Good Evening, Lord!
Words of Comfort
[God] has said, "I will
never leave you nor forsake you." (Heb. 13:5 ESV)
Prayer of Confession
O Lord, never permit me to think
that I can stand by myself, and not need you.
O God, help us to be masters of
ourselves that we may become the servants of others, and thus follow in the
path of your blessed Son, Jesus Christ.
God give me courage – courage to
make experiments, and not to be afraid of making mistakes; courage to get up
when I am down; courage to work with all my might for the coming of your
kingdom on earth.[1] 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.
God’s Law always accuses us of
our sins. I like the old acronym, S.O.S., which, in this case, reminds us that
the Law shows our sins.
Tomorrow morning we will gather
for worship. As we do so, perhaps this week we might take a little extra notice
of how we break the Second Commandment, which says, “You shall not misuse the
name of the LORD your God.”
God’s Law functions in three
ways as it accuses us. It curbs our behavior telling us to stop. It reflects
our actions, thoughts and words back to us to show us our sins. It also guides
us saying, in effect, “This is the way you should go.”
How has the Second Commandment
acted as curb for you this week? Has it confronted your use of phrases that
call upon God foolishly or ask him to harm someone or something? Has it drawn
your attention to how your words might not rightly reflect who God is?
How has the Second Commandment
acted as a mirror for you? Has it made you aware that you do not call upon
God’s name in prayer as you should? Has it shown you ways that you misrepresent
Jesus in your words and actions?
How has the Second Commandment
acted as a guide for you? Has it taught you the right use of God’s names? Has
it encouraged you to take Jesus’ name on your lips to call out to him, to
praise him, or to thank him?
Remember that the name Jesus
means, the Lord saves. God gives you his name as a gift to communicate and
deliver salvation to you. In fact, he placed his name on you when you were
baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. His
name is written on your life as the One who forgives, redeems, saves, and
claims 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
Surely goodness and mercy shall
follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
forever. (Ps. 23:6 ESV)
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