Previously this site presented “One Simple Weekly Catechism Reading Plan.” We also offered a bulletin insert for promoting that plan.
When one pastor saw that plan discussed on Facebook, he sent a private message. He said he liked that weekly plan and that in his own private devotions, he too covered a chief part of the Small Catechism every day. But, he said, in the family setting, he found it a bit much with his young daughter. He said:
I have devised a schedule spreading out Small Catechism readings over the course of the church year. I think it is a good thing because not only does it reestablish the Small Catechism in the home, but it is also reasserting the Church’s time over the school year and other secular ways we measure our time. I think the schedule adds another structural benefit to home catechesis. I have found it immensely helpful with my family.
This pastor sent me a copy of his schedule, and it does just what he said. For young children, this is like spoon sized shredded wheat instead of the whole biscuit (if you remember those, wax paper and all). He solved the problem.
I asked permission to publish his church-year catechism reading plan. He replied:
Yes, go ahead, and do not credit me. I consider this more a “discovery” on my part rather than anything I invented. It pieced itself together marvelously. Sundays frequently skipped during the church year have Table of Duties passages which I think can be safely omitted from time to time.
Add him to the ranks of the No-Name Evangelistic Association. I would like to credit him, but not doing so was his stipulation. Our Father knows who he is, and you can pray that our Father will bless mightily his catechetical practice in private, with his family, and in his congregation.
Here is his plan, which will be a good fit for many of you.
Luther’s Small Catechism Schedule for the Home
“As the head of the family should teach it in a simple way to his household.”
| Advent 1 | 1st Commandment and Meaning |
| Advent 2 | 2nd Commandment and Meaning |
| Advent 3 | 3rd Commandment and Meaning |
| Advent 4 | 4th Commandment and Meaning |
| Christmas 1 | 5th Commandment and Meaning |
| Christmas 2 | Duties – To Bishops, Pastors, and Preachers (1 Timothy 3:2-4, 1 Timothy 3:6, Titus 1:9) |
| Epiphany 1 | Duties – What Hearers Owe Their Pastors (1 Cor. 9:14, Galatians 6:5-7, 1 Tim 5:17-18) |
| Epiphany 2 | Duties – What Hearers Owe Their Pastors (1 Thess. 5:12-13, Hebrews 13:17) |
| Epiphany 3 | Duties – Of Civil Government (Romans 13:1-4) |
| Epiphany 4 | Duties – Of Citizens (Matt. 22:21, Romans 13:5-7, 1 Tim. 2:1-3) |
| Epiphany 5 | Duties – Of Citizens (Titus 3:1, 1 Peter 2:13-14) |
| Transfiguration | 6th Commandment and Meaning |
| Septuagesima | 7th Commandment and Meaning |
| Sexagesima | 8th Commandment and Meaning |
| Quinquagesima | 9th Commandment and Meaning |
| Lent 1 | 10th Commandment and Meaning |
| Lent 2 | Close of Commandments and Meaning |
| Lent 3 | Review of Ten Commandments |
| Lent 4 | First Article of Creed and Meaning |
| Lent 5 | First Article of Creed and Meaning |
| Palm Sunday | Second Article of Creed and Meaning |
| Easter | Second Article of Creed and Meaning |
| Easter 2 | Third Article of Creed and Meaning |
| Easter 3 | Third Article of Creed and Meaning |
| Easter 4 | Introduction to Lord’s Prayer and Meaning |
| Easter 5 | First Petition and Catechism Questions |
| Easter 6 | Second Petition and Catechism Questions |
| Easter 7 | Third Petition and Catechism Questions |
| Pentecost | Fourth Petition and Catechism Questions |
| Trinity Sunday | Fifth Petition and Meaning |
| Trinity 1 | Sixth Petition and Meaning |
| Trinity 2 | Seventh Petition and Meaning |
| Trinity 3 | Conclusion of Lord’s Prayer and Meaning |
| Trinity 4 | Sacrament of Baptism – First Questions |
| Trinity 5 | Sacrament of Baptism – Second Questions |
| Trinity 6 | Sacrament of Baptism – Third Question |
| Trinity 7 | Sacrament of Baptism – Fourth Questions |
| Trinity 8 | Confession – What is Confession? |
| Trinity 9 | Confession – What sins should we confess? |
| Trinity 10 | Confession – Which ae these? |
| Trinity 11 | Confession – What is the Office of the Keys? |
| Trinity 12 | Confession – Where is this written? |
| Trinity 13 | Confession – What do you believe according to these words? |
| Trinity 14 | Sacrament of the Altar – What is the Sacrament of the Altar? |
| Trinity 15 | Sacrament of the Altar – Where is this written? |
| Trinity 16 | Sacrament of the Altar – What is the benefit of this eating and drinking? |
| Trinity 17 | Sacrament of the Altar – How can bodily eating and drinking do such great things? |
| Trinity 18 | Sacrament of the Altar – Who receives this Sacrament Worthily? |
| Trinity 19 | Duties – To Husbands (1 Peter 3:7, Colossians 3:19) |
| Trinity 20 | Duties – To Wives (Ephesians 5:22, 1 Peter 3:5-6) |
| Trinity 21 | Duties – To Parents (Ephesians 6:4) |
| Trinity 22 | Duties – To Children (Ephesians 6:4) |
| Trinity 23 | Duties – To Workers of All Kinds (Ephesians 6:5-8) |
| Trinity 24 | Duties – To Employers and Supervisors (Eph. 6:9) |
| Trinity 25 | Duties – To Youth (1 Peter 5:5-6) |
| Trinity 26 | Duties – To Widows (1 Timothy 5:5-6) |
| Last Sunday | Duties – To Everyone (Romans 13:9, 1Timothy 2:1) |
That looks good. Now, how does he execute it? Dies he read the item, discuss it, then read the answer? Does he read the item and the answer, them discuss it? How does he teach the lesson. I think, based on one of your earlier surveys on this, that a lot of guys felt intimidated because they did not know how to present the material in such a way that it would not be full and lifeless, when they want it to be stimulating and engaging.
Yes, it would be interesting to know if these were printed in the bulletin and how they were referred to in the service or sent home in a weekly flyer to use in the household.
Good idea connecting to church Year. Perhaps this will encourage use of small catechism as Luther’s preface, for head of household to teach his children.
Memoriaze, review, individually and at family altar, especially working with catechumens
Related Bible verses and Scripture references, for exposition and application.
Pastoral worksheets.
Especially helpful working to review with Reformation 500 WartburgProject.org, the English Heritage Version
Always worked with catechumens to complete in one year, but varying approach.
Lord’s Prayer can also be used for a review of the other principle parts.
Address,1st Article, …..
1st Petition, Natural and Revealed Knowledge of God, Law and Gospel…..
2nd Petition, 2nd and 3rd Articles, ….
.3rd Petition , 2-3Articles and Commandments,
4th petition, 1st article ……Stewardship of material blessings.
last three, Sacraments and Ministry of Keys, and Confession
No need to publish this.
Or
Perhaps you’d wish to adapt some of it for your use?
Comment, prior, about engaging, would, of course, depend on pastor, or parent to apply.
How can I format this so that it doesn’t take six (6) pages? I would like to post this, even put it in the church bulletin, but I’m not a MS WORD Warrior.
My congregation reads one part of the Catechism (i.e. one commandment/one article, etc.) every Sunday after the Absolution and before the Introit. The relevant section is printed in the bulletin.
Greetings, There is another online resource put together by Living Planted
( http://www.livingplanted.com/ ) which gives a similar yearly plan for going through the Catechism. Their resource is called “A Simple Approach to Daily Devotions.” Theirs is not calendar specific (i.e. They say it could be started any time of year with “week one”). What I particularly like about their plan is that it does give more of a daily devotional guide, complete with weekly memory verse(s) and a weekly hymn (LSB). They couch theirs within the brief services of Daily Prayer: For Individuals and Families (Morning and Close of Day) found in LSB (pg. 294 ff). It also encourages a cycle of reading through whole books of Scripture, alternating between the Gospels and “Other books we suggest due to importance and being easier to understand.” If I were to change it I would probably stick with the reading plans in the hymnal (e.g. Daily Lectionary *used in the Treasury of Daily Prayer, or the two year reading plan in the Lutheran Study Bible). I think I would prefer to blend the yearly plan here with theirs, using the hymns and memory verses they have together with the Church year specific order here.