The Small Catechism – part 3
Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
Scripture Text: Luke 9:23
Series: Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
Click for a recording of today's lesson.
From the Confessions: The Small Catechism
Therefore, I implore you all for God’s sake, my dear colleagues who are pastors or preachers, to wholeheartedly devote yourselves to your office by having pity on those entrusted to you, and by helping us teach the Catechism to the people, especially the young.
Pulling It Together
Our culinary palates may develop, given experience, but the basics remain the same. The food groups used to make exotic dishes are the same as simple dishes. We cannot stray far from what nourishes, though we might spice it up a bit.
The Catechism is basic to the Christian faith. The Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, the Sacraments, and what is taught in the Apostles’ Creed are not only essential, but feed our spirits throughout life. One can never get far from these fundamentals.
So, pastors, teach it early and often. Never give up. Refer to the commandments, the petitions, the Sacraments, and the articles as you teach, preach, and counsel. Make it a part of your everyday language.
And, Christian, meditate on these essential teachings of the faith. Recite the commandments as you wait on worship to begin, or for that matter, when you are waiting in line at the grocery or filling your gas tank. Use the Catechism — daily, often — and grow in faith. The Catechism is not something we learn and then forget. It is something we grow into each day of our lives.
Prayer: Help me, Spirit of God, to walk in the Word today. Amen.
Click here for resources to begin memorizing the Ten Commandments.
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Author
Rev. Dr. Mark E. Ryman has served as Pastor for St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Salisbury, NC, since 2021. Previously, Pastor Ryman served congregations in North Carolina and Ohio, as well as a call to specialized ministry with Sola Publishing.
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