Have you ever thought of Luther’s Small Catechism as a daily devotion? Luther in his Preface to the Large Catechism stated: “I am . . . a doctor and preacher; yes, as learned and experienced as all the people who have such assumptions and contentment. Yet I act as a child who is being taught the catechism. Every morning—and whenever I have time—I read and say, word for word, the Ten Commandments, the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, the Psalms, and such. I must still read and study them daily. Yet I cannot master the catechism as I wish. But I must remain a child and pupil of the catechism, and am glad to remain so.” [1] If Dr. Luther needed such daily devotion, don’t we also?

In his book As Luther Taught the Word of Truth: Devotions on the Small Catechism, Pastor Richard E. Lauersdorf provides a valuable resource to help readers learn the catechism through a series of fifty-eight devotions. Each devotion focuses on a portion of the five chief parts of the catechism: the Commandments, Apostles’ Creed, Lord’s Prayer, and Sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion. Each devotion provides biblical insight and practical application with helpful illustrations. At the end of each devotion, there is a simple prayer or hymn verse summarizing the devotional thought.

Lauersdorf slightly changes the order of the catechism. He begins with a series of devotions on the Apostle’s Creed rather than the Ten Commandments. He states, “Before we discuss what God wants us to do for him, we need to look at what he has done for us” (p.4). With this change in the order, he emphasizes the Gospel’s power to empower the Christian life. This is an interesting insight.

This book would be a beneficial aid in a pastor’s ministry. It would be a great devotional resource for confirmation instruction and adult membership classes. It could be used as a much needed review of Christian truth for elder and deacon board meetings. This book can also be given as a gift to confirmation students, new congregational members, pastors, church workers, or anyone in need of renewal in the basics of the Christian faith. In other words, it would be beneficial for all.

Pr. David Tilney
St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
Cloquet, MN

[1] McCain, Paul T., ed. Concordia The Lutheran Confessions: A Reader’s Edition of the Book of Concord, SecondEdition (Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2006), p.353.

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