Parents!

     Glad tidings to you all in the name of our King Jesus!  I officially started listening to Christmas music so I am in the holiday spirit.  Although, it feels nothing like Christmas time here yet.  It is mid-fifties, sunny, and beautiful.  I played 9 holes of golf yesterday.  I can think of very many times I played golf in November.  I am scared it is going to be too warm for deer opening this weekend.  I have my permit bought, I have seen the deer "shack" where I will be living for a few days with the guys, and even cleaned out my stand where I will be hunting.  I am so excited, and my deer fever is getting stronger each day!
     I have been reading through the Large Catechism again as part of my daily devotions.  Today I was reading Luther's explanation to the fourth commandment.  For those of you who don't remember, the fourth commandment is "You shall honor your father and mother".  (Never really been one of my most favorite commandments)  However, Luther has quite a bit to say about this commandment.  He states that it is fourth because it is first and foremost of importance of the commandments of the second table.  The first table is the first three commandments all having to do with our relationship to God.  The second table is the last seven which all have to do with our relationships to other people.  This one is the most important of all the commandments having to do with other people.  It makes sense if you think about it at a bare bones level.  As long as the parents are good, godly parents, they will teach you how to properly live in all the other aspects of life and how to properly treat all other relationships.  So, if you honor, listen, obey, and learn from your parents first, you will know not to steal, not to lie, not to kill, how to properly use sex, etc.  However, Luther takes it ever father.  He compares our parents to God using the first article.  We say that the Father gave us our bodies and life and takes care of all of our physical needs by providing for us.  Well, we can say the same that our bodies and life comes from our parents.  They provide for us by feeding us, changing us, and keeping us alive when we would have died a hundred times on our own (Luther's words).  I had never made that exact one to one parallel to the first article with God as our Father and our parents doing the exact same thing.
      Luther, a wise but practical man, also includes, "Young people [must] revere their parents as God's representatives and to remember that, however lowly, poor, feeble, and eccentric they may be, they are still their mother and father, given by God.  Luther understood that there are some strange parents out there and really every set of parents has some sort of quirks or embarrassing characteristics (at least according to their kids).  Basically, it doesn't matter how strange, embarrassing, frustrating your parents may be, they are still the ones God has given to you.  I suppose I should keep this in mind a little more often.
    Luther adds a unique phrase that in my mind is actually backwards.  He says, "You are to esteem [parents] above all things and to value them as the most precious treasure on earth."  This is backwards to me because most parents think of their kids as their most treasured possession.  I am willing to very few teenagers would see it the other way around.  But again, you wouldn't be alive to be frustrated, angry, or embarrassed by your parents if it were not for your parents doing everything to keep you alive, safe, and loved.
    So, (mom don't let this go to your head), I want to say thank you to my parents for always being there for me, for working so hard to provide a safe, loving home for me.  I apologize for the million times I caused you stress, fear, and worries.  I apologize for the times I have been a rotten and spoiled kid.  I thank you for raising me in a Christian home, and supporting me to get to me to where I am today.  Even though you are extremely "eccentric" and at times very frustrating and embarrassing, I do love you and thank you for being pretty awesome representatives of God's love in my life.  (This counts as both of your Christmas presents by the way)!
     Hopefully, this will make you all think about your relationship with your parents, but also about your relationship with your children as well.  And of course, it is a constant reminder that even though our earthly parents have flaws and quirks, our Heavenly Father does not and loves us perfectly and eternally.