Week 5-Football, Rest, and Confessions-4th Commandment

Since I am feeling the excitement from last night's Heisman award and I am getting antsy not being able to do much physically for a whole week AND since I have this Sunday off from leading worship or Bible Study, I am up a little early this morning and wanted to start my confessional study early. I realized that I did not assign homework last week, so I am just going to do the 4th commandment today and get back on track.

The 4th Commandment-Large Catechism-pp.370-378-The Reader's Edition of the BOC

"You shall honor your father and your mother that it may be well with you and you may live long upon the earth."

There is no other commandment that brings more sarcastic and glaring eyes than the 4th. Someone will inevitably say, "Tell this to my kids" or point at their child if they are in the room. At the same time, most confirmation kids will instantly say, "But what if our parents aren't make right decisions (ironically this is mostly brought up by kids in the upper tier of economic status and with outstanding parents). This commandment is one of the most broken, but taken the least serious of all commandments.

Luther says, "For God has assigned parenthood the highest place. Yes, He has set it up in His own place upon the earth. God's will and pleasure ought to be enough reason and incentive for us to do what we can with good will and pleasure (p.373, 126)."

God has placed the main responsibility of order in our society to parents???? Maybe God didn't understand the 21st century. I thought it was teachers, police man, firefighters, or maybe pastors. But parents? The other day my oldest daughter asked me, "Why did God give me a mommy?" I responded, "So that you may see how much God loves us." That is why God has brought parents, to give us a glimpse of God's amazing love through our parents. To bring tender care, a loving ear, protection, and guidance to us in our time of need.

This is why God tells us to honor and love our parents. Because they have been given to us by God, undeserving! Once you become a parent yourself, you begin to realize how much your parents did for you from conception til now and one can't help but honor, love and cherish them for that.

What are ways that we can love and honor our parents more?

Homework: Large Catechism-5th Commandment