The Small Catechism – part 235
Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
Scripture Text: 1 Corinthians 15:28
Series: Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
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From the Confessions: The Small Catechism, Daily Prayers, How the head of the family should teach his household to pray morning and evening
Morning Prayer
In the morning, when you rise, you shall bless yourself with the holy cross and say: In the name of God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
Pulling It Together: I really enjoy that unexpected Richard Pryor line toward the end of the 1976 movie “Silver Streak” when a gunfight has broken out between the FBI and criminals. Bullets are flying everywhere and Pryor, hunkered down behind a 55-gallon drum, has had enough of the chaos. So, he stands up and demands, “Who’s in charge here?”
Sometimes it feels like the world itself is chaos and the Holy Spirit needs to hover over the face of this deep again (Genesis 1:2). We want to know who is in charge, who has the authority to fix things. Ultimately, our heavenly Father is in charge. His Spirit is moving over the chaos; something is happening. Jesus has conquered sin and death. Things are moving in the right direction, and finally, God will be “all in all.” His authority will be fully recognized in eternity.
For now, that recognition might begin every one of our days. As soon as we wake up in the morning, we should kneel in prayer. As we begin our prayers, we may say the name of God, establishing — at least in our own lives — who is in charge here.
Prayer: Subject me, Lord Jesus, to your Father’s will, through the power of your Spirit at work within me. Amen.
Click here for resources to learn the Ten Commandments.
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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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