Congregation at Prayer

Catechesis Notes for the Week — The Table of Duties: To Workers of All Kinds—How many employees or workers would call themselves “slaves”? Not too many. If one did consider himself a slave, it would not be a complimentary term. Yet “slave” is a term that is often used in the New Testament of our Lord. For Him it is not derogatory. It is a term that describes the nature of His office as one who has come into the world to serve no one but others. He came to serve the Father in love and sinful man in love to the point of dying upon the cross. He had no thought for Himself or His own protection or welfare. He is the ultimate “worker” and in His work we see the true nature of Christian work. We “work” as Christians, not to serve ourselves, but to serve others in love. The characteristic of our work is that it is done for others, even if they do not appreciate it. Selfless love is what motivated Jesus, and it is that love to which we are called by faith in the Gospel. Jesus’ selfless love and service to us is reflected in the Bible Verse for the week: “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Since this is Jesus’ confession about Himself, we should not be adverse to have ourselves called slaves.CP250511

Catechesis Notes for the Week — To Parents and Children in the Table of Duties—“It would be well to preach to parents on the nature of their office, how they should treat those committed to their authority…God does not want to have knaves or tyrants in this office and responsibility nor does he assign them this honor (that is, power and authority to govern) merely to receive homage. Parents should consider that they owe obedience to God, and that, above all, they should earnestly and faithfully discharge the duties of their office, not only to provide for the material support of their children, servants, subjects, etc., but especially to bring them up to the praise and honor of God…If we want qualified and capable men for both civil and spiritual leadership, we must spare no effort, time, and expense in teaching and educating our children to serve God and mankind. We must not think only of amassing money and property for them. God can provide for them and make them rich without our help, as indeed He does daily. But he has given and entrusted children to us with the command that we train and govern them according to His will; otherwise God would have no need of father and mother. Therefore let everybody know that it is his chief duty, on pain of losing divine grace, to bring up his children in the fear and knowledge of God, and if they are gifted to give them opportunity to learn and study so that they may be of service wherever they are needed.” (Luther, Fourth Commandment, Large Catechism)CP250504

Catechesis Notes for the Week — The Table of Duties Concerning Wives and Husbands—The passages of Holy Scripture in the Table of Duties concern the offices we have been given as Christians where our faith in Christ is lived out in this world. There is often great confusion about these two holy offices. Husbands are the head of their wives, but their headship is one of sacrificial love, teaching the Word of God, and forgiving sin. They are to be considerate of their wives, who are placed in an office that requires them to submit to their husbands. Husbands are not to lord their authority over their wives. This is always a temptation for any Christian husband. Wives are to understand that their office of submission is patterned after Christ’s bride the Church. They are to expect their husbands to love them, teach them, and forgive them. Their beauty is not in outward adornment, but in the reception of their husband’s love. “This is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands…” It is a beautiful and blessed thing when husbands love their wives as Christ loved the Church and when wives receive that love and trust in it.CP250427

Catechesis Notes for the Week — “If in this life only we have hope in Christ…” (1 Cor. 15:19). “If believing in Christ does not result in the resurrection of our bodies from the dead and eternal life with God that is free of all sickness, sin, and corruption, then what is the point of the Christian faith? This is Paul’s assertion. ‘If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.’ But Paul, unlike so many modern theologians and even the Jewish Sadducees of his day, actually believed in the historical Jesus who is the Christ, the Son of God, who actually suffered and died for the salvation of the world and who also actually rose bodily from the dead on the third day after His crucifixion. The Scriptures teach that the crucifixion and death of God’s Son upon the cross took away all sin and the curse of the creation. The Christian faith rests upon the fundamental assertion: ‘Christ is risen from the dead!’… His death reconciles us to God. His death swallowed up death because it took away the problem of sin.…” Lutheran Catechesis, p. 118b

CP250420

Catechesis Notes for the Week — This week’s section of the Table of Duties directs us to what God’s Word says concerning the Office of Husband. When the Apostle Peter directs, “Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers,” he is reminding husbands that their wives have been given an office by God that places them in a subordinate position to them. It would be very easy for the husband, corrupted by the sinful flesh as he is, to take advantage of his headship and the wife’s position of subordination to him. He is to “be considerate” of the position that God gave her and be husband to her in selfless love. Although they are not in the same office, they are, nevertheless, equal “heirs of the gracious gift of life” in Christ Jesus. If he does not believe that, then his prayers, which include the ministration of his office as a husband will be “hindered.” The essential disposition of the husband to the wife is contained in the passage from Colossians: “Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.” Here the husband’s office is depicted as the office of Christ to His bride the Church, as it is also in Ephesians 5. Christ loves His bride by laying down His life for her and covering her sins with His blood. He is never harsh with her who is “bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh but nourishes and cares for her as His own body.” The office of husband finds its identity in Christ, the Church’s Bridegroom.   

CP250413

Catechesis Notes for the Week — Responsible Citizenship—Lord, keep this nation under Your care. Bless the leaders of our land that we may be a people at peace among ourselves and a blessing to the other nations of the earth. Grant that we may choose trustworthy leaders, contribute to wise decisions for the general welfare, and serve You faithfully in our generation; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.  Amen. (LSB #225)CP250406

Catechesis Notes for the Week —“Crucified under Pontius Pilate” — The governing authorities have been instituted by God. God works His will through them, even though they may be evil. This requires faith in the Lord who promises to work His will, even though we may not understand why or how He will do it. Jesus submitted Himself to the governing authorities in His Passion. Although these authorities were evil, God accomplished His will through the administration of their office. Our salvation was won when the Son submitted Himself to the judgment of the Roman governor. We should be reminded and strengthened by this every time we confess that Jesus was “crucified under Pontius Pilate.”CP250330

Catechesis Notes for the Week — What is the work of the ministry? This week concludes the two sections from the Table of Duties concerning “Bishops, Pastors, and Preachers and What the Hearers Owe Their Pastors.” If we are admonished to hold our pastors “in the highest regard in love because of their work,” we should understand clearly what their work is and what we should expect of them. The minister’s work is clearly spelled out in our Lutheran Confessions: “According to divine right, therefore, it is the office of the bishop to preach the Gospel, forgive sins, judge doctrine and condemn doctrine that is contrary to the Gospel and exclude from the Christian community the ungodly whose wicked conduct is manifest. All this is to be done not by human power but by God’s Word alone. On this account [we] are bound to be obedient to the bishops according to the saying of Christ in Luke 10:16, ‘He who hears you hears me.’ On the other hand, if they teach, introduce, or institute anything contrary to the Gospel, we have God’s command not to be obedient in such cases, for Christ says in Matt. 7:15, ‘Beware of false prophets.’”

CP250323 v.2

Catechesis Notes for the Week — “What the Hearers Owe Their Pastors”— This section from the Table of Duties speaks of the responsibility of the congregation to provide temporal support for her pastor who faithfully preaches the Gospel and administers the Sacraments to her members. Every Christian is called by the Gospel to “share all good things with his instructor.” It is a mockery of God when members of the congregations turn a deaf ear to the Word of God and a hard heart toward the care of their pastors. Such neglect flows from impenitence and unbelief. Where there is faith there will be love, affection, and generous support of the Church’s pastors by her members. Chief among the duties of Christians is the faithful hearing of the Word of God when it is preached and taught by our pastors. Pastors receive the greatest joy in their ministry when the people of the congregation come eagerly to hear the Word of God when it is taught and receive it with joy and the hearty “Amen” of faith. The “Amen” of faith is confessed in the way in which the congregation takes care of her pastor.CP250316

Catechesis Notes for the Week — Pray for Your Pastors — This week we begin eleven weeks of meditation upon the biblical texts in the Table of Duties concerning Christian vocation. The first set of texts concerns those who are called to preach the Word of God: To Bishops, Pastors, and Preachers. There are not three different offices, but one office. Each word describes an aspect of their work. A bishop is an overseer. He is to supervise the doctrine and life of the congregation, along with the administration of the Sacraments so that everything is taught and done according to God’s Word. Pastor means shepherd. The Pastor “shepherds” the flock by calling to repentance, admonishing the erring, and bestowing forgiveness for Jesus’ sake to the penitent. The word “preacher” gets at the heart of the minister’s work: proclamation of the Word of God. “He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.”  This section of the Table of Duties not only teaches us concerning the qualifications of our ministers, but it also encourages us all to “pray for our pastors” that they might remain faithful in the work God has called them to do.CP250309