The Small Catechism – part 243
Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
Scripture Text: Exodus 16:22
Series: Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
Click for audio of today's lesson.
From the Confessions: The Small Catechism, Daily Prayers
Table Grace
Children and the rest of the household should go to the table with folded hands and reverently say: “The eyes of all look to you, O Lord, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing” (from Psalm 145:15–16).
(Note that to satisfy desire means that all living things receive enough to eat that they are joyful and happy. Anxiety and greed hinder such satisfaction.)
Then the Lord’s Prayer should be prayed, and following it, this prayer:
Lord God, Heavenly Father, bless us and these Thy gifts, which we take from Thy bountiful goodness, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Pulling It Together: There are many lessons to be learned in this one verse. Let us learn one: that we may depend upon God for our daily bread, just as that wilderness congregation could. The whole world lives in a different sort of wilderness as I write this paragraph. Ours does not wander; it is stuck at home during the Covid pandemic. Ours is not a large congregation, but individuals and family units isolated from larger family, neighbor, church, and even work. Our wilderness trial looks different but the lesson remains the same. So, let the Christian hear. There is no reason to hoard. God still provides in the wilderness.
Prayer: I depend upon you, Lord, faithful to open your hand of bounty even in times such as these. Amen.
Click here for resources to learn the Ten Commandments.
Share this post
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.
Click Here For Content Archives