About sixty years ago one of the oldest bits of writing in the world was discovered; it was a fragment of stone from one of the lowest strata of the ruins of Babylon. The first words that archaeologists deciphered were these: "Alas, alas, times are not what they were. Children no longer obey parents." Likewise, today, disobedience to parents is not a fad; rather, it is nearly as old as the proverbial hills!

The Fifth Commandment which commands us to honor our parents is considered the headstone of the second table of the law, which emphasizes our duty to our neighbor. This is based upon the distinction that Jesus made between loving God (as enshrined in the first four commandments) and loving our neighbor (as enshrined in commandments 5-10; Matt. 22:37-40). Thus we move "away" from our vertical relationship with God to our horizontal relationship with man. But how much do we really move? Is there a hard and fast separation between the two tables? The answer is that there is a God-centered interpenetration between the first and second tables. For example, the Tenth Commandment ("Thou shalt not covet") is informed by the First and Second Commandments since covetousness is idolatry (Eph. 5:5; Col. 3:5), Also, the Eighth Commandment ("Thou shalt not steal") is informed by the Fifth Commandment since the property that we are forbidden to steal belongs to God. Of course, the Fifth Commandment itself is theocentric because it is God Who rules us by the hand of our parents; plus, the land that we acquire as a result of obedience to them is God's gift to us.

As the President of the Western Classis for some nine years running, I am delighted to write another synopsis of your reports concerning the state of the Church in our Western Classis, which will celebrate its 25th anniversary next year. Let me begin my president's report with Proverbs 4:18, which reads, "But the path of the just is as the shining light that shines more and more unto the perfect day." Among other lessons, this verse teaches what should be true for every Christian, that in spite of the sins that do so easily beset us and the opposition of Satan to our testimony, that God's grace in Christ is always working more and more and brighter and brighter. For us this means that even death itself is "perfect day" because death brings us closer to Christ and Christ closer to us. But the verse also impacts our morale and outlook for the present, too, especially in our churches. The great question is: Is the candlestick shining brighter than it did the previous year? Is the effulgence of the Gospel shining brighter and brighter, as the Word of God is preached, the sacraments dispensed, and church disciplined meted out? After reading your reports, I am convinced it is. By God's grace, we are a city set on a hill and a city on a hill cannot be hid (Matt. 5:14). Your reports brought to mind Acts 9:31: "Then had all the churches rest throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified: and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, were multiplied."