An Explanation of Luther's Small Catechism · Martin Luther
II. WHAT IS COMMANDED.
We are TO DEEM GOD'S WORD HOLY, AND WILLINGLY HEAR AND LEARN IT, by 1. Regarding it as God'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 God'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 worship and honoring of God 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 principal 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, Sexagesima, 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 assembling 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 God, 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 God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the word of God, 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 God, 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 God 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. ILLUSTRATIONS.--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. "_Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself._" [Matt. 22:39] OUR NEIGHBOR means every one. We are to love all men as we love ourselves; [Matt. 7:12] not only our relatives, friends, and acquaintances, but strangers, enemies, and people of all nations and climes. We must be ready to do good to all who are in need of our help and kindness. Compare the Parable of the Good Samaritan. [Luke 10:30-37] Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
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