An Explanation of Luther's Small Catechism Part 10

23:13-38. _Calling on G.o.d's Name_: Jesus, Matt. 26:39-44; John 17: Jacob, Gen. 32:9-12; The First Christians, Acts 2:42.

CHAPTER VII.

THE THIRD COMMANDMENT.

G.o.d'S DAY.

Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.

_What is meant by this Commandment?_

We should so fear and love G.o.d as not to despise His Word and the preaching of the Gospel, but deem it holy and willingly hear and learn it.

THE LORD'S DAY. Under the Old Testament the Israelites, by G.o.d's command, observed the seventh day of the week, Sat.u.r.day, as the Sabbath or day of rest, because G.o.d rested from the work of Creation on the seventh day. [Gen. 2:2-3] For the Christians all days are holy. [Rom.

14:5, 6, Col. 2:16, Acts 2:46] But from the earliest times the Christian Church set apart Sunday as a special day of wors.h.i.+p, [Acts 20:7, 1 Cor.

16:2] because it is the day on which Christ rose from the dead. The Sabbath of the Old Testament commemorated the completion of _Creation_; the Lord's Day of the New Testament commemorates the completion of _Redemption_.

A HOLY DAY. The Lord's Day is to be kept _holy_ by devoting it to holy things. It is to be a day of rest in order that it may be a day of wors.h.i.+p. Any unnecessary work or any recreation which hinders us from hearing and profiting by G.o.d's Word is sinful.

I. WHAT IS FORBIDDEN.

We are not

TO DESPISE G.o.d'S WORD AND THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL, [Luke 10:16+] by

1. Making light of G.o.d's Word, or regarding and treating it as the word of man.

2. Neglecting to go to church, and pleading poor excuses for absence.

[Heb. 10:25+]

3. Inattention and lack of devotion in church. [Eccl. 5:1+]

4. Filling the mind with worldly things on Sunday (business, pleasure, Sunday-newspapers, etc.), so that G.o.d's Word cannot be rightly received into the heart. [Luke 8:5,12]

5. Making Sunday a holiday, lounging-day, or pleasure-day.

6. Making it a working-day, and thus preventing attendance at church.

II. WHAT IS COMMANDED.

We are

TO DEEM G.o.d'S WORD HOLY, AND WILLINGLY HEAR AND LEARN IT, by

1. Regarding it as G.o.d's voice speaking to us. [I Thess. 2:13+]

2. Going to church gladly and regularly. [Ps. 122:1, 2+]

3. Listening attentively and devoutly to G.o.d's Word, and joining heartily in the service. [Luke 11:28+, Col. 3:16, Jas. 1:21,22+, Rom.

10:17]

4. Attending Sunday-school and learning our lessons.

5. Teaching in Sunday-school when we have become old enough and our services are needed.

6. Reading the Bible and good books.

7. Doing whatever promotes the wors.h.i.+p and honoring of G.o.d by ourselves or by others. [Jas. 1:27+]

A DAY OF REST. Sunday is meant for the good of the soul. But a rest on one day out of seven is necessary also for the welfare of the body.

Sunday is a blessed privilege for body, mind, and soul. Sometimes, however, both the rest for body and mind and the attendance at church must be sacrificed in order to perform works of mercy as a duty to our fellow-men.

THE CHURCH-YEAR. The Church has also arranged a Church-year for the commemoration of the princ.i.p.al events in the Savior's life. The order of the Church-year is as follows: Four Sundays in Advent, Christmas, New Year, Epiphany (January 6), from two to six Sundays after Epiphany (according as Easter comes early or late); three Sundays called Septuagesima, s.e.xagesima, Quinquagesima; Ash Wednesday (the first day in Lent), six Sundays in Lent (the sixth being Palm Sunday), Holy Week (including Good Friday), Easter, five Sundays after Easter, Ascension Day, Sunday after Ascension, Pentecost or Whitsunday, Trinity Sunday; and from twenty-three to twenty-seven Sundays after Trinity. The Lutheran Church observes also the festival of the Reformation on the 31st day of October. Each Sunday and Festival Day has its own Gospel and Epistle lesson, as well as its own Introit and Collect.

QUESTIONS.--1. What is the difference between Sabbath and Sunday? 2. Why is Sunday to be a day of rest? 3. What does this commandment forbid? 4.

In what way is this commandment broken? 5, What does this commandment command? 6. How is this commandment to be kept? 7. Why is Sunday a blessed privilege? 8. When must our Sunday's rest and our attendance at church be sacrificed? 9. What is the object of the Church-year? 10. Give the order of the Church-year.

SCRIPTURE VERSES.--Luke 10:16. He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.

Heb. 10:25. Not forsaking the a.s.sembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Eccl. 5:1. Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of G.o.d, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.

I Thess. 2:13. When ye received the word of G.o.d which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the word of G.o.d, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

Ps. 122:1, 2. I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.

Luke 11:28. But he said, Yea, rather, blessed are they that hear the word of G.o.d, and keep it.

Jas. 1:21, 22. Receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

Jas. 1:27. Pure religion and undefiled before G.o.d and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

READING.--Jesus in Nazareth on the Sabbath, Luke 4:16-30.

ILl.u.s.tRATIONS.--The Child Jesus in the Temple, Luke 2:42-52. Simeon and Anna, Luke 2:27 _seq_. Mary, Luke 10:39. The Ethiopian Eunuch, Acts 8:27 _seq_. Lydia, Acts 16:14.

THE SECOND TABLE OF THE LAW.

OUR DUTY TO OUR FELLOW-MEN.