Catechism
Three Orders: The Table of Duties By Rev. William M. Cwirla
H I G H E R T H I N G S __ 28
I
remember when I was in high school. I couldn’t wait until I was in college. I thought life would be all fun and I could do whatever I wanted. But college classes were harder and more demanding, the workload was heavier, and the responsibilities were greater. When I lived at home under the rule of my parents, I couldn’t wait until I was out of the house, on my own, and
FREE. I thought I could do anything I pleased. But there were rent, food, clothes, and books to buy. Then a job, a family, a congregation. More responsibilities and duties. Two things I learned: You’re never without responsibilities. And you’re never out from under authority. We’re going to spend some time now on The Table of Duties. It’s the eighth and last part of the Small Catechism and deals with responsibilities and authorities. This part probably wasn’t prepared by Luther, but was later taken up into the Small Catechism and became a part of it.