# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_M rz 1857_S69
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Instruction for Catechism Sermons.                    69

...under the commandments: context, summary, transgression, fulfillment,
etc. In doing so, mark what is more important and most important with
one or more strokes in your notebook, and likewise short passages from
Luther that you specifically wish to cite; for example, on the 1st
Commandment: what does it mean to have a God, and what does it mean to
have a god, etc.

Then proceed to the elaboration itself, in this way: first read out of
your preparation-notebook the passages that treat the piece as a whole
and that serve for an introduction, and write them out either word for
word, if they are short, or, if they are longer or there are several of
them, summarize them concisely while retaining Luther's own words as
far as possible. Proceed in the same way with the following parts, for
example: summary, warning, understanding of a commandment —
transgression — fulfillment — final summation.

In the elaboration, always be mindful of the two watchwords: everything
as briefly and as simply as possible. As briefly as possible — namely
so that the delivery of the sermon takes up roughly half an hour;
therefore cutting is always the order of the day, both with respect to
the whole plan of the sermon and to the working-out of the individual
parts. Do not linger along the way, but always press forward; do not
try to pluck all the beautiful flowers and fruits that you find in
Luther, but content yourself for the time being with a little
basketful. As simply as possible — that is, not loftily and not
sharply. If you wish to know whether you are preaching in this way or
not, make the following test: break your sermon down into questions and
answers, and if this catechizing then has good success with the
children, then the sermon is certainly also a simple one, and therefore
a good one. Note down for yourself only the questions to which either
no answer, or no correct answer, was given. Whoever, in this way —
especially at the beginning — goes through his sermons with the
children before he delivers them, will certainly become a capable
catechism preacher and catechist. I am speaking here only of the
summary questioning of the sermon; for if one wanted to do this
sentence by sentence, a half-hour sermon would require at least a full
hour's examination. On simplicity in preaching, see Luther's Table
Talk, chapter XXII, and Porta's Pastorale Lutheri, chapters IV and V.

If the text of a piece of the Catechism is more extensive — for
example, in the case of the Instruction on Confession, or the Household
Prayers, etc. — then one contents oneself with a continuous explanation
of the text, yet always with a definitely stated disposition
corresponding to it; one draws attention to the importance of seemingly
minor points, and adds one or another passage from Luther's writings,
for example on the praise of private confession, on the divine order of
the three estates, etc.

Never omit to open every course with a preparatory sermon. For this you
may, on one occasion, read aloud the preface to the Small Catechism,
and on another occasion that to the Large Catechism (including also
the second, shorter one). In the case of the former, one is to preach
on: how the Catechism is to be practiced with profit,