Good Evening, Lord!
Words of Comfort
The almighty and merciful God
bless us and keep us this night and evermore. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
O Lord God, answer me when I
call to you for you are the God of my righteousness. As I think back across the
day at all that I have done, and all that I have left undone, I know that I am
not righteous in and of myself. I cling to Jesus’ righteousness. He has given
himself for me, and in him I will both lie down and sleep, for only he makes me
righteous in your sight by forgiving all my sins. In that knowledge, O Lord,
please help me to be still and know that you are God. Amen.
Catechism Reflections
The Second Commandment
You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God.
What does this mean? We should fear and love
God so that we do not curse, swear, use satanic arts, lie, or deceive by His
name, but call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.
People often think they keep the
Second Commandment if they do not saying things like, “O my god!” or, “God
damn!” or other things like that. On the surface, they are not wrong, but there
are other ways we misuse God’s name, and these ways are probably, in some ways,
more important.
One of those ways is when we
misrepresent God’s teaching; when we say God approves of behavior he says he
does not approve, when we teach some sins are unforgiveable, when we teach
about Jesus’ forgiveness, but then make God’s grace transactional depending
upon a person’s behavior instead of God’s grace.
Another way we break this
Commandment is when we use God’s Word as a weapon. There are some who
manipulate and abuse others with God’s Word. This is a terrible offense against
God and misrepresents him as a manipulator and abuser.
We also break this Commandment
when our lives dishonor God. Remember, in baptism we bear God’s name. We are
representatives of Jesus Christ, even bearing the name “Christian.” I need to
be clear here. I’m not talking so much about naughty behaviors. Sometimes we
live as though there is not God, or we ourselves are gods who would then rob
God’s name of its authority and usurp its power for ourselves.
It is good for us to remember
that God interacts with us as a personal being. He has a name – several names
in fact. The LORD / YHWH. He is Jesus the one whose name is exalted among all
others that ever knee would bow, for there is no other name given under heaven,
given to us, by which we must be saved than the name of the crucified and risen
one.
Questions for Meditation
What does this reading teach
you?
What does this reading lead you
to be thankful for?
What behavior, thought, or
attitude does this reading challenge? What sin does it lead you to confess?
How might you pray for God to
have a richer impact on your life through this reading?
Lord’s Prayer
Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be Thy name,
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven;
give us this day our daily
bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those
who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom
and the power and the glory
forever and ever. Amen.
Verse of Benediction
May the blessing of the eternal
God be upon us, and upon our work and worship; His light to guide us, His
presence to strengthen us, His love to unite us; Now and always. Amen.[1]
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