The Small Catechism – part 57
Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
Scripture Text: Proverbs 23:20
Series: Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
Click for a recording of today's lesson.
From the Confessions: The Small Catechism, The Fourth Commandment
Honor your father and your mother, (that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God is giving you).
What does this mean?
Answer: We should fear and love God so that we do not show contempt for our parents and others in authority, nor provoke them to anger, but respect, obey, serve, love, and honor them.
Pulling It Together: Our parents are God’s agents to and for us. They are meant to be his blessed envoys, graciously given to us by God so that we may begin our education in the catechism. Through these emissaries, we learn to be obedient, to protect the lives of others, to be faithful, to respect the property of others, to tell the truth, and to be content with what has been provided. We begin to honor our parents when we regard them as God’s representatives to and for us. And by honoring our parents in this way, we begin to honor God as well.
Prayer: I give you thanks, Lord, for my parents. Amen.
Click here for resources to learn 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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