“And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” The Fourth Petition began with the word “give.” Now the Fifth Petition begins with “for-give.” The Fourth Petition has to do with the body, the Fifth with the soul. The physical and the spiritual. Both are important. The Fourth Petition is like […]
“See, we are going up to Jerusalem” (Mark 10:33). Holy Week is fast approaching. It is the most important week of the Christian year. It begins March 25. You wouldn’t wait till the night before to plan your wedding. Holy Week and Easter represent the wedding of Christ and the Church. Also, the wedding of […]
“Give us this day our daily bread.” Are you going through difficult days? Do you wonder if you’ll have the strength to keep going? This devotion, and the Fourth Petition, are for you. When Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread,” He almost certainly had in mind the Old Testament […]
“Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” One thing about the Third Petition: It is here in the Small Catechism that we are introduced to the “unholy trinity,” namely, “the devil, the world, and our sinful nature, which do not want us to hallow God’s name or let His kingdom come.” […]
“Thy kingdom come.” The Second Petition wins the award for being the shortest of all the petitions. Three words long: “Thy kingdom come.” It probably also wins the award for being the most “abstract” – the most difficult to understand. But the beauty of the Small Catechism is that it turns big concepts into small, accessible […]
“Hallowed be Thy name” (First Petition). The First Petition. The word “petition” is itself a small devotion. Of all the many books written about Luther and the Reformation, my favorite is the one written by his dog. The Luthers had a dog and his name was Tolpel, the German word for “fool.” Dogs were used in […]