Lord’s Day 42: Q&A 110-111: For Good
Once again we have another simple seeming commandment that has a lot of weight behind it. “Do not steal” obviously means to not rob people of their material possessions, but both the Bible and the writers of the Catechism don’t leave it there.
“Do not steal” broadens out to a lot of Old Testament laws concerning theft and wrongdoing, but also things like scheming against one’s neighbor to acquire their belongings or money. The catechism then connects this commandment to forbidding greed and going even further to advocate for the good of our neighbors. Being people who do not steal in the Kingdom of God means being people who actively seek the good of our neighbors and the world around us.
What does our worship and our lives look like if we take this challenge seriously? If we do not merely sit back and not steal but actively fight for our neighbor’s ultimate good, even when our neighbors are proverbial Samaritans?
Lord’s Day 42
GOD’S LAW
Once again, these Q&As can be read responsively for this
Q&A 110
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Loving and gracious God, we confess to you that we have broken your commandments. We confess that we have robbed our neighbors. Even though we have not outright stolen from them, we still scheme against them; we still look the other way when they are taken advantage of by others because we think they deserve it. We confess that we are greedy and wasteful, O Lord. We listen to our consumeristic society and ignore caring for your world and for those you have put in it around us. Forgive us, Lord, for not seeking out the good of our neighbors. Forgive us for robbing them of support and love. Have mercy on us, O God, and forgive us, we pray, in the name of your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
PRAYER OF LAMENT
Ever-giving Lord, we are distressed when we look at the powers of the world around us. We cry out with the oppressed and those taken advantage of. We confess our complicity in systems that steal from others and feed into the greed of those in power. O Lord, cleanse this world of theft in all of its forms. Heal our society and culture from its sin of stealing, and draw us all closer to you that rather than steal and take advantage, we may all seek the good of those around us rather than our own to their detriment. We pray this in the name of Jesus, who sought out the good of the world, even to the very end, Amen.
Q&A 111
SENDING
Brothers and sisters, having heard what God has taught us from his word, go into the world and seek the good of our neighbors. Seek their flourishing, for God has called us to love them as ourselves. Share with those in need, uplift the downtrodden, and do whatever you can for the good of our neighbors, to the glory of God. Amen.
