Aug 23
Divine Service
Exodus 20:12 (excerpt)
Honor your father and your mother.
Where are we in the Bible?
In the Ten Commandments, the command to honor shifts the focus from our relationship with God, to our relationships with each other. The reality of what is expressed in the first few commands, our love of God, is expressed through our communal love of our neighbor, which starts in the family. A person created out of a loving parental relationship is the foundational way God informs us of love as a force for growth, development, and stability. Mutual love in the family teaches us the lesson if its power outside the family. Honoring our parents gives us a deeper realization of their love for us. Love cannot be fully understood, but honor looks at the long term effects of their care on our lives.
We can also understand this command as referring to the moral weight of unchosen relationships. It’s easy to love the people we choose to love - our friends. When it comes to unchosen relationships, for some, it might be easy to love their parents and siblings. But for others, who have felt unloved and unwanted, or have suffered violence or harm from familial hands, this command poses a great challenge. Many fathers and mothers walk through circumstances, burdens, and struggles that are often beyond their control. Their children may never fully see or understand these hidden trials, yet the effects can shape the course of a family’s life for years to come. We must be careful about a society that easily judges the past, without empathizing with those in the past. Honor does not require us to deny human weakness or pretend our parents were perfect. Rather, it invites us to recognize with gratitude the place God gave them in our lives, leaving judgment in His hands, and praying for the strength to reconcile and heal. In doing so, we obey the commandment not merely with our words, but with hearts marked by reverence for the life we have received.
Summary:
When there is mutual understanding, care, dignity, and gratitude, the family relationship provides strength throughout life and blossoms into a foretaste of the perfect relationships we will enjoy with God and our neighbor in the new creation. The command to honor is fulfilled through the gift of mutual honor, as parents and children alike reflect Christ through love, respect, and God-pleasing conduct, always recognizing that obedience to God comes first. As we care for one another, these qualities shape the church into a community where people truly belong and encounter Christ’s love through His people.
Foundational Reading
Scripture: Exodus 20:1-17
Catechism: 5.3.5
Services held in both Houston locations