June 15, 2023

Today's Reading: Table of Duties, Luther’s Small Catechism: First Article Part 1

Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 5:1-20, John 9:1-23

“Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.” (Psalm 102:25)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Father’s Day is right around the corner, and if your dad is anything like my kids’ dad, a good Father’s Day might consist of going to church, a nap, and a steak for dinner. But the important thing about fathers isn’t the stuff that they enjoy in life, it’s their function in the family. And a father’s function in the family isn’t something that society dreamed up or something that dads just started doing one day. 

We know what fathers are supposed to be like because God calls Himself our Father, and He has shown us what He is like. Now, it is true that our natural fathers pale in comparison to God (that should go without saying), and saying that fathers are in any way similar to God doesn’t mean that our father’s failures here are reflective of God. But God is truly our Father. He has truly made us–and not us only, but all things in heaven and on the earth.

When Luther wrote his Small Catechism, the explanation he gave for the First Article is profoundly personal. It’s not enough for Luther to say that God has made all things. He didn’t talk in terms like “universe,” “cosmos,” or even “heaven and earth,” the words used in the Creed itself. Instead, Luther began with this simple confession: “I believe that God has made me…” This is Luther’s confession that God is his Father. God brought him forth. God has known him for every moment of his life. God knew him better than he knew himself. And the beautiful truth of this simple explanation is that it is true for you as well! There may be times in your adolescence when you don’t even feel like you know yourself…you’re trying on different “yous” and learning which “you” is going to be the “you” for the next chapter in your life. 

Trust me when I say that you’ve still got time to figure this part out. But trust this even more: God knows YOU–always has, always will. He made you. He’s your Almighty Father Who has loved you from before the foundations of the world. And not only has He created you, all creatures, and all things–He still takes care of them, still takes care of you. That’s a truth you can believe unto eternal life! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

God the Father, be our stay; O let us perish never! Cleanse us from our sins, we pray, and grant us life forever. Keep us from the evil one; uphold our faith most holy, and let us trust Thee solely with humble hearts and lowly, let us put God’s armor on, with all true Christians running our heav’nly race and shunning the devil’s wiles and cunning. Amen, amen! This be done; So sing we, “Alleluia!” LSB 505:1

-Pastor Dustin Beck is Pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Warda Texas.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.

Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.