Small Catechism, the Table of Duties
We’re all servants! Of god! And of each other!
Looking back, I think it began sometime after the first Gulf War. 1991. 1992. When the troops were returning home. We remembered how the country treated everyone coming home from Vietnam, decades before. It was a way – our way – of atoning for what we had done. Or rather, for what we didn’t do. So, we welcomed them home. And we thanked them for their service. And we’ve been thanking them, ever since.
A couple, three years ago, I was watching one of the morning news shows on television. It was Memorial Day weekend and they were talking with two Medal of Honor recipients. One from Vietnam. Another Afghanistan. At the end of the interview, the reporter, of course, thanked the men for their service. But this time, one of them said, “And thank you for yours!” The reporter was flustered. Wasn’t sure what to say. After an awkward silence, he replied. “I was never in the military.” “That’s okay,” said the Vietnam War vet, “It takes all of us to make it work.”
It’s going on a year, now, since the pandemic, officially, began. And the thanking has only grown. Of course, we continue to thank the military for their service. But now, we’re thanking so many more! First responders! Frontline workers! Essential personnel! Thanks for risking your life! Thanks for taking chances! Thanks for being there when we needed you! Thank you for your service, as well! And as the pandemic continues, the circle grows! Teachers! Grocery clerks! Truck drivers! Delivery men and women! Before long, we’ll be thanking everyone! Honking horns for them! Ringing cowbells! Sticking signs in their front yards! For the first time in a long time … for the first time, maybe, ever … we understand that it really does take all of us to make it work!
Today is the fifth Sunday of the month. And for some time, we’ve been setting aside every fifth Sunday as a chance to focus our attention on Luther’s Small Catechism. Whatever catches our attention. Whatever piques our interest. It’s a way of getting back to the basics. A way of hitting the reset button. A way to be centered – re-centered – amid the changes and chances. This time around, I got to thinking about a part we don’t see, all that often. In fact, most contemporary versions don’t include it. There are parts on the Commandments and the Creed and the Lord’s Prayer. On Baptism and Confession-and-Forgiveness and Communion. There are, even, sections on Morning and Evening and Table Blessings. Over the years, we’ve looked at each one. But the part I got to thinking about isn’t one of them. It’s more an appendix, a supplement, an add-on. It’s called “The Table of Duties” or “The Household Chart.”
It lists eleven different walks of life. Vocations, we call them. Holy orders. And it provides a bible verse for each one. For encouragement. For inspiration. There’s one for bishops and pastors and preachers. Another for the governing authorities. After that are passages for husbands and wives, for parents and children, for servants, day laborers, workers, etc., both female and male. For masters and mistresses, for young people in general, widows, and, just in case he missed anyone, Luther rounds out the list with one for everyone in the community. But after pushing that table, that chart, off to the side for decades, I, finally, realized what Luther was doing! He was thanking them! Thanking them all for their ministry, for their service! Each of them! All of them! From the least to the greatest!
It isn’t, simply, those up front who serve. And it’s not, just, those at center stage that deserve thanks. “It takes everyone,” that vet told the reporter, “It takes everyone to make it work.” For us Americans, for a long time, it was only the military that mattered. They were the ones – the only ones – we noticed. And we thanked them. For their sacrifices. For their service. But with the crisis … the crises … with the trauma … that changed. It’s deeper, wider. And includes so many more.
That’s what the Household Chart does. It stretches … and enlarges … and expands … who we think is important! Who we believe matters! Before Luther, it was only the lives of the priests and the monks and the nuns that meant anything. They were the sacred ones, the holy ones. And everyone else? Everyone else fell short. Everyone else missed the mark. The butcher. The baker. The candlestick maker. But then, one day, a renegade priest came along and thanked, even, them! Thanked them for their service! To god! But even more, to each other! It wasn’t just the religious people, anymore. It was everyone! It was people! Just! Like! Us! Moms and dads! Daughters and sons! Sisters and brothers! People who had real jobs! People who worked for a living! The neighbor down the street who owns the store! The sales clerk behind the counter! The person stocking the shelves! The person mopping the floor! And to each and every, to one and all, Luther says, “Thank you!” Thank you for your service! Thank you for your love! It takes all of us – all of us – to make it work!
And that last “walk of life” on the list? That final “holy order”? It’s for everyone! Everyone in the congregation! Everyone in the community! And the verse is simple, plain. From Romans. “Love your neighbor as yourself!” Love your neighbor. Just like Jesus! Get up from the table! Take off your robe! Tie a towel around your waist! And wash their feet! One! After another! After another! Take up your cross – THEIR cross – and follow! To Gethsemane! To Golgotha! To the grave and beyond!
That’s the service, the ministry, for which we’re thankful! It’s the love! The charity! The grace! The love, the charity, and the grace, that saves us! The love, the charity, the grace, by which we save others! It’s not the responsibility of just a few … or many … or, even, most … We are all servants! Every. Single. One. So, my friends, on behalf of god … on behalf of creation … I want to take this moment to say thank you to you! Thank you to all of you! Thank you for you service! But even more, thank you for your love!