Daily Lenten Devotions
Greetings and peace be with you.
Throughout Lent, the Lutheran Camping Corporation will be sending out daily devotions for your use. We invite you to read and reflect upon these devotions as part of your Lenten discipline.
This devotion, written by Pastor Benjamin Leese, is based on Luther’s Small Catechism and may be used in your Lenten discipline of study and reflection.
Saturday, April 23 - the Great Vigil
The day seems exceedingly ordinary. A respite from all the pain of the previous days. But as night falls, something begins to change. A fire is kindled, a candle is lit, a hymn of praise is sung, stories of old are shared, and then in the midst of the darkness it happens. Hidden mysteriously on this night is the moment of resurrection, when death was defeated forever. The Easter Vigil service is the central one of the whole year, and there is bound to be one somewhere nearby. Go and worship tonight that you might experience the return of the Light and Christ’s triumph over death.
Prayer: We thank you, Mighty Lord, that we live because you live. Amen.
Friday, April 22 - Good Friday
The stripping of the altar table was bad enough. Psalm 22 hurts as it enters our ears. And yet things get worse. On this day we walk with Jesus to the cross. We wonder why this is happening. We hear his question from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And we wonder the same thing. But we rest in hope.
Prayer: Almighty God, we ask you to look with mercy on your family for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed and to be given over to the hands of sinners and to suffer death on the cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
Thursday, April 21 - Maundy Thursday
The catechism has prepared us for this, for these Great Three Days. We know what must happen now. The betrayal, the torture, the death, the burial, the hope, the empty tomb.
And yet, nothing can prepare us for these Great Three Days. And so we rehearse it over and over again. A banquet room. A table. Friends gathered. Dirty feet. A commandment – Love each other. This rehearsal is not a reenactment, but instead these great truths a present reality. The past in not so much remembered, but instead it becomes present now.
And so the Great Three Days that are at the center of our faith begin.
Prayer: Holy god, help us to enter with reverence and attention the events of these days. Help us to see in them our transformation of the world. And bring us with Jesus from life to death to new life. Amen.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
How can bodily eating and drinking do such great things?
It is not the eating and drinking, indeed, that does them, but the words which stand here, namely: Given, and shed for you, for the remission of sins. Which words are, beside the bodily eating and drinking, as the chief thing in the Sacrament; and he that believes these words has what they say and express, namely, the forgiveness of sins.
Who, then, receives such Sacrament worthily?
Fasting and bodily preparation is, indeed, a fine outward training; but he is truly worthy and well prepared who has faith in these words: Given, and shed for you, for the remission of sins.
But he that does not believe these words, or doubts, is unworthy and unfit; for the words For you require altogether believing hearts.
For you. What simple words, but what promise they contain! Those words received with a believing heart and connected with eating and drinking the bread and the wine, bear God’s deepest promise to us. And so we come thirsting and hungry for the nourishment that we need and to hear those words of mercy – for you.
Prayer: Help us trust more deeply, O Lord, that communion is for us, that forgiveness is for us, that your love is for us. Amen.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
What is the benefit of such eating and drinking?
That is shown us in these words: Given, and shed for you, for the remission of sins; namely, that in the Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given us through these words. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.
At the altar-table we receive forgiveness, and with that forgiveness, life and salvation. The three always come together. Just as we need to eat and drink to live, at the altar-table we eat and drink in order to live. And thus nourished, we also receive strength to live the Christian life in the world and to become the disciples that Jesus would have us be.
Prayer: Transform us, dear God, by the gift of communion that we might be strengthened to proclaim your forgiveness, salvation, and life to all the world. Amen.
Monday, April 18, 2011
What is the Sacrament of the Altar?
It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, under the bread and wine, for us Christians to eat and to drink, instituted by Christ Himself.
Where is this written?
The holy Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and St. Paul, write thus:
Our Lord Jesus Christ, the same night in which He was betrayed, took bread: and when He had given thanks, He brake it, and gave it to His disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is My body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me.
After the same manner also He took the cup, when He had supped, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Take, drink ye all of it. This cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you for the remission of sins. This do ye, as often as ye drink it, in remembrance of Me.
Jesus gives us himself to be our food and drink. As if it weren’t enough that he forgives our sins and makes us his own in Baptism. As if the commandments didn’t guide our lives, the creed stir up our faith, and the Lord’s Prayer teach us to trust. But Jesus feeds us with his own selfhood, that we might have a promise our whole lives long of his continuing care for us.
Prayer: Give us this day our daily bread, Lord, that we might truly live and trust you. Amen
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Then shall the confessor say:
God be merciful to thee and strengthen thy faith! Amen.
Furthermore:
Dost thou believe that my forgiveness is God's forgiveness?
Answer.
Yes, dear sir.
Then let him say:
As thou believest, so be it done unto thee. And by the command of our Lord Jesus Christ I forgive thee thy sins, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. Depart in peace.
But those who have great burdens upon their consciences, or are distressed and tempted, the confessor will know how to comfort and to encourage to faith with more passages of Scripture. This is to be merely a general form of confession for the unlearned.
Luther sums up his brief form of confession with forgiveness given in the very name of God. The forgiveness spoken by the confessor is God’s own forgiveness, and with it, we can be confident that our sins are forgotten in heaven itself.
Prayer: Strengthen my faith each day, that I may trust in our bountiful forgiveness and boldly live the new opportunities you give me. Amen.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Pray, Propose to Me a Brief Form of Confession.
Answer.
You should speak to the confessor thus: Reverend and dear sir, I beseech you to hear my confession, and to pronounce forgiveness to me for God's sake.
Proceed!
I, a poor sinner, confess myself before God guilty of all sins; especially I confess before you that I am a man-servant, a maidservant, etc. But, alas, I serve my master unfaithfully; for in this and in that I have not done what they commanded me; I have provoked them, and caused them to curse, have been negligent [in many things] and permitted damage to be done; have also been immodest in words and deeds, have quarreled with my equals, have grumbled and sworn at my mistress, etc. For all this I am sorry, and pray for grace; I want to do better.
A master or mistress may say thus:
In particular I confess before you that I have not faithfully trained my children, domestics, and family for God's glory. I have cursed, set a bad example by rude words and deeds, have done my neighbor harm and spoken evil of him, have overcharged and given false ware and short measure.
And whatever else he has done against God's command and his station, etc.
But if any one does not find himself burdened with such or greater sins, he should not trouble himself or search for or invent other sins, and thereby make confession a torture, but mention one or two that he knows. Thus: In particular I confess that I once cursed; again, I once used improper words, I have once neglected this or that, etc. Let this suffice.
But if you know of none at all (which, however is scarcely possible), then mention none in particular, but receive the forgiveness upon your general confession which you make before God to the confessor.
“I want to do better.” What refreshing words to be able to say before God and before your confessor. Those words capture both the humility of the moment, the leaving behind of old ways of life, but also the opportunity hidden therein. God richly gives us infinite chances to do better.
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for the chance to start over. Give me that chance today and every day. Amen.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Which are these?
Here consider your station according to the Ten Commandments, whether you are a father, mother, son, daughter, master, mistress, a man-servant or maid-servant; whether you have been disobedient, unfaithful, slothful; whether you have grieved any one by words or deeds; whether you have stolen, neglected, or wasted aught, or done other injury.
Where to start our list of sins? And where to end it? It could go on forever, but Luther points us to the Ten Commandments as a sure guide for examining our consciences. Such examination is not to provoke guilt but rather to identify areas of growth where God’s grace might be at work in transforming us from old to new, from death to life.
Prayer: We daily grieve you and our neighbors. Come to us and transform our hearts again that we might live as your people. Amen.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
What sins should we confess?
Before God we should plead guilty of all sins, even of those which we do not know, as we do in the Lord's Prayer. But before the confessor we should confess those sins alone which we know and feel in our hearts.
The point of confession and forgiveness is to soothe troubled consciences, not to enumerate all sins (as if that were possible) in order to merit forgiveness. Early in his life, Luther lived with such torment of believing that only the sins he confessed would be forgiven. We rightly know that we are guilty of all sins, but only those that trouble us need to be addressed with personal confession and forgiveness. Even if people don’t recognize it, most pastoral counseling has an element of confession and forgiveness in it, and that forgiveness offers true transformation of lives. God lets us start over.
Prayer: Soothe our troubles hearts, gracious God, with the promise of your abundant forgiveness. Amen.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
V. Confession
How Christians should be taught to confess.
What is Confession?
Confession embraces two parts: the one is, that we confess our sins; the other, that we receive absolution, or forgiveness, from the confessor, as from God Himself, and in no wise doubt, but firmly believe, that our sins are thereby forgiven before God in heaven.
Before Luther’s time, the focus of confession was only on the act of confessing sins, but with Luther’s insight, confession became also about receiving forgiveness as equally (if not more!) important. So when we come to confess our sins, we do so already confident that God has a word of forgiveness to speak to us. We should eagerly long to participate in confession AND forgiveness.
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for taking away the fear of being honest with you and ourselves about our sin. Thank you for forgiving us each day. Amen.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Fourthly.
What does such baptizing with water signify?--Answer.
It signifies that the old Adam in us should, by daily contrition and repentance, be drowned and die with all sins and evil lusts, and, again, a new man daily come forth and arise; who shall live before God in righteousness and purity forever.
Where is this written?--Answer.
St. Paul says Romans, chapter 6: We are buried with Christ by Baptism into death, that, like as He was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
“Be drowned and die” – how rarely we take this phrase seriously that baptism means a way of life that includes daily death to the old in order that the new might live. We are freed to let the old Adam drown because of the promise in new life given to us in baptism. We die in order that we might live.
Prayer: God of new life, drown me each day that the new person you would have me be might come forth. Amen.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Thirdly.
How can water do such great things?--Answer.
It is not the water indeed that does them, but the word of God which is in and with the water, and faith, which trusts such word of God in the water. For without the word of God the water is simple water and no baptism. But with the word of God it is a baptism, that is, a gracious water of life and a washing of regeneration in the Holy Ghost, as St. Paul says, Titus, chapter three: By the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ, our Savior, that, being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying.
It is tempting to some people to turn faith in this explanation into a work or requirement that humans must accomplish. Doing that however forgets that we cannot by our own understanding or effort come to our Lord or believe in him, as Luther says in the explanation to the third article of the creed. Instead the faith that apprehends the promises of baptism is itself also a gift. To say that we have to make a choice in order to accept God’s salvation is about as foolish as saying that someone who is drowning makes a choice to accept a floatation device thrown to them. The credit all belongs to the rescuer and none of it to the one being rescued. God’s promise, connected with water, apprehended in faith, brings new life.
Prayer: Saving God, preserve us from our own delusions of being in control. Thank you, Lord, for redeeming us in our baptisms. Continue to make us your own each day. Amen.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Secondly.
What does Baptism give or profit?--Answer.
It works forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare.
Which are such words and promises of God? Answer.
Christ, our Lord, says in the last chapter of Mark: He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
It is easy to fall into the popular opinion that baptism is merely a symbol, but nothing could be further from the truth! Baptism actually accomplishes forgiveness, deliverance, and salvation because God promises that it does. Baptism is God’s gracious action. So it is not a symbol (like a photo of a mountain could never actually be the mountain) but instead is a sign (like a STOP sign) that actually accomplishes what it claims to do.
Prayer: Delivering God, we praise you for your mighty acts of deliverance throughout history, for bringing Noah through the flood, and the Israelites through the Red Sea. But most of all we thank you for our redemption in the waters of Baptism. Amen.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
First.
What is Baptism?--Answer.
Baptism is not simple water only, but it is the water comprehended in God's command and connected with God's Word.
Which is that word of God?--Answer.
Christ, our Lord, says in the last chapter of Matthew: Go ye into all the world and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
My father once summarized the entire field of biology with the words, “You give it water, it lives; you take the water away, it dies.” While that may be an over-simplification, it also happens to be true. And it is true of our life with God also. Without the waters of baptism, ordinary water connected with God’s word, we’re dead. With that water on us, we live, eternally.
Prayer: Thank you God, for making us your own in the waters of baptism. Remind us each day that we belong to you because you have made us your own by water and the spirit. Amen.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Amen.
What does this mean?--Answer.
That I should be certain that these petitions are acceptable to our Father in heaven and heard; for He Himself has commanded us so to pray, and has promised that He will hear us. Amen, Amen; that is, Yea, yea, it shall be so.
This is most certainly true. When we say the amen, we give our joyful affirmation that these things are so and that God will hear and answer us because God has promised to do so. Before we see the answers fulfilled, we say the amen, because we know they shall be.
Prayer: We thank you, Lord, for all of your promises and for teaching us to pray. And even more we thank you for hearing and granting our prayers before we pray and even when we forget how to pray. Amen. Amen.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
The Seventh Petition.
But deliver us from evil.
What does this mean?--Answer.
We pray in this petition, as in a summary, that our Father in heaven would deliver us from all manner of evil, of body and soul, property and honor, and at last, when our last hour shall come, grant us a blessed end, and graciously take us from this vale of tears to Himself into heaven.
“A blessed end” seems an unusual petition for a daily prayer. But Luther wisely does not let us lose sight of the fact that we are dying, and that God promises to protect even in death just as God faithfully protects us in life. We ask to receive the grace of a good death – one at peace with ourselves, our family, and with God.
Prayer: Deliver us, Lord, from evil now and in all the days to come. And when our days are over, in your grace, carry us to be with you for eternity. Amen.
Monday, April 4, 2011
The Sixth Petition.
And lead us not into temptation.
What does this mean?--Answer.
God, indeed, tempts no one; but we pray in this petition that God would guard and keep us, so that the devil, the world, and our flesh may not deceive us, nor seduce us into misbelief, despair, and other great shame and vice; and though we be assailed by them, that still we may finally overcome and gain the victory.
Temptations abound, and perhaps the greatest of temptations is to despair – thinking that ourselves or the world are beyond hope. Such temptation, Luther reminds us, is not from God but an illusion from the devil. We ask in this petition to see the world as God sees it that we might see God’s victory already being accomplished in our midst.
Prayer: Grant us vision, Mighty God, to see the world as you do – to see the evil one vanquished and all things restored. And with that vision, keep us from despair and all the other temptations of our world. Amen.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
The Fifth Petition.
And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
What does this mean?--Answer.
We pray in this petition that our Father in heaven would not look upon our sins, nor deny such petitions on account of them; for we are worthy of none of the things for which we pray, neither have we deserved them; but that He would grant them all to us by grace; for we daily sin much, and indeed deserve nothing but punishment. So will we verily, on our part, also heartily forgive and also readily do good to those who sin against us.
How easy to want forgiveness for ourselves but to deny it to others. We ask in this petition that God would forgive us and in doing so teach us how to forgive others. This isn’t a matter of deserving forgiveness, Luther reminds us, but of living in God’s grace and mercy.
Prayer: Forgiving God, cleanse our hearts and minds; make us new each day. Forgive us and help us to experience the freedom of forgiving others. Amen.
Friday, April 1, 2011
The Fourth Petition.
Give us this day our daily bread.
What does this mean?--Answer.
God gives daily bread, even without our prayer, to all wicked men; but we pray in this petition that He would lead us to know it, and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.
What is meant by daily bread?--Answer.
Everything that belongs to the support and wants of the body, such as meat, drink, clothing, shoes, house, homestead, field, cattle, money, goods, a pious spouse, pious children, pious servants, pious and faithful magistrates, good government, good weather, peace, health, discipline, honor, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.
This petition ought to remind us of Luther’s explanation to the First Article of the Creed where we learn that God gives us everything and all we can do is be thankful. Knowing this allows us to live in confidence that God will provide for us today and tomorrow and always. And since we no longer have to worry about those things, we can live instead for God and for the neighbors that God gives us to serve.
Prayer: Generous God, make us thankful every day for the abundance of gifts that you provide to us and all your children. Amen.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
The Third Petition.
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
What does this mean?--Answer.
The good and gracious will of God is done indeed without our prayer; but we pray in this petition that it may be done among us also.
How is this done?--Answer.
When God breaks and hinders every evil counsel and will which would not let us hallow the name of God nor let His kingdom come, such as the will of the devil, the world, and our flesh; but strengthens and keeps us steadfast in His Word and in faith unto our end. This is His gracious and good will.
God’s will comes to us by God hindering the will of the devil, the world, and even our own will! We don’t like the idea of giving up control, but when we pray the Lord’s Prayer we ask that God would bring our will in line with God’s own. So God is ever busy transforming us by the power of God’s will that our lives might be signs of God’s love for the world.
Prayer: Heavenly God, come and let your will have sway among us. Help us to see your will at work in our lives and in our world. Continue to thwart all the forces that would encourage us to rebel against you and your will. Amen.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
The Second Petition.
Thy kingdom come.
What does this mean?--Answer.
The kingdom of God comes indeed without our prayer, of itself; but we pray in this petition that it may come unto us also.
How is this done?--Answer.
When our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead a godly life here in time and yonder in eternity.
What a strange thing, to always be praying for a Kingdom to come and take over the world. We are so accustomed to having a say in our government, to have freedom to do what we please. But then we pray for a Kingdom, where we will not be in charge. But here we pray for the perfect Reign of God’s justice, mercy, and peace. We know it comes whether we ask for it or not, so we ask in this prayer that God might bring it in us and through us.
Prayer: Holy King, come and reign among us. We always fail to rule ourselves the way you would have us, so come and take over. Rule in our lives and in our world. Amen.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
The First Petition.
Hallowed be Thy name.
What does this mean?--Answer.
God's name is indeed holy in itself; but we pray in this petition that it may become holy among us also.
How is this done?--Answer.
When the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity, and we as the children of God also lead holy lives in accordance with it. To this end help us, dear Father in heaven. But he that teaches and lives otherwise than God's Word teaches profanes the name of God among us. From this preserve us, Heavenly Father.
Here Luther starts the “in itself” pattern, reminding us that God is already busy doing the things for which we ask in the Lord’s Prayer before us ask for them and even without our prayers. God is busy being God, whether we like it or not. But we ask in the Lord’s Prayer that God may do all of those things among us, too – that God’s name would be holy in our families and churches. Lent is a good opportunity to assess how we are keeping God’s name holy and how we might more fully experience that holiness.
Prayer: Holy God, be holy among us, just as you are holy throughout the world. Help us to trust that even when we are forgetful in our praying, that you are faithful in fulfilling your promises. Amen.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Our Father who art in heaven.
What does this mean?--Answer.
God would thereby [with this little introduction] tenderly urge us to believe that He is our true Father, and that we are His true children, so that we may ask Him confidently with all assurance, as dear children ask their dear father.
How often does God become an up-there, out-there kind of figure in our hearts. But Luther reminds us that every time we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we should think of God as a dear father, a dad who desperately wants the best for his children, even when they don’t know what is best for themselves! Every time we say “Our Father…” we come before God with respect but more importantly trusting that God has a relationship with us.
Prayer: Our Father, grant that every day we may trust you to love and care for us as a dear parent. Help us to follow your guidance as your beloved children. Amen.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
What does this mean?--Answer.
I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith; even as He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith; in which Christian Church He forgives daily and richly all sins to me and all believers, and at the last day will raise up me and all the dead, and will give to me and to all believers in Christ everlasting life. This is most certainly true.
We’re so quick to take credit for ourselves, even if it is only for our believing. But here, Luther wisely reminds us that we can’t even take credit for our faith. Were it not for the Holy Spirit, we would not believe the promises that make us God’s own children, that allow us to live with hope instead of despair. Thank God for the gift of the Spirit, ever-present, ever-brooding, ever-faithful!
Prayer: Even our faith is not our own, good Lord, but a gift from your loving hand. Stir up that faith in our hearts, in our community, in our church, in our world, that everyone might glorify your name. Amen.
Friday, March 25, 2011
The Third Article.
Of Sanctification.
I believe in the Holy Spirit; one holy Christian Church, the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.
The resurrection of the body - how often in our culture does that get changed into the resurrection of the soul or some form of disembodied life in heaven with God. But the Creed says “the body,” reminding us that God values this flesh, this world and plans to recreate it. With Job we can say, “yet in my flesh, I will see God.”
Prayer: We thank you Lord for the life you have given us and the world that you have created for us. Teach us to respect and care for it as you do, and help us to see how you make all things new. Amen.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
What does this mean?--Answer.
I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, purchased and won [delivered] me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil, not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, in order that I may be [wholly] His own, and live under Him in His kingdom, and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, even as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. This is most certainly true.
It’s pretty popular in our culture to say that everyone goes to heaven if they are good people. What a delusion and corruption of the Christian faith! Not only are we not good, we are all lost and condemned without the steep price God pays for our ransom – Jesus’ blood, suffering, and death. This is no cheap grace, no easy salvation; no, it costs God dearly.
Prayer: Thank you, Jesus, for purchasing and delivering me from my own sins, from the devil, from death. Help me to live under you in your kingdom and serve you this day and always. Amen
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
The Second Article.
Of Redemption.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
It’s not enough for God to simply set the world and spinning and step away. No, in the person of Jesus, God comes and dwells with us. And Jesus experiences the depths of human suffering, even descending into Hell, the place from which God is most absent. It is too bad the new hymnal’s translation changes “hell” to “dead.” Even the depths of Hell itself won’t keep God from loving us. As Luther taught, should we find ourselves in Hell, even there Christ is still Lord for us.
Prayer: Thank you Lord, for sending Jesus to be with us, to walk our way, to suffer all that we do. Thank you that Christ descended to Hell so that we won’t. Thank you for the gift of salvation. Amen.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
What does this mean?--Answer.
I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my limbs, my reason, and all my senses, and still preserves them; in addition thereto, clothing and shoes, meat and drink, house and homestead, wife and children, fields, cattle, and all my goods; that He provides me richly and daily with all that I need to support this body and life, protects me from all danger, and guards me and preserves me from all evil; and all this out of pure, fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me; for all which I owe it to Him to thank, praise, serve, and obey Him. This is most certainly true.
It all comes from divine goodness and mercy. It might be hard to imagine the level of thankfulness that this explanation calls for. All that we have rightly belongs to God! May our works of love and our fasting in Lent might remind us that our possessions aren’t ours but God’s and are intended for our good and the good of our communities.
Prayer: Good God, thanks for everything. Help me to give thanks in every circumstance and to share your gifts with everyone around me. Amen.
Monday, March 21, 2011
The First Article.
Of Creation.
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.
Having been properly terrified by the commandments and our failure to keep them, the Small Catechism moves us to the Creed where we learn faith and God’s grace to us and the whole world. And just to avoid any pride in ourselves, the Creed starts by reminding us that we aren’t here of our own power or effort. We owe our very existence and the existence of everything we see to God’s goodness.
Prayer: Creator, thank you for making me and the whole world. Help me to see in the creation signs of your love and mercy. Amen.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
The Tenth Commandment.
You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his cattle, nor anything that is his.
What does this mean?--Answer.
We should fear and love God that we may not estrange, force, or entice away our neighbor's wife, servants, or cattle, but urge them to stay and [diligently] do their duty.
We live in a world that is always enticing us to envy. Commercials on television and advertisement in magazines do a good job of making us want what we do not need. True and abundant life, this commandment reminds, comes not from what we have but from our relationship with God and our neighbors. May this Lent be a time for practicing true life.
Prayer: Holy God, help me to avoid all of the things of the world that call out for my attention and distract me from my true needs. Grant that I may remain centered on what is truly necessary for abundant life. Amen.
Friday, March 18, 2011
The Ninth Commandment.
You shall not covet your neighbor's house.
What does this mean?--Answer.
We should fear and love God that we may not craftily seek to get our neighbor's inheritance or house, and obtain it by a show of [justice and] right, etc., but help and be of service to him in keeping it.
Keeping up with the Joneses is an American tradition, isn’t it? Our house needs to be as nice if not nicer than everyone else’s. But in this commandment we learn not to desire what is not ours but instead to support our neighbor in keeping his or her property. In doing so, we acknowledge that God gives gifts not just to us but to various members of our community.
Prayer: Gracious God, thank you for all that you give to me and to my neighbors. Grant that I may see all of these gifts as signs of your love for me and my community. Amen.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
The Eighth Commandment.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
What does this mean?--Answer.
We should fear and love God that we may not deceitfully belie, betray, slander, or defame our neighbor, but defend him, [think and] speak well of him, and put the best construction on everything.
Lent calls us to works of love, and perhaps no work is more difficult than putting the best construction on our neighbors’ actions and words. At its root, this commandment calls us to transform even our ways of thinking about others, that we might be on the lookout for God’s work in our neighbor, and that we engage at all times in a charity of the heart and mind.
Prayer: God of truth, help me to speak the truth always and to learn the way of love in speaking of my neighbors and friends, especially those I find most difficult. Amen.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
The Seventh Commandment.
You shall not steal.
What does this mean?--Answer.
We should fear and love God that we may not take our neighbor's money or property, nor get them by false ware or dealing, but help him to improve and protect his property and business [that his means are preserved and his condition is improved].
How do we steal in our daily lives? Perhaps more often than we know, some good or service that we receive comes at a cost to another – an unfair wage, unsafe working condition, or a lack of goods entirely - because of our overconsumption. Buying fair trade goods (coffee or chocolate) or local produce or not creating food waste might seem like miniscule actions on the scale of the world, but together those actions create a society less prone to theft and help us to fulfill this commandment.
Prayer: Give of all good, help us not to steal by our desires and demands, but grant that we might support the creation of a just society for all your children. Amen.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
The Sixth Commandment.
You shall not commit adultery.
What does this mean?--Answer.
We should fear and love God that we may lead a chaste and decent life in words and deeds, and each love and honor his spouse.
Like many of Luther’s explanations, this one demands not just refraining from something but also positive action. Our Lenten discipline isn’t just about denying but also about giving. Time spent together might be the best way that each of us can love and honor our families.
Prayer: God of all families, make love flourish in our families and in our communities, that couples would support and care for each other, and that the love of families would be a sign of your own love for our world. Amen.
Monday, March 14, 2011
The Fifth Commandment.
You shall not kill.
What does this mean?--Answer.
We should fear and love God that we may not hurt nor harm our neighbor in his body, but help and befriend him in every bodily need [in every need and danger of life and body].
As we move into the first full week of Lent, perhaps we are already finding our Lenten discipline difficult – the fasting, prayer, and works of love. But those disciplines help us to fulfill the call of the fifth commandment. By fasting and giving the money saved to the poor, by praying for our brothers and sisters, by giving without acknowledgement, we are helping and befriending our neighbor in every need.
Prayer: Gracious God, grant us strength to persevere in our Lenten discipline, not to earn your love and grace, but to experience it more deeply and to share your bounty with those around us. Amen.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
The Fourth Commandment.
You shall honor your father and your mother [that it may be well with you and you may live long upon the earth].
What does this mean?--Answer.
We should fear and love God that we may not despise nor anger our parents and masters, but give them honor, serve, obey, and hold them in love and esteem.
We’re all about our rights in our world. What are we owed? The Ten Commandments though aren’t so much about rights as they are about responsibility. And the first responsibility we owe to humans in the Ten Commandments are to parents and the government. And so we practice honoring others, and by doing so, we practice more deeply honoring God who deserves all of our honor, service, obedience, love and esteem.
Prayer: Holy Father, help us to honor our parents and all those you have placed in authority over us. Protect those who suffer at the hands of parents who misuse their authority. And grant that in all things we may honor you as the parent who will never leave or forsake us. Amen.
Friday, March 11, 2011
The Third Commandment.
You shall sanctify the holy-day.
What does this mean?--Answer.
We should fear and love God that we may not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred, and gladly hear and learn it.
The weekend is here, and with it a chance to rest. God even tells us to rest; isn’t that great. But Luther is less concerned with rest than he is with hearing and learning God’s Word. More important than rest itself is rest that nurtures the spirit, that dips us into God’s Word and God’s love. Resting into God’s Word is the only rest that truly nurtures and revives the human heart.
Prayer: Gracious God, grant that I may rest truly, learning your Word and gladly hearing it. Use that rest to revive my body and spirit, that I may serve you gladly. Amen.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
The Second Commandment.
You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain.
What does this mean?--Answer.
We should fear and love God that we may not curse, swear, use witchcraft, lie, or deceive by His name, but call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.
As we wash a few remaining ashes off our heads this morning, the hard work of Lent begins. The turning around, the fasting, the prayer, the works of love. We look around at all the crutches we have built up so we might pretend to rely on ourselves rather than on God. We start throwing them away – the curses, the lies, the self-help books, the astrology, the psychology. All we are left with is praise and thanksgiving to the One on whom we truly depend.
Prayer: Holy God, remove all the distractions from my life, all the ways I rely on myself rather than you. Grant me trust in you and your promises. Amen.
Ash Wednesday, March 9, 2011
The First Commandment.
You shall have no other gods.
What does this mean?--Answer.
We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.
On Ash Wednesday, we come face to face with our own mortality. Dust. Ashes. If we are honest with ourselves, we know that we are forever running after other gods – sex, power, money, our own bellies. So on this day we turn back, or rather are turned back by God, that we might learn again fear, love, and trust.
Prayer: Holy God, grant that I may fear, love, and trust you above all other things. Amen.