Good Evening, Lord!
Words of Comfort
May the LORD give strength to his
people! May the LORD bless his people with peace! (Ps. 29:11 ESV)
Prayer of Confession
Lord God, we thank you for your
great love and mercy that moved you to make us your children. Enable us, we
pray, to come to you humbly and yet with boldness and great confidence, as to a
Father, a kind and loving Father with the encouraging assurance that we have an
Advocate with you, who has told us that you, our Father, love us. Forgive us
for our sins, and help us to serve you by leading a life worthy of your children
out of gratitude to you. Have compassion upon us and help us for Jesus’ sake.
Amen.[1]
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.
Have you ever seen a courtroom
drama depicting that moment that the witness placed her left hand on a Bible,
raises her right and solemnly said, “I do,” to the dramatic question, “Do you
solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth,
so help you God?” There are times when we call upon God, use his name, to make
our words most certain. The idea is that God knows that truth, and as you speak
you are accountable to him for the veracity of your statements.
But then we have our explanation
from the Small Catechism that says we violate this Commandment when we swear.
Actually what it says is that we should fear and love God so that we do not
curse (that is call upon God to harm or damn someone), swear, use satanic arts
(that is using God’s name like a magic incantation), lie, or deceive by his
name. Those last two items are important to understanding the swearing. We are
not to call upon God to cover our falsehoods. He is the God of truth. He does
not lie.
There are times that we are
called upon to swear for the sake of our neighbors: in court, when we take
public office. Other times we swear because the matter is weighty: when we get
married, or at confirmation. But on the whole, Jesus calls us to simply let our
yes be yes and our no be no.
God did not give you his name so
that you can simply use it for your advantage. He gave it to you so that you
can express your faith and love for him. He also gives it to you for the sake
of your neighbor to help and defend them. More than that, he teaches you his
names to communicate who he is – the God who is, Father, the Lord who Saves,
the Comforter. By his names he reveals who he is for you.
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
To the King of the ages, immortal,
invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. (1 Tim.
1:17 ESV)
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