Catechism

By Rev. David Petersen

During my confirmation years , my best friend was a guy by the name of George. He was a Seventh-Day Adventist. He and I were closer than brothers. We shared everything. We spent hours together talking about every aspect of our lives—including our faith. Now, the Seventh-Day Adventists have some strange ideas.They believe that all the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament are still in effect. Because of this they view Christ differently than Lutherans do. My friend was quite worried that we Lutherans, with all our stuffy formalism, statues, and sacraments, didn’t really believe in the Biblical Jesus.

I remember one time when George was quizzing me about various things in the Bible. He wanted to know if Lutherans believed in the virgin birth, the raising of Lazarus, and other details from Christ’s life that he felt were essential to faith. I agreed with everything he said, but couldn’t find the words to sum up what I believed about Jesus. I knew I was a Christian even though we watched television and ate meat, but I felt like my faith wasn’t as vibrant or zealous as his. I wanted to prove to George that I really did believe in the Biblical Jesus. Then on my way home from George’s house, it suddenly dawned on me—the Catechism!

When I got home, I went straight up to my room and pulled out my Catechism. I copied down (I should have known it by heart, but didn’t) the Second Article of the Creed and Luther’s explanation in a letter. It was all there, a perfect little summary that encapsulated all our hope in Jesus Christ. I had memorized this for class and would later memorize it again for questioning. But that day I read it with fresh eyes. This was my faith and I was glad to attach my name to it.

The next day, I gave George the letter. He was impressed. I later gave him his own copy of the Catechism. Over time, George and his parents grew to respect Lutheranism, but never converted.

At the end of our eighth grade year, George and his family moved away. Even today, I still miss him, but he is lost to me. All I have left of him are fond memories. But that was a critical time in my life and in my faith. Through George (and the faithful pastor that instructed me) God put me through the ropes and I am stronger because of it. I was reborn in Baptism, but throughout the course of confirmation classes, God awakened me. That was the beginning of my love and appreciation for the Catechism, and a desire to teach it to others.

Most of you have probably memorized the Catechism, but I am guessing you can’t quite recite all of it anymore. Pick it up again. Look at it anew. It is not simply a book of instruction, it also is a book of prayer and faith. May God bless your reading of it!

The Rev. David Petersen is Pastor at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, IN