Thank, Praise, Serve, and Obey: Recover the Joys of Piety

by William Weedon

For Christians who are struggling to understand what it means to be pious and how to embrace the classic Christian practices of piety, Thank, Praise, Serve, and Obey shows that acts of piety are not simply rules to keep in order to be a "good" Christian, but how the new life in Christ is lived out in day-to-day life.

Genres: Theology, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Christianity

180 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2017

Reviews

[Mary Moerbe · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a gem of a book! I've really enjoyed reading it, both in curiosity about what forms of piety would be praised and by just how pleased I've been to see how thoroughly grounded the arguments are in Scripture and the Confessions. This is another fine and most welcome "praying the catechism" book!

I'll offer you these little nuggets of content.

1) Faith comes. It didn't just come in the past. Rather than "faith came," we get to live in a gracious ongoing reception of it!

2) Likewise, we "cannot by [our] own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, [our] Lord, or come to Him." How soothing it is to realize it is not "we could not"!

3) Also, I have a much stronger grasp on what it means to be a "child of the resurrection," which is a tremendous blessing!

4)Easter eggs! (Read the book to find out more!)

5) Redefining death!

It's been great. I don't think you'll be too surprised at his suggestions. Nothing outlandish and certainly nothing works-righteousness! Instead, there is sweet, sweet Gospel along with very helpful Christian living considerations.

I'm glad to have read this book, and I wonder when I can have my children read it, too! 

[Rick Stuckwisch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little book is a real gem, a genuine gift and benefit to the Lord's Church. It is a beautiful contribution to an important topic, one that has too often been either ignored or sorely abused among Lutherans. It is not simply beautiful in its wording, though it is gently eloquent and winsome in that regard, but even more beautiful in its content. Pr. Weedon's engaging discussion of Christian piety is challenging, yet eminently evangelical, as it directs us to the life that is found in Christ within the life of His Church by the way and the means of His Word and Sacrament. The theology is substantive, yet the advice and encouragement throughout the book are practical and practicable, straightforward and simple (not to say easy or simplistic). I love what Pr. Weedon says, as well as the way he says it here, both for the benefit of my own Christian piety, faith, and life, and for the blessing and benefit of those whom I am called to care for as a Christian pastor. It is heartening to see so many of the points I've desired to commend to others expressed so well. I pray that many will read, mark, learn, and take to heart what Pr. Weedon has offered from the Holy Scriptures, the Catechism, and the hymns and prayers of the Church.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a joy to find out that my vicarage bishop still has much more to teach me. But the formatting and typography of this book is absolutely awful.

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Covers Luther's catechism and uses this to demonstrate the Christian life. There are careful definitions and categories to avoid works righteousness. A few personal stories and examples are interspersed.

[Elise T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a formerly evangelical (now a Missouri-synod Lutheran), I am frequently hesitant to read books about piety after years of being subjected to lists of good works I *need* to do to be a good person, Christian, etc. I absolutely loved this book, which includes 8 joyful habits that can be incorporated into the Christian life. These are not "have-tos," but rather, "get-tos." Additionally, the terms "piety" and "pietism" are properly distinguished to avoid falling into the trap of doing good works for God. God does not need our good works, but our neighbors do!

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and easy read. Weedon supplies eight sections of godly habits to help you aim towards a life of piety in order to fully receive God's bountiful gifts.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

September 1, 2023 review:
So glad to reread this now that I’m ordained and have been pastoring a bit.
This book is perfect to hand to a lay person wondering: “I’ve been Lutheran all my life and want to go deeper.” It stinks the reference had to be “Janzow” for all the Large Catechism references and not simply “Large Catechism.” This will get people excited about living a more mature Christian life of sanctification and piety.
Hopefully, the person you recommend this book to will be piqued by the Large Catechism and seek it out to read with you.
Weedon weaves ideas/prayers/examples from the fathers, Luther, his own life. He’s got me going through LSB and marking my favorites to make sure I memorize them.

October 24, 2019 review:
Another Catechism revamp from CPH. Pastor Weedon takes this task with joy to try and differentiate it enough to make it worth while for you. There are some quality nuggets in there, and his laudable ability to synthesize prayers, writings, and hymns is a sight to behold.

[Christopher Esget · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weedon's book, largely an exposition on the Catechisms, is a lovely exposition on Christian piety. An easy read excellent for laypeople.

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is very likely my new favorite book on how to formulate faithful habits in life. I read Grace upon Grace last year by John Kleinig, and it was pretty good but hard to internalize and often felt like a little more of a personal journey than a Church journey. Weedon's Thank, Praise, Serve, and Obey walks the line between the "individual" and the Church/community faith and practice, taking care to delve the importance not just of prayer and meditation (as Kleinig did) but the necessity of receiving and yearning after the Word and sacraments to feed faith and then responding joyfully with prayer and acts of love. It is a kaleidoscopic yet Catechism-based approach that uses the language of Lutheranism and the Church catholic, including hymnody, to proclaim the "joys of piety."

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comforting, beautiful look at the Small Catechism and the usefulness it has in shaping a life of piety in our daily dealings with ourselves and our neighbor. Some of this book was a good review of things I learned long ago and continue to profess weekly in the Divine Service. But much of it challenged my thinking and provided a new perspective on the doctrine we hold dear yet often take for granted.

[Shane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Refreshment for the Soul

This book is a refreshing blessing to the reader. It is not about Christian piety as something we do, but rather shows how true piety is receiving, ruminating on, and rejoicing in the gifts that God so generously lavishes upon us in both body and soul. I highly recommend it

[Becky Filipek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having met Pastor Weedon, I read this whole book with his voice in my head. You can feel his excitement for the topic in every sentence. In a few spots Pastor Weedon explained things in a way I had never thought of before, which I really appreciated.

[Timothy Winterstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best meditations on the Small Catechism that I've read, and a great summary of true Christian piety.

[Diogenes the Dog · Rating 5 out of 5]

Piety without pietism.

[Janet Nicol · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great exposition on godly habits for Christians; sometimes referred to as “being pious.” Unfortunately that term gets a bad rap. Probably from the days of scourging that thing called Pietism, which was a movement in the 17th century in reaction to formal, intellectual thinking in Christianity and emphasized personal religious experience. Today it’s a bit like the “deeds, not creeds” mentality. Or in some cases, “being pious” sounds like “holier than thou,” uppity nose-in-the-air type of thing. This is a complete misnomer for what piety really is. Pastor Will Weedon does a nice job of explaining the difference.
Along with that piety business, Pastor Weedon has provided us with a gem of a handbook which describes what the life of a Christian should look like. How can we develop habits which will mark us as children of the heavenly Father, living in this world, waiting for his His return? Weedon uses Luther’s Small Catechism and Book of Concord as tools for how to explore the scriptures and learn how to hear God’s Word. Weedon cleverly and simply divides these up into 8 habits which will bless the lives of “8th day” people; the 8th day being the day of new creation. These habits are not daunting, difficult, or overwhelming. They are simply the Word of God put into practice.
This is very much worth your time to read. It will make a great devotion book. Weedon sprinkles his habits with great quotes from hymns and prayers that exist in the Lutheran Service Book. He can be entertaining to listen to as well, especially when he speaks of hymns. His writing is equally as entertaining and knowledgeable. He clearly has a passion for hymns and writings of the ancient church fathers and whenever an author has a passion for which he or she writes, as well as excellent knowledge about it; it will usually be a good read. This book fits the bill.

[Sheryl Eby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I did not have any trouble following it at all and found it to be a solid reminder of God’s grace and love given to us in the form of our Savior, Jesus Christ. The author points us continually to Christ and all he gives us, reminding us to look for Him and spend time with Him in our daily lives.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just the book I needed to read-- Pastor Weedon has such a gentle and irenic style of writing and the content is wonderful. Lots to consider and put into practice!

[Josh Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weedon is an excellent writer who is a joy to read as he explores the joys of piety and Christian living. His excitement for his topic shines through as he leads his readers on a journey through godly habits. A large chunk of the book is quotations from the Lutheran hymnbooks and catechisms, so if you aren't Lutheran that might be a bit jarring, but it is definitely worth a read for anyone who is looking to strengthen their Christian walk and form godly habits in their life.

[Moses · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was good. I think the core audience is Lutheran Christians who are aware of their own theological background (e.g. Luther's catechisms) but are seeking to connect those documents and the Bible to the daily Christian life. Weedon's book will be very helpful for that demographic.

On the other hand, if you are less familiar with Luther's catechisms, this book will unfortunately be less helpful - and that's a shame.

[Tom Langemo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pastor Weedon has a style that is inviting, good humored, and courageous in the truth of God's Word and instruction to us in how we approach the Word, sacraments, and worship. Not necessarily a front-to-back read; you can choose your own adventure. The discussion questions would create compelling conversation.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF

I like Weedon's podcast The Word of the Lord Endures Forever but in book form his verbose enthusiasm doesn't translate so well. Likewise, the book has a very good structure --one unique to any devotional/spiritual growth book I have read--but it was difficult to stay engaged. Weedon gets too bogged down in quotes and too florid.

[David Mcelroy · Rating 5 out of 5]

See the light shining for you in your life and share it with others.

This book helps bring scripture and life together tied up with Luther's Catechism. Read and share with all you meet.

[Paul Willweber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful, important book. Every Christian will be blessed to read this book. The subtitle says a lot! I will be incorporating it in the congregation. I wish I had read this when I was young. Ah well, it's never too late. Glad I got to read it now. I will read it again and put it into practice.

[Jarl · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book on the receptive piety of a biblically based Lutheranism. As Lutherans, argues Weedon, we have to rediscover the proper place of piety in our Christian life. This book does a good work in showing forth how that may be done.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book to turn right around and read again.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was one of my church book club books. I wasn't sure from the title what to expect from the book, but I really enjoyed Weedon's conversational style and theology. It is a great book!

[Glenn Crouch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book on Piety from a Lutheran perspective - not to say those from other denominations wouldn't get something out of it, but the book's audience is definitely that of Lutheran worshippers. It is also very much a LCMS (ie Missouri Synod version of American Lutheranism) book - which is not a bad thing, but it does mean that I did find it a bit more conservative than I am.

What surprised me was the ingenious way the Author models the whole book around Luther's Small Catechism with some healthy doses of the Large Catechism thrown is as well, plus a good sprinkling of the Lutheran Service Book (LSB). The embarrassing thing is that this shouldn't surprise me, as a Lutheran Pastor :( Sadly we often go looking "out there" for new ways to be more devotional, more caring, more Christ-like and over look the great blessing we have in our Lutheran Heritage.

The other thing I believe the Author does quite well is to avoid legalism - whilst I think he skates a little close at times, he is very aware of the issue. To often books on Piety are about how to pray, how to fast, how to read your Bible - in other words just another "how to" manual, with the promise that if you do things the author's way than all will be well. This is NOT one of those books. The Author seeks to encourage piety, and to show forth the rich tools available - and I think he does a pretty good job. I finished the book feeling encouraged :)

[Angie]

This is one of those books that are difficult to rate. The content is excellent, practical, and worthy of reading again. The writing is adequate but doesn’t particularly invite a second read.

. . .and yet three years later I picked it up and did reread it for a refresher on the content, which is still excellent and beneficial. I'd also like to clarify what I said about the writing: it's not the author, it's me. I still can't come to terms with the casual conversational writing style that it is frequently used in recent nonfiction. This book also includes one of my publishing pet peeves: pulling quotes from the text to put in distracting little boxes, as if the reader might not be intelligent enough to figure out the main ideas on his own.

[Edward Durand · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank, Praise, Serve, and Obey was a good read, giving one plenty to ponder on living out the faith. How to use the Catechism as prayer book and a guide to living out the faith. The book also comes with discussion questions that would be useful for leading a group through the book in the parish setting.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this book, and the concentration of all of the "shoulds" in Christianity on what the Bible actually gives us to do. The chapter on tithing is extremely valuable. I did find that the many hymns, Bible passages, catechism quotes, etc. began to take away from the book; I'm not sure if it was the sheer number of them, or the varied fonts.