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1.
The Ten
Commandments
2.
The Apostles'
Creed
3.
The
Lord's Prayer
4.
Baptism
5.
Confession
6.
Lord’s
Supper
7.
Appendix:
Devotions
Originally translated in
1994 by the Rev. Robert E. Smith; language significantly altered. Public
domain. Apostles' Creed proper is ELLC translation,
with traditional "descended into hell" replacing "descended
to the dead."
The Ten Commandments,
or Decalogue, is found at Exodus
20:1-20 and Deuteronomy
5:1-22.
The Lutheran numbering
of the Decalogue differs somewhat from other systems. Often the Second
Commandment is You shall not make
for yourself any idol, which is not to
be found in the Lutheran reckoning. The remainder of the Commandments are
shifted by one. Commandments 9 and 10 (Lutheran) are often joined as You
shall not covet.
Three translations of
the commandments are given below. BCP refers to the Episcopal (USA) Book of Common
Prayer.
The First
Commandment
Traditional: Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
BCP Traditional: Thou shalt have none
other gods but me.
BCP Contemporary: You shall have no
other gods but me.
Q. What does this mean?
A. We must respect, love,
and trust God more than anything else.
The Second
Commandment
Traditional: Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God
in vain.
BCP Traditional: Thou shalt not take
the Name of the Lord thy God in vain.
BCP Contemporary: You shall not invoke
with malice the Name of the Lord your God.
Alternative: You must not misuse your
God's name.
Q. What does this mean?
A. We must respect and love
God, so that we will not use God's name to curse, swear, cast a spell, lie
or deceive, but will use it to call upon God, pray to God, praise and thank
God in all times of trouble.
The Third
Commandment
Traditional: Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Or: Thou shalt sanctify the Holy Day.
BCP Traditional: Remember that thou
keep holy the Sabbath day.
BCP Contemporary: Remember the Sabbath
day and keep it holy.
Q. What does this mean?
A. We must respect and
love God, so that we will not look down on preaching or God's Word, but
consider it holy, listen to it willingly, and learn it.
The Fourth
Commandment
Traditional: Thou shalt honor thy father and thy mother, that
it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
BCP Traditional: Honor thy father and
thy mother.
BCP Contemporary: Honor your father and
your mother.
Alternative: You must honor your father
and mother [so that things will go well for you and you will live long on
earth].
Q. What does this mean?
A. We must respect and
love God, so that we will neither look down on our parents or superiors nor
irritate them, but will honor them, serve them, obey them, love them, and
value them.
The Fifth
Commandment
Traditional: Thou shalt not kill.
BCP Traditional: Thou shalt do no
murder.
BCP Contemporary: You shall not commit
murder.
Q. What does this mean?
A. We must respect and
love God, so that we will neither harm nor hurt our neighbors' bodies, but
help our neighbors and care for them when they are ill.
The Sixth
Commandment
Traditional: Thou shalt not commit adultery.
BCP Traditional: Thou shalt not commit
adultery.
BCP Contemporary: You shall not commit
adultery.
Q. What does this mean?
A. We must respect and
love God, so that our words and actions will be clean and decent and so
that everyone will love and honor their spouses.
The Seventh
Commandment
Traditional: Thou shalt not steal.
BCP Traditional: Thou shalt not steal.
BCP Contemporary: You shall not steal.
Q. What does this mean?
A. We must respect and
love God, so that we will neither take our neighbors' money or property,
nor acquire it by fraud or by selling them poorly made products, but will
help them improve and protect their property and career.
The Eighth
Commandment
Traditional: Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy
neighbor.
BCP Traditional: Thou shalt not bear
false witness against thy neighbor.
BCP Contemporary: You shall not be a
false witness.
Alternative: You must not tell lies
about your neighbor.
Q. What does this mean?
A. We must respect and
love God, so that we will not deceive by lying, betraying, slandering or
ruining our neighbors' reputations, but will defend them, say good things
about them, and see the best side of everything they do.
The Ninth
Commandment
Traditional: Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house.
BCP Traditional: Thou shalt not covet.
BCP Contemporary: You shall not covet
anything that belongs to your neighbor.
Alternative: You must not desire your
neighbor's house.
Q. What does this mean?
A. We must respect and
love God, so that we will not attempt to trick our neighbors out of their
inheritance or house, take it by pretending to have a right to it, etc.,
but help them to keep and improve it.
The Tenth
Commandment
Traditional: Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his
manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his cattle, nor anything that is thy
neighbor's.
BCP Traditional: Thou shalt not covet.
BCP Contemporary: You shall not covet
anything that belongs to your neighbor.
Alternative: You must not desire your
neighbor's spouse, servant, maid, animals or anything that belongs to your
neighbor.
Q. What does this mean?
A. We must respect and
love God, so that we will not release our neighbors' cattle, take their employees
from them or seduce their spouses, but urge them to stay and do what they
ought to do.
The Conclusion
to the Commandments
Q. What does God say to
us about all these commandments?
A. This is what God says:
"I am the Lord Your
God. I am a jealous God. I plague the grandchildren and great-grandchildren
of those who hate me with their ancestor's sin. But I make whole those who
love me for a thousand generations." (Exodus
20:5b-6 and Deuteronomy
5:9b-10)
Q. What does it mean?
A. God threatens to
punish everyone who breaks these commandments. We should be afraid of God's
anger because of this and not violate such commandments. But God promises
grace and all good things to those who keep such commandments. Because of
this, we, too, should love and trust God, and willingly do what God's
commandments require.
I. The First
Article: On Creation
I believe in God, the
Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
Q. What does this mean?
A. I believe that God
created me, along with all creatures. God gave to me: body and soul, eyes,
ears and all the other parts of my body, my mind and all my senses and
preserves them as well. God gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink,
house and land, spouse and children, fields, animals, and all I own. Every
day God abundantly provides everything I need to nourish this body and
life. God protects me against all danger, shields and defends me from all
evil. God does all this because of pure, fatherly, and divine goodness and
mercy, not because I've earned it or deserved it. For all of this, I must
thank, praise, serve, and obey God. Yes, this is true!
II. The Second
Article: On Redemption
I believe in Jesus
Christ, God's only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
Q. What does this mean?
A. I believe that Jesus
Christ is truly God, born of the Father in eternity and also truly human,
born of the Virgin Mary. Christ is my Lord! Christ redeemed me, a lost and
condemned person, bought and won me from all sins, death, and the authority
of the Devil. It did not cost him gold or silver, but his holy, precious
blood, his innocent body -- his death! Because of this, I am Christ's very
own, will live under Christ in his kingdom and serve Christ righteously,
innocently and blessedly forever, just as Christ is risen from death, lives
and reigns forever. Yes, this is true!
III. The Third
Article: On Becoming Holy (Sanctification)
I believe in the Holy
Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
Q. What does this mean?
A. I believe that I
cannot come to my Lord Jesus Christ by my own intelligence or power. But
the Holy Spirit called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with her gifts,
made me holy and kept me in the true faith, just as she calls, gathers
together, enlightens and makes holy the whole Church on earth and keeps it
with Jesus in the one, true faith. In this Church, she generously forgives
each day every sin committed by me and by every believer. On the last day,
she will raise me and all the dead from the grave. She will give eternal
life to me and to all who believe in Christ. Yes, this is true!
The Lord's Prayer, or Our Father,
is found at Matthew
6:9-13 and Luke
11:2-4.
Introduction
Traditional: Our Father, who art in heaven,
Contemporary: Our Father in heaven,
Q. What does this mean?
A. In this introduction,
God invites us to believe that God is our real Father and we are God's real
children, so that we will pray with trust and complete confidence, in the
same way beloved children approach their beloved Father with their
requests.
The First
Petition
Traditional: hallowed by thy Name,
Contemporary: hallowed be your Name,
Alternative: may your name be holy,
Q. What does this mean?
A. Of course, God's name
is holy in and of itself, but by this request, we pray that God will make
it holy among us, too.
Q. How does this take
place?
A. When God's Word is
taught clearly and purely, and when we live holy lives as God's children
based upon it. Help us, Heavenly Father, to do this! But anyone who teaches
and lives by something other than God's Word defiles God's name among us.
Protect us from this, Heavenly Father!
The Second
Petition
Traditional: thy kingdom come,
Contemporary: your kingdom come,
Q. What does this mean?
A. Truly God's Kingdom
comes by itself, without our prayer. But we pray in this request that it
come to us as well.
Q. How does this happen?
A. When the Heavenly Father
gives us the Holy Spirit, so that we believe God's holy Word by God's grace
and live godly lives here in this age and there in eternal life.
The Third
Petition
Traditional: thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Contemporary: your will be done, on
earth as in heaven.
Alternative: may your will be
accomplished, as it is heaven, so may it be on earth.
Q. What does this mean?
A. Truly, God's good and
gracious will is accomplished without our prayer. But we pray in this
request that is be accomplished among us as well.
Q. How does this happen?
A. When God destroys and
interferes with every evil will and all evil advice, which will not allow
God's Kingdom to come, such as the Devil's will, the world's will and will
of our bodily desires. It also happens when God strengthens us by faith and
by the Word and keeps living by them faithfully until the end of our lives.
This is God's will, good and full of grace.
The Fourth
Petition
Traditional: Give us this day our daily bread.
Contemporary: Give us today our daily
bread.
Q. What does this mean?
A. Truly, God gives daily
bread to evil people, even without our prayer. But we pray in this request
that God will help us realize this and receive our daily bread with
thanksgiving.
Q. What does "Daily
Bread" mean?
A. Everything that
nourishes our body and meets its needs, such as: Food, drink, clothing,
shoes, house, yard, fields, cattle, money, possessions, a devout spouse,
devout children, devout employees, devout and faithful rulers, good
government, good weather, peace, health, discipline, honor, good friends,
faithful neighbors, and other things like these.
The Fifth
Petition
Traditional: And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive
those who trespass against us.
Contemporary: Forgive us our sins as we
forgive those who sin against us.
Alternative: And forgive our guilt, as
we forgive those guilty of sinning against us.
Q. What does this mean?
A. We pray in this
request that our Heavenly Father will neither pay attention to our sins nor
refuse requests such as these because of our sins and because we are
neither worthy nor deserve the things for which we pray. Yet God wants to
give them all to us by God's grace, because many times each day we sin and
truly deserve only punishment. Because God does this, we will, of course,
want to forgive from our hearts and willingly do good to those who sin
against us.
The Sixth
Petition
Traditional: And lead us not into temptation,
Contemporary: Save us from the time of
trial,
Q. What does this mean?
A. God tempts no one, of
course, but we pray in this request that God will protect us and save us,
so that the Devil, the world and our bodily desires will neither deceive us
nor seduce us into heresy, despair or other serious shame or vice, and so
that we will win and be victorious in the end, even if they attack us.
The Seventh
Petition
Traditional: but deliver us from evil.
Contemporary: and deliver us from evil.
Alternative: but set us free from the
Evil One.
Q. What does this mean?
A. We pray in this
request, as a summary, that our Father in Heaven will save us from every
kind of evil that threatens body, soul, property and honor. We pray that
when at last our final hour has come, God will grant us a blessed death,
and, in God's grace, bring us to Godself from this valley of tears.
Amen.
Amen.
Q. What does this mean?
A. That I should be
certain that such prayers are acceptable to the Father in Heaven and will
be granted, that God has indeed commanded us to pray in this way and that
God promises to answer us. Amen. Amen. This means: Yes, yes it will happen
this way.
I.
Q. What is Baptism?
A. Baptism is not just
plain water, but it is water contained within God's command and united with
God's Word.
Q. Which Word of God is
this?
A. The one which our Lord
Christ spoke in the last chapter of Matthew:
"Go into all the world, teaching all nations, and baptizing them in
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." (Matthew
28:18-20)
II.
Q. What does Baptism
give? What good is it?
A. It gives the
forgiveness of sins, redeems from death and the Devil, gives eternal
salvation to all who believe this, just as God's words and promises
declare.
Q. What are these words
and promises of God?
A. Our Lord Christ spoke
one of them in the last chapter of Mark:
"Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; but whoever does not
believe will be damned." (Mark
16:15-16)
III.
Q. How can water do such
great things?
A. Water doesn't make these
things happen, of course. It is God's Word, which is with and in the water.
Because, without God's Word, the water is plain water and not Baptism. But
with God's Word it is a Baptism, a grace-filled water of life, a bath of
new birth in the Holy Spirit, as St. Paul said to Titus in the third
chapter:
"Through this bath of rebirth and renewal of the Holy Spirit, which
was poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ, our Savior, that we,
justified by the same grace are made heirs according to the hope of eternal
life. This is a faithful saying." (Titus
3:4-8)
IV.
Q. What is the meaning of
such a water Baptism?
A. It means that the old
Adam in us should be drowned by daily sorrow and repentance, and die with
all sins and evil lusts, and, in turn, a new person daily come forth and
rise from death again. He will live forever before God in righteousness and
purity.
Q. Where is this written?
A. St. Paul says to the Romans
in chapter six: "We are buried with Christ through Baptism into death,
so that, in the same way Christ is risen from the dead by the glory of the
Father, thus also must we walk in a new life." (Romans
6:4)
I.
Q. What is confession?
A. Confession has two
parts:
·
First, a person admits his or her sin
·
Second, a person receives absolution or forgiveness from the confessor,
as if from God Godself, without doubting it, but believing firmly that his
or her sins are forgiven by God in Heaven through it.
II.
Q. Which sins should
people confess?
A. When speaking to God,
we should plead guilty to all sins, even those we don't know about, just as
we do in the "Our Father," but when
speaking to the confessor, only the sins we know about, which we know about
and feel in our hearts.
Q. Which are these?
A. Consider here your
place in life according to the Ten Commandments.
Are you a father? A mother? A son? A daughter? A husband? A wife? A
servant? Are you disobedient, unfaithful or lazy? Have you hurt anyone with
your words or actions? Have you stolen, neglected your duty, let things go
or injured someone?
I.
Q. What is the Sacrament
of the Lord’s Supper?
A. It is the true Body
and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under bread and wine for us Christians
to eat and to drink, established by Christ himself.
II.
Q. Where is that written?
A. The holy apostles
Matthew, Mark, and Luke and St.
Paul write this:
Our Lord Jesus Christ, in
the night on which he was betrayed, took bread, gave thanks, broke it, gave
it to his disciples and said: "Take. Eat. This is my body, which is
given for you. Do this to remember me." In the same way he also took
the cup after supper, gave thanks, gave it to them, and said: "Take
and drink from it, all of you. This cup is the New Testament in my blood,
which is shed for you to forgive sins. This do, as often as you drink it,
to remember me."
III.
Q. What good does this
eating and drinking do?
A. These words tell us:
"Given for you" and "Shed for you to forgive sins."
Namely, that the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given to us
through these words in the Sacrament. Because, where sins are forgiven,
there is life and salvation as well.
IV.
Q. How can physical
eating and drinking do such great things?
A. Of course, eating and
drinking do not do these things. These words, written here, do them:
"given for you" and "shed for you to forgive sins."
These words, along with physical eating and drinking are the important part
of the sacrament. Anyone who believes these words has what they say and
what they record, namely, the forgiveness of sins.
V.
Q. Who, then, receives
such a sacrament in a worthy way?
A. Of course, fasting and
other physical preparations are excellent disciplines for the body. But
anyone who believes these words, "Given for you," and "Shed
for you to forgive sins," is really worthy and well prepared. But
whoever doubts or does not believe these words is not worthy and is unprepared,
because the words, "for you" demand a heart that fully believes.
Morning
Devotions
As soon as you get out of
bed in the morning, you should bless yourself with the sign of the Holy
Cross and say:
In the Name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Then, kneeling or
standing, say the Creed and pray the Lord's Prayer. If you wish, then you may pray this
little prayer as well:
My Heavenly Father, I
thank you, through Jesus Christ, your beloved Son, that you kept me safe
from all evil and danger last night. Save me, I pray, today as well, from
every evil and sin, so that all I do and the way that I live will please
you. I put myself in your care, body and soul and all that I have. Let your
holy Angels be with me, so that the evil enemy will not gain power over me.
Amen.
After that, with joy go
about your work and perhaps sing a song inspired by the Ten Commandments or your own thoughts.
Evening
Devotions
When you go to bed in the
evening, you should bless yourself with the sign of the Holy Cross and say:
In the Name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Then, kneeling or
standing, say the Creed and pray the Lord's Prayer. If you wish, then you may pray this
little prayer as well:
My Heavenly Father, I
thank you, through Jesus Christ, your beloved Son, that you have protected
me by your grace. Forgive, I pray, all my sins and the evil I have done.
Protect me, by your grace, tonight. I put myself in your care, body and
soul and all that I have. Let your holy angels be with me, so that the evil
enemy will not gain power over me. Amen.
After this, go to sleep
immediately with joy.
Saying Grace
and Returning Thanks at Meals
The children and servants
should come to the table modestly and with folded hands and say:
All eyes look to you, O Lord,
and you give everyone food at the right time. You open your generous hands
and satisfy the hunger of all living things with what they desire. (Psalm
145:15-16)
Note: 'What they
desire" means that all animals get so much to eat, that they are happy
and cheerful. Because, worry and greed interferes with such desires.
After this, pray the Lord's Prayer and the following prayer:
Lord God, Heavenly
Father, bless us and these gifts, which we receive from your generous hand,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Christian/Lutheran Studies
Worship Resources for
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