Read the section in the Small Catechism on the Lord’s Prayer. Before we go any farther with the Lord’s Prayer it might be instructive to see what Martin Luther understood about prayer itself. For Luther, prayer is something the second commandment teaches (remember that one? You shall not make wrongful use of the name of… Read More »
Apostle’s Creed
Read the section in the Small Catechism on the Apostles’ Creed. A creed is a basic statement of faith. The Apostles’ Creed, as we now have it, dates from the eighth century. However, its roots are in the “Old Roman Creed” which was used in some parts of the ancient church as early as the… Read More »
10 Commandments
Read the Small Catechism section on The Ten Commandments. Luther understood the Ten Commandments to be Moses’ meditation on the natural law of God that is written on all human hearts. In this way he focused more on the spirit of the texts rather than the specifics as they might be applied to Israelites of… Read More »
Introduction
Read the History of the Small Catechism and Luther’s preface to the Small Catechism. In the early church the word chatecheo, meaning to inform or instruct, was the Greek term used to denote Christian instruction for anyone. By the second century this word was used for the pre-baptismal instruction of the catechumens, those who desired baptism… Read More »
Q. How do I keep God in the center of the reason for coming to church and not to just do the business of church duties? To lead by my heart?
R. Thank you for this question and for your honesty with yourself and others in asking it. It can be easy for people of good will, especially those in leadership, to let their participation become just another duty/responsibility to fulfill. I struggle with that problem myself. Here is what helps me: 1) Breathe- There… Read More »
Q. Why do we have communion every Sunday?
R. We have communion every Sunday (in fact, almost every time we meet) because we need it. If you look back in your Small Catechism, you’ll see that Martin Luther explains what Communion is and does. In this meal of bread and wine, Jesus comes to us and brings forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. … Read More »
Q. How do we balance caring and being generous to others and taking care of our own families. What is the proper balance?
R. We are called into many relationships in our lives. Martin Luther talked about these as some of the vocatio (vocations) we have been given. All of us have a vocation as daughters or sons. Some of us are privileged to be called to the vocation of father, mother, spouse. Each of these relationships, these… Read More »
Q. How will I know how I am to serve, what service I am to do, and when I am to serve?
The word most often translated as “serve” is the Greek word diakonos, which is where we get the word Deacon- our title for the rostered lay ministry of the ELCA. That word appears 37 times in the New Testament. It means something like servant, minister, one on the move actively waiting on others. You ask… Read More »
Q. Why do I sometimes feel I don’t deserve God’s love? Yet I know God loves me?
R. What you describe is the best definition of God’s grace that there is – we who don’t deserve God’s love are loved by God. This can be a hard thing to accept sometimes, mostly because that’s not how we as humans respond. But it is true. What do you do in those times when… Read More »
Q. Why some prayers take years and not seem to be answered at all and others so or right away. Q. When you are sad and you are praying to God why doesn’t he give you an answer or a sign?
Prayer is conversation with God. It is a dialogue with us doing both speaking and listening. We do wonderfully at the speaking. We don’t always do so well with the listening and, sometimes, God doesn’t speak for a while. We see examples of this in scripture. God promises Abram and Sarai a child and that… Read More »
