If you've read Luther's Table of Duties in the Small Catechism, you may be familiar with these words. "Let each his lesson learn with care, and all the household well shall fare."
It's a nice little ditty, it is easy to remember, but does it have any impact or practicality in our "modern" world?
I've noticed, as I get older and think about raising a family someday, that people don't know their "lessons." That is, people don't know what is expected of them and therefore do not do what is expected of them. Granted, some people do know their "lessons" but just decide to ignore them. Look at the problems with our society; homosexuality is becoming "normal," children are getting pregnant and have no respect for authority, husbands leave their wives and wives hate their husbands. People don't know their lessons, therefore the "household" does not fare well.
Adults want to be children, children want to be adults; parents want to be children, and children want to be parents; men want to be women, women want to be men; husbands want to be wives, wives want to be husbands; leaders want to be followers, followers want to be leaders; and in the church, pastors want to be laity; laity want to be pastors!!
Enough of all of this nonsense! Be who you are called to be in God's Kingdom. There is nothing wrong with being what God has called you to be. There is nothing wrong with taking the role God has given you and doing it to the best of your ability.
Let each his lesson learn with care, and all the household well shall fare!
Amen
2 comments:
I was searching for blogs on Lutheran culture, and came across yours. Nice blog.
I hope you don't mind me asking this. Why is it that the Lutheran church doesn't speak openly about Luther's publication, "The Jews and Their Lies?"
I was well into my thirties before I chanced upon it. And I grew up in the old ALC. I have many male relatives who are/were ministers, and my grandfather was a Bishop in the American Lutheran Church. Yet I was shocked to read the vitriolic invective Luther wrote.
Why not be honest that we are all humans and have failings. Why sweep it under the rug or make excuses?
WW
WW,
Thank you for your comment. I make no excuses for Luther's "vitriolic invective" writing about the Jews. He was a sinful man who held sinful and hateful ideas about other sinful people who were just as much in need of the fogiveness Christ gives. I think it is dangerous to say, as Lutherans, that we hold to every word Luther spoke or wrote. He taught the true doctrine of the Gospel of Christ, he defended the faith heroically, and he is to be commended for his fearless defense of justification by faith alone. But, as I said before, he was sinful. He was fallible. He was human.
I'm not sure this has helped you, but perhaps this link will give you better answers to your query:
http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=2166
This is my denominations official answer to Luther's anti-semitism. I hold to it and agree with it and I sincerely hope it will be helpful in your wrestling with the issue.
Post a Comment