Catechesis Notes for the Week—Praying through the Catechism--As we begin another year of meditation upon the Catechism, you will notice some changes have been made to the format of this series. We waited to make these changes until a new year started in order to keep consistency throughout a year. First, you will notice that the week now runs Monday through Sunday. This makes it easier to focus on the upcoming Sunday’s readings, theme, and prayers throughout the week. In this transition period, a few daily psalms will be missed. This is okay. We will come back to them a few times in the course of this year. A second change you will notice is that prayers will be included on the assigned Catechism sections each week in the Congregation at Prayer. These prayers will assist you in your family prayer and individual devotions at home. Once again we encourage you to memorize the parts of the catechism on a weekly basis, and encourage your household to do the same. We learn best how to pray and meditate upon the Catechism by actually praying according to what the Catechism teaches us. In addition to these prayers and use of the Congregation at Prayer, we encourage individuals and families to obtain copies of the Christian Worship hymnal for use in the home. Reading Scripture together, reciting the Catechism, learning by heart verses of Scripture, singing and praying with the hymnal is among the foremost ways in which we are preserved in the Christian faith and pass on our faith to our children. The third change you will notice in the coming weeks is a read through of the Lutheran Confessions. This will begin in a couple weeks as we finish our “Through the Bible in Two Years” series. If you are in need of a copy of the Lutheran Confessions, please speak with Pastor Seelow, and he will point you in the right direction to find one that suits your needs. Use this devotional in any way you see fit. Take parts, only use the Scripture guide, use it for a guide to daily prayer. But please continue in your catechetical training. Learn and pray the catechism. May God richly bless our time in his Word this year!
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The giving of the Old Covenant left the Israelites quaking in fear at the foot of Mt. Sinai. Divine justice would not leave the guilty unpunished. But the New Covenant invites all the nations to come to Mt. Zion in joyful assembly with the confidence that they have been judged innocent and made perfect through Jesus, the Messiah. Sprinkled with blood, we enter the narrow door to paradise.
Running the race of life requires perseverance because the Word of God brings division and persecution and violence. There will be hardships that cause the heart to grow weary. But God promises that these trials— even to the point of shedding of blood—are meant for our good. They are God’s way of disciplining us as his
The last of three readings in Colossians tells us to set our mind on things above, not on earthly things like the man who built bigger barns or the teacher who chased the wind. Yes, our struggle continues between the old and new Adams. But that old Adam has been buried with Christ, and the new man has been raised with Christ. The result is that our life is hidden with Christ in God. We do not seek worldly wealth but heavenly glory.
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