The 2nd Commandment: You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God.
Luther’s Small Catechism
What is this? We are to fear and love God, so that we do not curse, swear, practice magic, lie, or deceive using God’s name, but instead use that very name in every time of need to call upon God in prayer, praise, and thanksgiving.
Read God’s Word:
“See, the home of God is among mortals.
God will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them. (Revelation 21:3)
Think!
God demonstrated the value and sacredness of life on earth when God became human, flesh and blood and bones, through Jesus Christ. Through Jesus, God experienced all that we experience- love, loss, life and death. Jesus used images from the natural world to illustrate God’s purposes and how God works in the world. 2 billion people (1/3 of the planet) are Christian. What a huge difference our prayers could make in this place! Jesus told his disciples, “the Kingdom of God is among you” (Luke 17:21). Still, we often think “heaven is my home,” as if we don’t have a part of this world. As if it doesn’t matter if everything goes wrong here because we have a better place waiting. How does that view take God’s name in vain for this life?
Act!
Say a prayer, calling on God presence to be with you today. Ask this same thing for five kinds of other creatures around you.
In October 2017, Lutherans mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation with the occasion of Martin Luther writing his 95 Theses. As a church that is “always reforming,” we know that the good news of God continues to encounter us in our life. We are invited to look at classic Lutheran teachings in new ways. These daily summer devotions look at Luther’s Small Catechism through the Lens of Ecology & the Earth. Pastor Molly edited and adapted them from the website http://www.lutheransrestoringcreation.org/