Ash Wednesday
18 February
2015
Wyneken
Memorial Lutheran School
4th
Commandment
Honor your
Father and your Mother
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Today is Ash Wednesday. It is the first
day in the season of Lent. We come today with the ashes of repentance and
faith. Today is a day we remember our sinfulness and the reason for which Jesus
came into this world. Jesus came to make all things new. At the cross, Jesus took your sins upon
Himself. That great exchange – God’s mercy and forgiveness purchased at the
cost of His own son! For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting
life.
This year, throughout this special
season, we will review the Ten Commandments. We will review the first three
commandments at the end, during Holy Week. As we review each commandment, we
will see that there were times when God’s people kept the commandment. And
other times not.
– The rich
man thought more of costly clothes and food than of God. The rich young man
loved his possessions more than Christ. 1st Commandment.
– Peter swore
that he didn’t know Jesus after His arrest. Herod sword in an unknown and
unimportant matter. 2nd Commandment.
– Jesus gladly
heard and learned the Word of God. Mary sat at the feet of Jesus. Jesus’ mother
pondered the Word of God in her heart. 3rd Commandment.
– Abraham
rescued Lot from his enemies. David protected the life of Saul. The good
Samaritan helped the man who had fallen among thieves. 5th Commandment
– Herod took
his brother’s wife while Joseph refused the advances of Potiphar’s wife. 6th
Commandment.
– Zacchaeus promised to restore four times what
he had taken and gave half his goods to the poor. 7th Commandment
– Jonathan
spoke well of David. The people of Capernaum spoke well of the Centurion. 8th
Commandment
– Ahab coveted Naboth’s vineyard. 9th Commandment. Absalom estranged the hearts of the people
away from his father David. 10th Commandment.
Today,
we begin with Commandment number 4. Honor
your father and your mother. – Joseph provided for his father. From the cross,
Jesus turned His mother over to John and provided for her care. More than half
of the seven words from the cross concerned the needs of others.
Commandments 4-10 have to do with how we
treat our neighbor. These last seven commandments apply to us in our
relationship with our neighbor. Love for God will always show itself in love
for our neighbor. It is fitting that we
review the 4th commandment on Ash Wednesday. Just as God has given
us eternal life. We look to those who gave us life. Our Father and our Mother.
The commandment reads, Honor your father and your mother. What
does this mean? We should fear and love
God so that we do not despise or anger our parents and other authorities, but
honor them, serve and obey them, love and cherish them.
Honor. To honor someone means that we regard him or
her, with respect. When we honor someone, we will fulfill an obligation or keep
an agreement we have made. Parents owe their children love and care for body
and soul. Children owe their parents
love, respect, and obedience.
God is one of order – He exercises His rule
over us through those whom He has placed over us. He extends His ruling arm
through the following. Our parents, grandparents, our aunts and uncles in the
home. Pastors and teachers in church and school. Police, officials, those who
represent us in congress, the Governor, and our President through the
Government. Ad our boss and all other supervisors when we are at work.
God reminds us to honor our superiors. They are
His representatives. However, it one of these demands something, which God
forbids, or forbids something, which God demands, we must always obey God.
This commandment follows us all our life. We
are always under obligation. I’m 58. My Mom and Dad are 84. I owe them. As long
as I’m working, I have an obligation to do my best towards those who are over
me. I’m a citizen of my community, state, and nation. I owe respect and service
to my country. We are always under
orders to serve and obey. May the Lord direct us to love and to do in a spirit
of love, respect, and duty to those He has placed over us.
Words-754
Passive Sentences –2%
Readability –75.7%
Reading level -5.1
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