Second Midweek Lenten Service February 29, 2012
Taking
On Something for Lent:
Luther’s
Catechisms
This I Believe:
The Apostles’ Creed
The Order of Vespers
page 229
As We Gather: Our Lenten midweek
services this year are focusing on the Catechisms of Luther. His Small and
Large Catechisms were published in 1529. The material in the Large Catechism
originated as sermons by Martin Luther on the basic texts of Christian
teaching. In his Preface to the Large Catechism Luther writes, “But for myself
I say this: I am also a doctor and preacher…Yet I act as a child who is being
taught the catechism. Every morning—and
whenever I have time—I read and say, word for word, the Ten Commandments, the
Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, the Psalms, and such. I must still read and study
them daily. Yet I cannot master the
catechism as I wish.”
Catechism
comes from the Greek word katecho,
which literally means to “sound back and forth” or “from above”. It was used already by St. Paul St. Augustine Concord
Hymn
“Drawn to
the Cross, Which Thou Hast Blessed” Hymn
560
Opening
Verses and Responses......................................................... Page
229
Hymn
“All Glory
Be to God on High”......................................... Hymn
947
(Stanza 1)
The Apostles’ Creed
The First Article
CREATION
L The creed as the head of the family should
teach it in a simple way to his household
C I believe in God, the Father
Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.
L What does this mean?
C I believe that God has made me
and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all
my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them.
L He also gives me clothing and shoes, food
and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He
richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and
life.
C He defends me against all
danger and guards and protects me from all evil.
L All this He does only out of fatherly,
divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this
it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him.
C This is most certainly true.
Hymn
“All Glory
Be to God on High”......................................... Hymn
947
(Stanza 2)
The Apostles’ Creed
The Second Article
REDEMPTION
L And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our
Lord,
C who was conceived by the Holy
Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified,
died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from
the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father
Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
L What does this mean?
C I believe that Jesus Christ,
true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the
Virgin Mary, is my Lord,
L who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned
person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of
the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with
His innocent suffering and death,
C that I may be His own and live
under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence,
and blessedness,
L just as He is risen from the dead, lives
and reigns to all eternity.
C This is most certainly true.
Hymn
“All Glory
Be to God on High”......................................... Hymn
947
(Stanza 3)
The Apostles’ Creed
The Third Article
SANCTIFICATION
L I believe in the Holy Spirit,
C the holy Christian church, the
communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and
the life everlasting. Amen.
L What does this mean?
C I believe that I cannot by my
own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but
the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts,
sanctified and kept me in the true faith.
L In the same way He calls, gathers,
enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it
with Jesus Christ in the one true faith.
C In this Christian church He
daily and richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers.
L On the Last Day He will raise me and all
the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ.
C This is most certainly true.
Hymn
“All Glory
Be to God on High”......................................... Hymn
947
(Stanza 4)
Old
Testament Lesson Genesis 1:1-5
1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was
formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit
of God was hovering over the waters.
3
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the
light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the
light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and
there was morning—the first day.
Gradual
"The Lamb"................................. Christ
Lutheran School, grades 3 & 4
Epistle
Lesson 1 Corinthians 15:3-8
3
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died
for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was
raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to
Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five
hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though
some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles,
8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
Gospel
Lesson John 15:26-27
26
“When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit
of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. 27 And you
also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.
Responsory
For Lent................................................................................. Page
231
Hymn
“We All
Believe in One True God”............................... Hymn
954
Luther’s hymn on the Creed was first
published in 1524. It was inspired by an
earlier medieval verse from 1417. But as a paraphrase of the three articles of
the Creed, this hymn is really his own. He sets forth the work of creation and
preservation, redemption, and sanctification in three stanzas devoted to the
three Persons of the Trinity. Some of the basic emphases found later in his
catechisms are found here already. In Luther’s German Mass of 1526 it
was used as a substitute for the Latin Creed of the mass. This function was
soon universally accepted in the Lutheran liturgy. The melisma (singing of a
single syllable while moving between several different notes) at the beginning
and the end of the hymn has been one of its most endearing elements. Simplified
versions of the hymn have not been as well received.
The Sermon
This I Believe: The
Apostles’ Creed
1 Corinthians
15:3-8
The Gathering of Our Tithes and Sacrificial
Offerings
(We request all who are present to sign the
attendance book that is at the end of your row. Please pass it on to the person
next to you.)
CANTICLE and PRAYER
P Let
my prayers rise before you as incense,
C and the lifting up of my hands
as the evening sacrifice.
Canticle
“Triune God, Bet Thou Our Stay” ......................... Hymn
505
Lord’s
Prayer
C 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.
Luther’s
Evening Prayer
C I thank You, my heavenly
Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have graciously kept me
this day; and I pray that you would forgive me all my sins where I have done
wrong, and graciously keep me this night. For into Your hands I commend myself,
my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me; that the evil
foe may have no power over me. Amen.
Benedicamus.................................................................................................. Page
234
Benediction..................................................................................................... Page
234
Hymn
“Abide with
Me”........................................................................ Hymn
878
(Stanzas 2 & 6)
+ Silent Prayer +
Using Luther’s Catechisms
for Lent
The concept for this midweek Lenten series was inspired by the Book
of Concord:
Such matters also concern the laity and the salvation of their
souls. Therefore we also confess Dr. Luther’s Small and Large Catechisms as
they are included in Luther’s works. They are “the layman’s Bible” because
everything necessary for a Christian to know for salvation is included in them,
which is handled more extensively in the Holy Scriptures. (FC
Ep I 5)
As part of your Lenten emphasis on Luther’s catechisms, you may
wish to make the catechism a part of your daily Lenten routine. Each of the Six
Chief Parts of Christian Doctrine could be read through each week in Lent, and
the Large Catechism could be read once in its entirety during the
Lenten season.
Spiritual Growth in Lent: Many people choose to give up
something for Lent. Instead, you may
want to take on something for your Lenten discipline. You may want to read
the Six Chief Parts of Christian Doctrine from Luther’s Small Catechism each
day according to the following schedule:
Monday—The
Ten Commandments
Tuesday—The
Apostles’ Creed
Wednesday—The
Lord’s Prayer
Thursday—The
Sacrament of Holy Baptism
Friday—Confession
Saturday—The
Sacrament of the Altar
Sunday—Daily
Prayers, Table of Duties, or
Christian
Questions with Their Answers
The Small Catechism is found on page 321 in Lutheran
Service Book. You may also choose to read Luther’s Large Catechism during
Lent, focusing on one chief part each week. If you choose to read through the
Large Catechism, there is an interesting note about the Exhortation to
Confession. The Large Catechism, first published in 1529, did not originally
contain this exhortation, but before 1529 ended, a revised edition came out
that did include it. Nevertheless, the original 1580 German and 1584 Latin
editions of the Book of Concord do not include the Exhortation to Confession.
So if you have Concordia: Book of Concord, you will find the exhortation
instead in Appendix B.
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