “with childish and playful methods like these we may bring up our youth in the fear of God” (LC I 75) He took seriously the command to hallow God’s name, to “pray, praise, and give thanks” the way St. Paul urges the Colossians: “singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” (Col 3:16)
The Third Commandment “Neglect of God’s Word”
God takes all His commandments seriously and expects us to as well. The Third Commandment, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy” may not sound all too imposing. What’s the harm, we might ask, in burning the midnight oil or going the extra mile – all the while skipping on devotional reading of God’s Word? Quite a lot. The people to whom Amos was prophesying couldn’t seem to wait for their day of rest and worship to be over so that they could cheat and make an easy profit (Am 8:4-7). When we go about our daily business without committing all our endeavours to God, we may find that the results will not be wholesome or satisfying. Whatever else needs to get done, we need our refreshment in the Lord.
The Fourth Commandment “Rebellion”
“Honor your father and your mother.” What does this mean? “We should fear and love God so that we do not despise or anger our parents and other authorities”. We subject ourselves to discipline if we willfully disobey those in authority who take care of us. Perhaps you have heard this proverb: “Spare the rod and spoil the child.” (cf. Prov 13:24) The author of Hebrews also reminds us that we must endure discipline (Heb 12:7). We shouldn’t insist on being comfortable or getting our own way. Through authority figures – whether parents, princes, pastors, or police, “God speaks to you and demands obedience. If you obey him you are his dear child; if you despise this commandment, then take shame, misery, and grief for your reward.” (LC I 149)
The Fifth Commandment “Murder”
The Fifth Commandment isn’t just about murdering. It isn’t just about going to war, marauding, threatening, making a snide remark, or giving someone the cold shoulder. We should avoid all these behaviours and others that deal our neighbour harm. But there is more to it. We should not only protect our neighbour from harm but also “help and support him in every physical need.” In Leviticus, God gave the Israelites several commands and stipulations in order to take care of those who couldn’t easily provide for their own needs or protection. It is not a rule book; it was their welfare! How can we truly devote our time and attention to the needs of those around us today? Think about how we may love our neighbour as ourselves (Lev 19:18).
The Seventh Commandment “Stealing”
Our Lord Jesus told the history of Lazarus and the rich man. The wealthy man (whom theologians have named “Dives”), when he died, went to Hades to be tormented; while the beggarly Lazarus, “covered with sores who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table” (Luke 16:20-21), was personally escorted by angels into heaven. In telling this story, Jesus did not condemn wealth and property as sinful. But He did intend for us to help our neighbour “to improve and protect his possessions and income.” This is what the Seventh Commandment means by “You shall not steal.” God honours our neighbour’s property and welfare just as He grants ours. We, too, may have a hand in blessing our neighbour with gifts, donations, or volunteer service.
The Close of the Commandments
What does God say about His commandments? He says, “I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sins of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me”. That’s a frightening prospect! Bad decisions can have consequences for the lives of people who come after us through no fault of their own. In St. Paul’s world, many people were born slaves because of something their parents did – incurring debt or committing crimes. But we don’t have to fear: Paul writes “you are no longer a slave, but a son” (Gal 4:7). Whether or not our parents or grandparents were good-hearted believers, God judges not according to what they – or we – have done, but what Jesus Christ has done for us.
Apostles’ Creed – The First Article “Creation”
Contrary to popular belief, Christianity isn’t all about “getting to heaven.” We care about this life – indeed, much more than those who profess that life has no intrinsic meaning. Abraham, during his earthly life, tended to the needs of others. One day, he saw three strangers come around his tent. Abraham lost no time in getting them fed. Only afterward did he sit down to join them. Abraham was to discover that these guests were God Himself! We know that it is God who “gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I have” – God cares about the needs of this life. He shared in our earthly joys as well as hunger and pain by becoming man in Jesus Christ.
God is our loving Father whose will is for our good. We do not decide what is good; God does. His ways are not only righteous – they are truth and life. “Therefore choose life,” he says through Moses, “that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days” (Deut 30:19-20) God rewards morally upright behaviour; but amazingly, He also showers undeserved blessings upon us. As Jesus says, “he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good” (Matt 5:45). Should we complain God is unrighteous or unfair? No. Instead, “For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him. This is most certainly true.”
Apostles’ Creed – The Second Article “Redemption”
Jesus Christ is God’s “only Son, our Lord”. What does that mean? A lot. In the words of the Nicene Creed, Christ is “begotten before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made.” St. Paul writes that “by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible” (Col 1:16). Not even the mighty angels reflect God’s “image” the way Jesus does (v. 15). He is God’s only natural son who, like the firstborn son of a king, is destined for all his rule and glory. Although we were by nature “children of wrath” (Eph 2:3), we are God’s adopted sons and co-heirs with Jesus Christ.
Have you ever been part of “take your child to work” day? Have you hoped one of your children would take after you in your profession? In chapter eight of Proverbs, we see something like that happening. Jesus Christ is “true God, begotten from eternity” – in other words, He was there before the beginning with His Father and the Holy Spirit. Our Lord says that, when God was crafting the heavens and the earth, “there I was beside him, like a master workman, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always rejoicing in his inhabited world, and delighting in the wisdom of man.” (Pr 8:29-31). Only God can create! Jesus is truly God’s Son. He does everything His Father does. Out of love He made and formed you.
King David, ruler of all Israel, lived about a thousand years before Jesus. He fought the Israelites’ enemies, the Philistines, even slaying the giant Goliath. When Jesus was acclaimed as the “son of David,” it meant that He is the rightful heir to David’s throne. Jesus is not only “true God” but also “true man, born of the virgin Mary”. St. Matthew the Evangelist traces Jesus’ lineage back to David in order to show that he truly is the King of Israel. He was born just at the right time when God’s people needed rescuing again – not from earthly foes, but from Satan who once held us in bondage. The cry “Hosanna” means “Lord, save now!” He is our King who is strong to save.
What do Christians believe? “I believe that Jesus Christ… is my Lord,” we answer in the words of the Small Catechism. Few Scriptures outline our relationship to Jesus our Lord quite like the Twenty-Third Psalm. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” (Ps 23:1-3) Christ Jesus is our King of righteousness (Heb 7:2). It is in response to His loving-kindness, we gladly serve and obey Him. We can never properly repay Him for protecting us from evil, for His goodness and mercy that will surely follow us all the days of our life, as we dwell with Him forever.
What do we mean by confessing that Jesus “ascended into heaven”? Certainly not that His spirit went to heaven when he died while his body rested in the grave. That is what happens to ordinary believers. But Jesus has risen! He assures us: “behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.” (Rev 1:18) We mean our ascended Lord has “redeemed me from all sin, from death, and from the power of the devil” – that is right, death – and even now, He is seated in the heavenly places, body and spirit. Eternal life isn’t just for our spirits. In Christ’s heavenly kingdom, we will enjoy all good things with our bodies. We will behold Jesus with our own eyes.
Jesus Christ “will come to judge the living and the dead.” Although we fear God’s judgment, avoiding evil and desiring to please Him, this doctrine is not all doom and gloom. St. Paul comforts the Christians at Thessalonika. He suffered with them. Far from being evidence God has forsaken them, their affliction is “is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God”. When Christ returns, He will “be glorified in his saints” (2 Thess 1:5, 10). Through His sanctifying Word and Sacraments, God daily equips us to perform every good work (2 Tim 3:17) so that we will hear these comforting words from Jesus: “Well done, good and faithful servant … Enter into the joy of your master.” (Matt 25:23)
Apostles’ Creed – The Third Article “Sanctification”
“I believe in the Holy Spirit…” Did you know that the Holy Spirit is a person? Yes! He isn’t just some power (like magic) we can draw upon to make our wishes – or those of others – come true. No; the Spirit has His own will and His own way with our lives. Jesus told His disciples that “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” (John 14:23) Jesus is also talking about the Spirit getting to work! How does the Spirit make Himself at home with us? He gathers “the whole Christian Church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith.”
Leave a coin on any surface. What can it do on its own? Well, nothing. So I’m also told, sheep have an incredibly poor range of sight. They often get lost, and might even leap to their deaths if not looked after constantly. Those are Jesus’ illustrations of our weak and sinful nature (Luke 15:1-10). Before we had a thought of looking for Jesus, He loved us and came searching for us. He sends the Holy Spirit into our hearts, who creates faith in them so we might serve and believe in Jesus. “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him”. We did not find or choose Him; He chose us before the foundation of the world.
The Lord’s Prayer – First Petition “Hallowed Be Thy Name”
St. Paul hallowed the name of God in his life and teaching: “for I know whom I have believed,” he writes to Timothy the young bishop of Ephesus. “Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” (2 Tim 1:12-13) The Holy Spirit enables us believers in Christ to hallow God’s name. How is God’s name kept holy? “God’s name is kept holy when the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity, and we, as the children of God, lead holy lives according to it. Help us to do this, dear Father in heaven!” This means listening to true doctrine and proper preaching and living out God’s principles in our own individual callings.
Second Petition “Thy Kingdom Come”
You may have heard that “patience is a virtue.” Some people with extraordinary patience are described as having “the patience of Job!” St. James writes to the Church that we should be that patient – not only as we wait for Jesus’ coming, but patiently bearing with each other. Think of someone with whom you have difficulty getting along. Think of someone who would “try the patience of a saint.” He or she has value in God’s eyes just as you do! Sainthood is not something which belongs to the hereafter; here on earth, we already should be practicing patience, kindness, gentleness, and mercy. This is no easy task. Only through hearing God’s Word can we be empowered to “lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity.”
The Lord’s Prayer – Third Petition “Thy Will Be Done”
The widow in Jesus’ parable tirelessly petitions for justice (Luke 18:1-10). We, the faithful, are to pray without ceasing that God’s good will may prevail. “God’s will is done when He breaks and hinders every evil plan and purpose of the Devil, the world, and our sinful nature”. We desperately need God’s help and encouragement through challenges. “For where God’s Word is preached, accepted or believed, and bears fruit, there the blessed holy cross will not be far away … Therefore, there is just as much need in this case as in every other case to pray without ceasing: ‘Thy will be done, dear Father, and not the will of the devil or of our enemies, nor of those who would persecute and suppress thy holy Word…’” (LC III 67)
The Lord’s Prayer – Sixth Petition “Lead Us Not into Temptation”
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to walk a mile in Jesus’ sandals? A lot of us may find Him unrelatable. Yet our Lord experienced distress and weariness. One time, He told His disciples that: “I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished!” (Luke 12:49-50) Jesus may even sound impatient here, or afraid of what would happen to Him on the cross. But Jesus reckoned entirely on God’s timing. He helps us keep an even keel when, like Him, we are tempted by despair, distress, and the devil. “Although we are attacked by these things, we pray that we may finally overcome them and win the victory.” Our sorrows are His own, and His victory is ours!
The Lord’s Prayer – Seventh Petition “Deliver Us from Evil”
Jesus spent His final days before His death in an odd way – making predictions of death and destruction for his terror-stricken disciples. When natural or national disasters come down, often Christians are unjustly blamed. The Church’s reputation is attacked. In the Lord’s Prayer, we pray that our heavenly Father would keep us from all evil – not only evils which may threaten our body and soul, but also “possessions and reputation”. As believers, we should always try to do what is pleasing. Yet we may be hated, slandered, falsely accused, or misunderstood. Through it all Christ Jesus promises us that “not a hair of your head will perish.” (Luke 21:17-18) Come hell or high water, thankfully, God’s opinion of us never changes – and His is the one that truly counts!
The last chapters of Revelation are a picture of the bliss that awaits all who believe in Christ Jesus. It seems almost too good to be true, because here in our present life, we encounter sadness and loss. Experience tells us that even our joys are fading or coming after great effort. But our Father in heaven urges us to pray in the Lord’s Prayer: “Deliver us from evil.” What does He promise us? That “when our last hour comes,” He will “give us a blessed end, and graciously take us from this valley of sorrow to Himself in heaven.” There will be no more mourning, crying, and pain (Rev 22:4) – only laughter, joy, and comfort await us on the other side of the grave.
Confession “What Is the Office of the Keys?”
Many of us have said it. Though it may seem that way at the time, the reality is, no one experiences “hell on earth.” Hell is eternal separation from God’s mercy. When it came to Sodom and Gomorrah, God had already resolved to destroy the city with fire as a frightful foreshadowing of damnation. It was a warning not to take sin lightly, since God’s judgment may come down at any time. It is not an act of hatred when the Church is called upon to excommunicate someone living in open wickedness – “to withhold forgiveness from the unrepentant as long as they do not repent.” It is done in love, so the excommunicate may realize before too late that God longs to be merciful to everyone who comes to repentance.
Confession “What Do You Believe according to These Words?”
Pay close attention to this Gospel lesson from St. Luke. Jesus tells seventy-two of His trusted disciples, that “The one who hears you heard me, and the one who rejects you rejects me” (Luke 10:16) That verse is often read at ordinations. When we confess our sins before a pastor, we believe that “when the called ministers of Christ deal with us by His divine command, in particular when they exclude openly unrepentant sinners from the Christian congregation and absolve the sins of those who repent of their sins and want to do better, this is just as valid and certain, even in heaven, as if Christ our dear Lord dealt with us Himself.” The pastor isn’t just play-acting. When he says your sins are forgiven, they are certainly forgiven!
Christian Questions 9: “What has Christ done for you that you trust in Him?”
Revelation was written to give consolation to the Church on earth. We have fellowship with the Church in heaven with Jesus Christ. Chapter five pictures Him as the Lamb of God (Agnus Dei, in Latin). The saints and angels acclaim Him – in the words of one of our hymns – as “the Lamb who was slain, whose blood set us free to be people of God.” Jesus offers that blood in the Lord’s Supper. Before communing, each of us must ask ourselves: “What has Christ done for you that you trust in Him?” “He died for me and shed His blood for me on the cross for the forgiveness of sins.” Not only is Jesus worthy of all honor; as we are covered by His precious blood, we reign with Him!
