The Larger & Shorter Westminster Catechisms What is the chief end of man?
Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory in the heavens.
Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?
you have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.
You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.
Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
The three documents produced during the Protestant Reformation (Scots Confession, Heidelberg Catechism & Second Helvetic Confession) each have a unique origin and purpose. Each confession/catechism was intended to unify the church and settle disputes about the true church, the Lord’s Supper, and baptism. Instead of uniting the churches, they cemented church splits and the formation of Reformed (Presbyterian), Lutheran, and Baptist (originally called Ana-baptist) Denominations. Similarly, the Westminster Confession was intended to unify the Protestant churches in England during and following the English Civil War. The Larger & Shorter Catechisms were written two years after the Westminster Confession of Faith as a teaching tool for the Protestant churches of England. While never adopted in England, the three Westminster works were quickly accepted in Scotland. The newly formed Presbyterian fellowship in America adopted them in 1729.
As comprehensive teaching tools, the Larger and Shorter Catechisms address all areas of our faith. They begin, however, with the question of purpose: What is the chief end of man? To glorify God and enjoy him forever. In order to study who God is and what God does in the world, in the church, and in our lives, we must begin with purpose. We are here, given breath in our lungs because of God’s great love for us. God’s desire to be in relationship with us is always the focus of our study through scripture and the confessions. Psalm 8 asks a similar question: What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? The answer comes in the affirmation that God made us special over all the creatures of the earth, “crowned with glory and honor.” May we strive to live each day as a gift to glorify God and enjoy him forever!
Lord, we come as your friends to your table. Through the body and blood of Christ, given by the Spirit in the bread and wine, refresh those who are tired, heal those who are sick, and encourage those who are new. We thank you for hearing us. We thank you for forgiving us, through Jesus our risen Lord. Amen.
