Good Evening, Lord!
Words of Comfort
[O God, you are] like a hiding
place from the wind, a shelter from the storm, like streams of water in a dry
place, like the shade of a great rock in a weary land. (Isa. 32:2 ESV)
Prayer of Confession
O God, you are full of compassion. I commit and commend
myself to you, in whom I am, and live, and know. Be the Goal of my pilgrimage
here on earth, and my Rest along the way. Let my soul take refuge from the
crowding turmoil of worldly thoughts beneath the shadow of your wings; let my
heart, this sea of restless waves, find peace in you, O God. You bountifully
give all good gifts. Please give to him who is weary refreshing food; gather
our distracted thoughts and powers into harmony again; and set the prisoner
free. For you are the well-spring of life, the light of eternal brightness, and
the righteous live in you even as they love you. Let it be to me according to
your Word. 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.
I like to go to Luther’s Large
Catechism to understand the Commandments, but we should be clear, these
Catechisms are not authoritative because Luther wrote them, but because they
reflect what God teaches in his Word. That being said, I think Luther turns a
pretty good phrase!
The First Commandment has
instructed the heart and taught the faith. This commandment now leads us
forward and directs the mouth and tongue to God. For the first things that
spring from the heart and show themselves are words. I have taught above how to
answer the question, “What does it mean to have a god?” Now you must simply
learn to understand the meaning of this commandment and all the commandments,
and to apply it to yourself.
If someone now asks, “How do you
understand the Second Commandment?” or “What is meant by taking God’s name in
vain, or misusing God’s name?” answer briefly this way: “It means misusing
God’s name when we call upon the Lord God – no matter how – in order to deceive
or do wrong of any kind.” Therefore, this commandment makes this point: God’s
name must not be appealed to falsely, or taken upon the lips, while the heart
knows well enough – or should know – that the truth of the matter is different.
… For God’s name cannot be misused worse than for the support of falsehood and
deceit.
From this everyone can easily
see when and in how many ways God’s name is misused, although it is impossible
to list all its misuses. But, to explain this in a few words, all misuse of the
divine name happens first in worldly business and in matters that concern
money, possessions, and honor. …
But the greatest abuse occurs in
spiritual matters. These have to do with the conscience, when false preachers
rise up and offer their lying vanities as God’s Word.[2]
When God gives us his name, he
is giving us himself. He is telling us that he loves us and wants to live in
relationship with us. He wants you to know that he has saved you, you are his,
and he will bring your through this life to everlasting life with him.
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
The grace of the Lord Jesus
Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you
all. (2 Cor. 13:14 ESV)
[1] Modernized and adapted
from St. Augustine, in Tileston, Mary, Prayers
Ancient and Modern, 1897, Grosset and Dunlap, p. 142
[2] Luther’s Large Catechism,
selected sections between Part I, line 50-54 – Book of Concord Reader’s
Edition, CPH, 2006
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