Maybe everybody else has always realized what I am about to write about. But as I was wrapping up my latest membership class, I had an epiphany even before Advent (sorry, church year joke). I had two topics that I wanted to review: the six chief parts of the catechism and the liturgy. And when teaching those two in quick succession, it hit me. The six chief parts are all there in the liturgy each week. Or put another way the liturgy is all there in the catechism’s chief parts. I have made this chart below to help me better teach this in the future. Maybe it will help some of you as well.
If we assert that the six chief parts are the basics of the faith, how comforting to know that when we gather for worship and use the liturgy, we get a review in the basics each week. Put another way, we get everything we need each week in the liturgy. We learn what God says, who God is, and how to talk to him. We are reminded of our baptism, led into confession, and welcomed to the altar. And all of this leads us to and gives us Jesus. The catechism and liturgy are meant for each other.
Do you have Bender’s material, Lutheran Catechesis? It does this very thing in great detail!
Have seen similar explanations. Like yours best. Simple, down to earth. Good job.