#38 Faith’s Pouch for Gold, And Love’s Pouch for Silver

When a child begins to understand this it should be encouraged to bring home verses of Scripture from the sermon and to repeat them at mealtime for the parents, even as they formerly used to recite their Latin. And then these verses should be put into the pouches and pockets, just as pennies, groschen, and gulden are put into a purse. For instance, let faiths pouch be for the gulden, and into the first pocket let this verse go: Romans 5 [:12], “… sin came into the world through one man and death through sin….” Also this one: Psalm 51 [:5], “Behold I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” These are two Rhenish gulden for the [first] pocket. Into the other pocket go the Hungarian gulden, for example this text, Romans 5 [4:25], “Jesus … was put to death for our trespasses and raised for our justification.” Again John 3 [1:29], “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” These would be two good Hungarian gulden for the [second] pocket.

Let love’s pouch be the pouch for silver. Into the first pocket shall go the texts concerning well doing, such as Galatians 4 [5:13], “Through love be servants of one another”; Matthew 25 [:40], “As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.” These would be two silver groschen for the [first] pocket. Into the other pocket shall go this verse: Matthew 5 [:11], “Blessed are you when men … persecute you … on my account”; Hebrews 12 [:6], “For the Lord disciplines him whom he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” These are two Schreckenberger for the [second] pocket. (Luther’s Works, v. 53, p.64-67).

Posted in 2019 Teaching Children.