Saint and Sinner, Ash and Starlight

10 -27 – 19 – Reformation Sunday 

Grace to you and peace from God our creator and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by the Power of the Holy spirit, amen.

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that it feels like nearly everyone I know is writing a book… It turns out that the upside is invitations to participate in a LOT of book launch teams – which usually means getting to read advance e-book copies! One such book was the launched “Holy Disunity” by Presbyterian Pastor Layton Williams, which I highly recommend, partly because I’m convinced that she’s a Lutheran in secret.

In her book, Pastor Williams shares a Jewish teaching called “the two pockets.” Imagine you have 2 pockets, each with a slip of paper in it. One paper says, “I am but dust and ashes.” The other one says, “for my sake, the universe was created.” Williams reflects, we “live somewhere in the midst of being both dust and ash, and once for whom the universe was created,” (56)  This reminded me very much of Luther’s theology of “Simul Eustice Et Peccator” – I am simultaneously saint and sinner… both at the same time. I am both a beloved child of God and a broken imperfect person in need of being forgiven.

In each chapter of Williams’ book, she explores this “Simul” of how such unlikely gifts as Difference, Tension, Doubt, and Uncertainty separate us, how these gifts show up in the Bible, and finally how each of these gifts can ultimately save us and lead us to a more true unity.

This Reformation, we are going to take a page out of the book of this Presbyterian, and add our own chapter, which we will call: “The Gift of Reformation” – How reformations separates us, where reforming shows up in the Bible, specifically in the readings we hear every Reformation Sunday, and how reformation can save – or free us – for unity in Jesus’ name.

How can something that we as Lutherans hold so dear – The protestant Reformation – also be something that separates us? The truth is, the legacy of Martin Luther and the Reformation is complicated. The same can be true of our Lutheran heritage – something that we can cling to and frees us, but also is filled with evil acts we would rather forget about.

 When Martin Luther set out to nail his 95 theses to that church door in Wittenberg five hundred and two years ago, “The protestant reformation” was not his end goal. He did not want to separate from the Catholic Church, but instead reform from within. But nothing ever really goes according to our plans … especially if other people are involved… and especially when the plans involve change and giving up power. The long-term fallout on Luther’s actions (and some of his more controversial writings against Jewish people and minorities) caused centuries-long religious wars, and it has been argued, the rise of Hitler and the Nazi regime. 

And spoiler alert – church splits didn’t start OR stop with the Reformation. Five hundred years BEFORE Martin Luther, the Roman Catholic and the Greek Orthodox church split. And after Luther, we split separated further into the denominations we are more familiar with today – Presbyterians, Methodists, Lutherans, Pentecostals, Baptists, etc. And even Lutherans separate all the time – even AFTER the merger of the ELCA happened, other groups have split of and become their own entities for one reason or another. And the ELCA itself is far from unified.

He may not have known what was to come, but Martin Luther felt he was following in a very long tradition of reforming our faith that comes from the Bible itself… all the way back to the Old Testament. The audience that heard the words of the Prophet Jeremiah were in desperate need of a word of renewal, hope, and reformation. The people of Israel at that time were in exile, scattered, and had suffered so much loss and were facing so much uncertainty. The royal line of King David was broken, their temple in Jerusalem was broken, and their covenant with God had been broken. Just as they wondered if God would abandon them, comes the word from Jeremiah – a new covenant was coming, one written not on dead stones that can be broken, but on their hearts – dynamic and beating with life.

As Lutheran Christians, we see the embodiment of this new covenant in Jesus, and in this particular instance, remember that Jesus is talking to Jewish people who already believed in him! They were not conveniently forgetting the centuries of suffering under the rule of foreign powers. Every year at the Passover they retold and remembered the story of going from slavery in Egypt to freedom. Their declaration to Jesus is an act of defiance that says, even though we have been under the yoke of others, we are only beholden to God. Then Jesus challenges them to take that same defiance and apply it to their own lives – to the sin and brokenness of the human condition that challenges all of us. Jesus teaches that we are beloved children of God, but broken people of dust and ash, ruled by our fearful and sinful natures… and there is nothing that we can do to earn God’s love…. A daring, reforming idea that got him into a lot of trouble, and led to his crucifixion.

In Paul’s letter to the Christians in Rome, Paul is seeking to clarify and interpret the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and what they mean for us – in reforming previous ideas about what “makes us right with God.” Paul reminds us that it’s not about what we do. It’s about what JESUS did.  Jesus died for the sake of the world, to stand in defiance of those who would hoard God’s love for themselves, to redeem his beloved children of ash and starlight… so that sin and death do not have the last word – resurrection does. New life DOES. Jesus DOES.

And thousands of years after, Martin Luther took these ideas and ran with them. Luther loved the book of Romans, and this passage specifically helped to change the course of his life. From the life and writings of one person in Germany, to us here today, in twenty-first century Pennsylvania. And it’s not just us, bearing Luther’s legacy in a Lutheran church in North America… this reforming work of the church in ongoing and spreading – as I saw so well when I went to Namibia and met Lutherans from all over the world – Ethiopia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Canada, and Guyana…. sometimes even gathered as one over coffee, the third Lutheran Sacraments.

The road that has gotten us there is fraught, but and we are still far from unified in being “of one mind in Christ Jesus” as Paul wrote in another letter. But we are getting there. If one amazing Presbyterian pastor weren’t enough… In the words of another Presbyterian, who wrote a beautiful book of prayers called “Ash and Starlight,” she writes “… freedom sometimes comes in one, glorious breakthrough … More often, freedom comes through a muddy trail run …weaving and winding, not always moving forward….” . Just as we go in search of this freedom, [Jesus says]“You are already free. Now live into that truth.” (49-50).

The gift of the reformation is that it’s not over. Jesus is still freeing us from sin, death, and brokenness of life that holds us captive. Jesus is still sending us out into the world to serve our neighbor who are in need … especially those who are different or with whom we disagree. Jesus is still setting us free from our fear. Jesus is still leading us to constantly be re-making ourselves … even if that means sometimes separating for a time. Sometimes Jesus is still peaking, even if it’s through someone who is not Lutheran. The church is still reforming, and we are still figuring out what this freedom means for us. And sometimes Jesus is every using us saints and sinners to do God’s freeing work.

We have already been made free by Jesus, and there is nothing we can do to earn it – that is the revelation that Martin Luther had all those hundreds of years ago. And that nothing will stand in the way to access the love of God. Just as Jesus was a living person, with a body made of ash and starlight, just like ours, arriving as a baby in a manger show us God’s love in the flesh … our faith is alive, still being made new in every moment, as we are made new people every single day, without fail.

Not death, not sin, not powers or principalities of this world, not our own fear and limitations, can stand it the way. Not even WE can stand in the way of this reforming work begun in Jesus… Which we do all the time. It’s that whole “same time sinner and saint” thing. Despite our urge to fight and divide, Jesus is still forging the way to freedom…. For all. And we’re invited along for the ride. Thanks be to God. Amen.

The Fruit that Nobody Wants

6-30-19

Grace to you and peace from God our creator and from our Lord and savior Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Almost 2 years ago was the 500th anniversary of the Reformation – remember that? -  and Lutherans around the world pulled out all the stops to celebrate. Including the Lutheran World Federation, a worldwide communion of Lutheran denominations like the ELCA. Fortunately for the LWF, they were scheduled to hold their assembly the exact same year as this famous anniversary. Part of the festivities included a preaching contest where a young adult pastor – in this case, yours truly - would be invited to preach during the closing worship of the LWF assembly. That’s how I got an all- expense paid trip to hang out with Lutherans from all over the world in the capitol city of Namibia.

The theme for the whole week of the assembly was “Liberated by God’s Grace.” And text chosen for the closing worship was Galatians 5, which we heard just a few minutes ago. The Fruit of the Spirit passage one of the “Bible greatest hits” if you will, ranking nearly as familiar as “The Lord is my Shepherd,” “Love is patient,” “For God so love ed the world,” “Be strong and courageous.” In fact, in our triple classroom we have artwork that has the Fruit of the Spirit written on it! This text gets around. And for a reason.

As I shared in my sermon at the closing worship of that amazing week, “Fruit of the Spirit” was the theme for VBS at my home congregation when I was in 5^th grade. For THAT closing worship service at the end of that week, my class decided to put on a skit wearing T-shirts with each fruit listed. I remember I got to wear the shirt with “Gentleness” on it. What I ALSO remember clearly is that NO ONE in my class wanted to wear the shirt that said “SELF-CONTROL.” I still remember the look on Karin Weidemeyer’s face when she reluctantly agreed, though I don’t blame her for being annoyed about it.

Because we get it. Self-control was not as “cool” as love, joy, and peace. To describe someone as being “self-controlled” is not complement we give our friends And honestly, I never pray for God to make me more self-controlled. Self-control seems to be the opposite of freedom.  And frankly, just not any fun at all.

Why do I need to control my SELF? I like to think that my SELF tends to be pretty decent and generally steers me right, at least about 90% of the time. But as Paul very well knew, when we think that way, we could not be more wrong.

The truth is, when I let my SELF guide my day to day life, I am NOT very loving, joy-filled, peaceful, patient, kind, generous, or particularly faithful. When my SELF is at the lead, I march in the wrong kind of parade, to the tunes of buying more stuff, acting unkindly, being afraid of my neighbor, and generally being too concerned about myself to see there are some very real needs out there in the world.

These devious tunes lead us into captivity while disguised as “freedom.” We cry to God, “You’re not the boss of me,” but we find that our selves have led us down a road that leaves us vulnerable: to broken relationships, bad choices, selfishness, suffering and shame. We are in bondage and cannot free ourselves. We are captive, like the legend of the Pied Piper - captive in a parade that marches us toward death in body, mind, and spirit.

There IS another tune calling us, another parade that we are invited to, another parade where we belong and find our home. Jesus frees us from the parade of death, to be part of his parade of life. Not so that my SELF can my ruler – instead, Jesus frees me FROM my SELF. I no longer belong to my Self, limited by my flaws, imperfections, blind spots, and fears. In addition, I no longer belong to the WORLD, who would have me believe that I am not enough, and that certain types of people are not enough. Instead, I belong to Christ, and YOU belong to Christ, and together, we are called to march in the parade led by the Holy Spirit.

And THIS is a parade that is going some amazing place – the destination or result (or fruit if you will) will lead us to love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, AND self-control. But not for our own benefit alone. This is not a purely inward journey, in order to become extra-holy super-people. THIS parade leads us OUT into the world, out to our neighbors, where the fruits of our freedom in Christ are given away to others. This kind of fruit is not to be hoarded or stored up for our own benefit. Just like we can’t grow this fruit by ourselves without being connected to the “Jesus Parade,” we don’t get to keep the fruit that we grow in the Spirit.

A great devotional or prayer life, will-power of steel, and excellent self-control aren’t going to get this parade where it needs to go. It will still be hard to hear the marching tune of the “Jesus parade,” once we say, “thanks be to God” and shuffle out of this sanctuary to the organ postlude to coffee and treats. The tunes of the world are very loud, and sometimes they don’t even wait to the end of the postlude turn up their deceptive soundtrack.

During one of the weekly Bible studies I used to attend with other Lutheran pastors, one of us joked that the response “I will and I asked God to help me,” we say when we install pastors and lay leaders should be instead “I won’t, and I ask God to help me.” As Paul says elsewhere in the New Testament, the spirit may be willing, but the flesh is weak. But thank God WE are not steering the parade on our own. Guided by the Spirit, we are marching exactly where we are needed, straight into a world that is suffering and in pain.

Probably this parade is not headed where we would have expected, but it is going exactly where we are most needed. We are marching toward into a future we can’t clearly see yet but includes the healing of the nations, the reconciling of differences, the inclusion of the excluded, and the freedom of those who have so long been in bondage, including ourselves.

At the beginning of that week with the Lutheran World Federation in Namibia, we were each given a Makalani nut, hand-carved by a Namibian artist. It seemed fitting, especially since a nut is not all that different from fruit. A nut is a kind of seed, that is ready with potential of new life, and fruit is mostly just the sweet edible stuff that covers a seed, that helps get a seed from point A to point B, - where it is needed, where it can find fertile soil in order to grow into something new.

At the end of our time together in Namibia, we were asked to ponder how we were going to share the fruits of our time with our churches and contexts back home. Though the LWF assembly is long over, as is the 500^th anniversary of Martin Luther nailed the 95 thesis to that Wittenberg church door,  the Reformation is not. We are looking toward the next 500 years of being Lutheran.

The Reformation lives on, here at Family of God.  It lives on in the Southeast Pennsylvania synod. It lives on in the ELCA. It lives on in Namibia, and in the Lutheran World Federation around the world. And it lives on in you too.

One of the ways that we as a congregation, synod, and ELCA look to the future is through dreams, hopes, vision, and imagination. For those of us who did not get an opportunity to participate in our family chats, I invite you to find me after worship and take the card, and write down the seed of your own hopes and dreams for the present and future of Family of God. Even if you already participated, if you have more to add, I welcome you to write something else too, which we pray will hopefully bear good fruit, with the help of one another, and the Holy Spirit. We won’t and we asked God to help and guide us. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Everyone Got Confirmed Today

6-9-19 Pentecost/ Confirmation

Grace to you and peace from God our creator and from our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit, amen.

A few years ago, one of my cousins told me that her daughter, Dana (named changed to protect the innocent), would be starting Confirmation class that fall. I of course shared with Dana herself how excited I was for her… to which Dana kind of looked confused and said, “what is the big deal about Confirmation, anyway?”

Well… boy was she ever talking to the right person to answer that question! She obviously completely forgotten that I was a pastor and was likely not prepared for the rather in-depth answer that I ended up giving her. Poor girl. She give over it though, tolerably well.

So, what IS the big deal about confirmation? And why is it happening today, on Pentecost? Well, almost 10 months ago, we embarked on this experiential and experiential fast-track confirmation adventure, and so here we are, at the culmination – not graduation- of this journey together.

We celebrate Pentecost because it ushers in a new phase and a new direction in the Jesus movement. Much like the rites of baptism and confirmation also signal new beginnings. At Pentecost, the followers of Jesus were given the gift of the Holy Spirit, a constant presence that both comforts and challenges us in our life in Christ. When a person is baptized, that person is forever marked by God’s claim on them as beloved children. At Confirmation, or more correctly known as “Affirmation of Baptism,” the baptized person claims and affirms this faith as their own, like a page break between sections of a book– ending one chapter and beginning another, like any good coming of age story.

I once did a baptism and a confirmation in one worship service, and it was quite an experience… because we were able to see within the span of the same hour, both of these markers of faith, of where our faith live begins, and where our faith can really take off and become our own. It also made the service a little on the long side, but it was totally worth it.

We didn’t get quite the same kind of turn around, but just a few weeks ago we got to participate in the baptism of Stephen and Dawn, and now we are here to witness and support Kyle Campbell’s confirmation. In both of these blessed occasions, it has truly been a group effort on our parts, especially and visibly so for Kyle – we have all participated in his confirmation year, whether it was attending the Eat Pray Learn dinners to explore the Bible, writing your own faith statement to go along with his in the bulletin, taking the Big Conformation Test, or writing your own sermon notes.

As we all know VERY WELL, it’s not just parents who make promises at baptism. We all make promises to every child that is baptized in our font. Remember that part where the pastor says, “Do you promise to support this child and pray for them in their new life in Christ?” we all say, “We do, and we ask God to help us”?

And we make that promise to every child that enters our doors on Sunday morning, regardless of where they have been baptized. It’s been said by some that our youth are “the future of the church.” In reality, they are the church NOW, part of the body of Christ NOW and participating in the mission that we all share NOW. And sometimes we will spectacularly fail in how we try to support and engage our young people, but the important things is that we keep trying and don’t give up. And occasionally, it turns out really, really well.  And I think that this is one of those times.

There are no grades in Confirmation, but if there were, I would give all of you a big A!! WELL DONE, everyone! I kind of feel like we should ALL get confirmed today. But we would run out of robes and corsages, probably.

Fortunately for those of us who are not Kyle, we all can affirm our baptisms every moment of our lives. Just as we can remember our own baptisms every day, we can choose to affirm our baptisms whenever we are able. Not necessarily with confirmation robe and cake, but in our daily interactions and the ordinary tasks we do. And by telling the story of why we continue to drag ourselves out the door every week for worship, long after we’ve been confirmed ourselves.

When we were baptized, we were welcomed into a community of believers who seek to follow the “follow the example of Jesus.” A community that was fully born, commissioned, and sent out when the Holy Spirit alighted on that small group in that shut away room in Acts 2. A community that continued to this day, in this time and in this place. The Holy Spirit showed up that day and has not stopped moving since.

After all, Pentecost is probably the most underrated of Christian Holy Days. Sure, Jesus would not have arrived on the scene if not for Christmas, and Christmas it totally pointless without Easter…. But without Pentecost, Christianity would have remained a very minor Jewish group. But after Jesus ascended to the Father, along came the Holy Spirit, and got the disciples out of the room, out the door, and into the world.

You might have imagined, based on this response alone, that instead of lighting a fire on their HEADS, instead the Holy Spirit lit a fire under their behinds!! At least, by the way they were acting – so excited and animated at such an early hour, that the rest of the population of Jerusalem thought they must have been drunk. As one friend told me she was going to title her sermon today, “It’s 9 O’Clock Somewhere!”

We don’t always seem to be this animated when we are out in the world, affirming our baptisms. At least, it’s not quite to this extent, here, at somewhere around 10 in the morning, Eastern Standard Time. So, in the words of my cousin’s kid, “just what is the big deal, anyway?”  

As we learned in our series on Baptism this last winter, it’s a big deal because in our baptism we are Born anew, Affirmed, Empowered to Trust in God, who Inspires us to Serve our Neighbor and Multiply this Love. That’s kind of a big deal. That is the kind of life we are called to affirm, celebrate, and embody. Which is a pretty tall order.

As I shared in my sermon in Namibia, the response “I will and I asked God to help me,” we say when we affirm our baptisms, should be instead “I won’t, and I ask God to help me.” We won’t always be able, or willing, to do it, nor will we we always do it successfully, but that’s where the Holy Spirit comes in. With the help of God. With flames on our heads…. Or sometimes flames under our butts. And THAT is something that we can affirm. Thanks be to God, Amen.

Meeting Jesus

Sermon 1-28-18, Mark 1:21-28

Grace and peace to you from God our creator and from our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Who here likes meetings? Anyone? Anyone? Beuller? I know, silly question. I’m pretty sure just about everyone here has never had the thought, “You know what I could use more of in my life?... Meetings!

Unfortunately, meetings are how we roll. We have monthly council meetings to do the business of the church. We have annual meetings once a year to see where we’ve been and figure out where we’re going. The pastors in the Lower Bucks Lutheran conference meets monthly. The council of our synod, the Southeastern Pennsylvania synod, has a meeting every couple of months… and then every year in May we get together as a synod for our Synod Assembly. Every THREE years representatives from across the entire ELCA get together too… Whew…. We Lutherans have a LOT of meetings!!

There were a LOT of
amendments..

Imagine, though, if your annual meeting happened every seven YEARS, can meet anywhere in the world, with almost a hundred countries represented and more than that many languages spoken …. With translator headphones and points of order and amendments to amendments … I am of course talking about the Lutheran World Federation worldwide assembly, which I got to witness up close and personal last year…

THAT puts OUR annual meeting in a little perspective, doesn’t it?

Meetings are very necessary to keep us organized, to get the bills paid and keep the heat on, to focus our energy and attention on important issues, tasks, and preparing for the future… but we should never forget that it is the meetings beyond the meetings where the real work of God’s kingdom gets done.

At the start of Jesus’s ministry in Mark, Jesus gets right to tossing out the old agenda and surprising everyone with an agenda of his own – that the time has been fulfilled, the Kingdom of God has arrived here on earth, and big things are about to happen.

Jesus knows that he can’t go it alone, so last week Jesus started his movement by forming his discipleship committee. He nominated Simon, Andrew, James, and John from the floor – or rather from the wharf, and they accepted the positions for one three-year term with an eternal opportunity to re-up. It’s all right here in the minutes (holds up Bible).

The first item on Jesus’ agenda? To show the powers of evil in the world that he means business, and that he’s not going to put up with anything that comes between us and God’s abundant life promised to us as baptized and beloved children of God.

Two weeks ago, we heard the story of Jesus’ baptism and walked through the baptismal liturgy. If you recall, there is a remnant of an old rite of exorcism buried right there in our baptismal service. After the presentation of the person to be baptized, the parents, sponsors, and everyone gathered are asked, “Do you renounced the devil, all the forces that defy God… the powers of the world that rebel against God… and the ways of sin that draw you from God?” …To which the desired response is, of course: “I renounce them…. I renounce them… I renounce them.” We are to respond three times. That’s probably significant, because the next thing we do after these renunciations is to confess our faith in our Triune God in the words of the Apostle’s Creed.

There are forces in this world we cannot explain or control. There are forces at work around us that seek to draw us away from the abundant life that God has in store for us, powers that we are helpless against. And Jesus comes face to face with a kind of manifestation of that evil in the form of the unclean spirit who has decided to interrupt Jesus’ teaching in the synagogue that day.

Which brings us to the question: What do we do about this unclean spirit? Do demons exist? I think I’m with Pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber on this one. She is a pastor in Colorado, is a self-described wrestler of the demon of her depression and is the pastor of a Lutheran congregation, who has written books and speaks at a lot of Lutheran event. What are demons? she wonders. Who knows? What she does know is that demons are that which Jesus does not want for us, in whatever form they may take. She says, “Our demons what nothing to do with the love of God in Christ Jesus because it threatens to obliterate them, and so they try to isolate us and tell us that we are not worthy to be called children of God. And those are the lies that Jesus cannot abide.” (from her book Accidental Saints)

Whatever we may feel or believe about unclean spirits, demons, or manifestations of the power of evil, we have something and common with the man with the unclean spirit. There are things that seize us, bind us, and make us powerless. They whisper in your ear in the dark at 2 AM and remind you of every dumb thing you’ve ever done or said… tells you that you are worthless because you didn’t get that raise or that promotion… says you are a failure because your child can’t break free from their addiction…. Convinces you that you are not strong enough, or young enough, or smart enough, or beautiful enough, or successful enough to be worth of love.

To ALL THAT Jesus says, “STUFF IT, SATAN. Enough with your LIES. Shut your trap and GET OUT.”

The unclean spirit in this man was rightly terrified. It knew this was only the beginning of what Jesus had in store for them – an all-out assault on everything that holds humanity captive – sin, brokenness, fear, ever “ism” under the sun, hate…. Even death itself would not escape this battle unscathed.

With this exorcism, so begins the final phase in the cosmic battle between God and evil, one that still rages today, with our attempt at participation. And yes, sometimes God even uses meetings to birth the kingdom near. At the Lutheran Federation Assembly last May, Lutherans from all over the world ACTUALLY AGREE on some issues that need to be confronted: violence perpetrated against women in all varieties, the lack of care we have for God’s creation, the end of war and conflict in all it’s forms, human trafficking, rampant consumerism, and extreme nationalism. This meeting set a common agenda for all the member churches in the Lutheran World Federation, including to the ELCA, in how we can all work together in bringing God’s justice for all. Not bad for a Lutheran meeting.

And so the work continues and expands… with the Lutheran World Federation, with ELCA and the Southeastern Pennsylvania synod… and with Family of God. The original committee that Jesus started might originally have had 12 seats, but the mission expanded - we are all on it now, and our terms never expire.

So many things still bind us, though. Plenty of forces keep us from living fully into our lives as God’s beloved children. We are still possessed by so much that holds us back, we are paralyzed by fear of more things than we can even count. Fear of the future, fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of missing out, fear of change, fear of leaving behind the familiar, fear of running out of time.

Right in the middle of being bound by our fears - THIS is where Jesus meets us. And THESE are the meetings that really matter in the end – where we are freed to live as the Family of God, to “Share the embrace of God’s love as a family who welcomes, supports, and nourishes all … as a part of the body of Christ.” Which, by the way, is part of the Family of God mission statement.

As Jesus welcomes, supports, nourishes and makes us whole, we are called to go out and do the same. We begin by meeting Jesus here, in water, bread, and wine, and then by going out to meet Jesus in the faces of our neighbors. That is Jesus’ agenda… and ours too. So let’s get to it! Amen.

Walking in the Light of God for the Next 500 Years

Reformation 10-29-17

(Video of my sermon here, sorry for the terrible angle)

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, amen.

Did you all know that the 500^th anniversary of the Reformation is this year? Haha, of course you did. And actually, this is exactly what we are celebrating today – that five hundred years ago on October 31^st, 1517, a monk and professor at Wittenberg University nailed a sheet of paper to the church door and the world would never be the same. What was on the piece of paper, you ask, that was so radical that we still are feeling the ripples down through the ages to this day? It was 95 thoughts on the practice of the time of selling something called Indulgences. Hmm… sounds pretty boring and irrelevant to our lives right now, 500 years later… or it is?

Now, bear with me for just a little bit before our eyes roll back into our heads from Church History Bored. The church at the time of Luther created an elaborate system of forgiveness. You sinned, you went to confession, then you could take communion and be forgiven. But Luther noticed a big shift when indulgences came along. Fewer and fewer people were interested in confession and seeking ACTUAL repentance. Instead, they bought indulgences, a piece of paper that forgave you. Imagine, or just a few coins, you had a “permission slip for any sin” - past, present, future… for yourself or any of your loved one.

If the 1500s had commercials, Luther might have seen one like this – Having problems shopping for a perfect Christmas gift for “hard to shop for family members”? Look no further! Introducing “Indulgences!” Forgiveness of any sin, any time! No expiration dates! No strings attached! Transferable AND portable! The perfect medieval stocking stuffer – yours for only a few of your hard-earned coins!

This sounds completely ridiculous, because it is. Ridiculous, and exploitative, since it not only played on people’s fears about hell, but the money was also for an extravagant papal building project in faraway Rome. Indulgences gave people permission to trust in a piece of paper rather than on the grace of God.

Enter Luther, a hammer, 95 theses, and a church door.

Martin Luther had to remind us that there NO WAY we can buy our way into God’s good graces. We are in bondage to sin, and cannot free ourselves. But this grace has already been given to us, free of charge. Grace is not for sale, at any price.

The repercussions of Luther’s ideas have reverberating throughout the centuries, and throughout the world. At the Lutheran World Federation 12^th Assembly I attended and preached at in May, every one of the sub themes related to something being “not for sale.” “Creation, not for sale…” “Human beings, not for sale….” And “Salvation, not for sale.”

Dr. Monica Melanchton

On the day of “Salvation, not for sale,” presenter Dr. Monica Melanchton from India shared that the 95 theses affirmed human dignity. She told us that “the selling of indulgences reduces the believer to a mere consumer of religious goods.” Dr. Melanchton reminded us that salvation is not an abstract theological concept, or a commodity to be bought and sold, or even hoarded and then given away by Westerners to 3^rd world countries.

Dr. Melanchton shared a poem I won’t soon forget, told from the perspective of a woman in India who survives starvation and experiences the love of God as food in a famine-stricken area. The poem goes, “I can hope to live one day more, for you made God come to me as 200 grams of gruel… Now I know what you are speaking about, for God so loved the world … every noon through you.”

In the poem, no one bought the starving woman an indulgence. No one told her “our thoughts are prayers are with you” and then stood by to watch her starve. God became incarnate to her through 200 grams of gruel, and the hands that provided her that food every day at noon. God becomes incarnate through these works of mercy. God becomes incarnate as we gather together in the breaking of the bread, then going out into the world to share that bread with others in need.

We are saved by grace through faith given to us by a generous God. But we cannot make Grace into a new kind of indulgence, giving us permission NOT to follow God’s call into the world to do acts of mercy. Not so that we may earn our way into heaven – which we can never do – but because “God loves the world…. THROUGH US.”

Martin Luther’s Thesis #42 reads, “Christian are to be taught that the pope does not intend that the buying of indulgences should in any way be compared with works of mercy.” Followed by #43: “Christians are to be taught that the one who gives to a poor person or lends to the needy does a better deed than if a person acquires indulgences.” Still think that the 95 theses are dusty old relics?

The ELCA has a tagline that goes “God’s work, our hands.” God used our hands this weekend when we packed meals for Feed My Starving Children – which, by the way, I think Martin Luther would have loved the fact that we celebrated the Reformation through acts of mercy rather than yet another brat fry or German fest (not that there is anything wrong with them). But perhaps a better use of our celebration would be to let God use our hands, and also to acknowledge that the work of the Reformation that continues around the world.

Turning over our check to FMSC (Second in amount to Merck Insurance!)

FMSC Meal Packing Event

The Lutheran World Federation was clear last May in it’s world-wide commitments in working for justice for the environment and for women, and to reform the church in a way that is “Global, Ecumenical, and Ongoing.  So, for the LWF to have gathered for the 12^th assembly in Namibia - a place that has seen its fair share of hardship, colonialism, and apartheid - was a pretty big deal.

During the Global Commemoration service during the assembly, Bishop Zephania Kameeta preached to the ten thousand Lutherans  from all over the world on this very text. Here in today’s reading, the Jewish people aren’t the “bad guys” – they are simply voicing a question that we all would have asked Jesus – “what do you mean, that we are not free?”

As Americans, WE have never been under the heavy yoke of colonialism or apartheid as places like Namibia have experienced….oh wait… Except that we HAVE. But having thrown off OUR English overlords, we have become a colonial power, imposing our way of life wherever we go. And we have created our own version of apartheid in the form of racism - more subtle, but no less evil in nature.

As Bishop Kameeta preached: “All this can be true that we are not slaves of anyone, but we certainly can be slaves of ourselves.”

Even in our celebration of the 500^th anniversary of the Reformation, we can easily become enslaved to the rosy picture of our past. We have become enslaved to our privilege as Americans, we have become enslaved to our whiteness, we have become enslaved to our heritage and the temptation to drive into the future while looking into the rearview mirror.

I’ll be honest, one of the things I was most looking forward to about the Global Commemoration service in Namibia was to sing “A Mighty Fortress” AKA the “Lutheran Theme Song” with ten thousand Lutherans from around the world. I was totally anticipating all the goosebumps, and feeling absolutely swept away in wonder…. And I was absolutely disappointed. Somehow my section in the stadium got completely lost and we ended up singing the last verse twice. So much for a transcendent experience.

… Except, I DID have EXACTLY the experience I was EXPECTING… at the END of the Global Commemoration service… when ten thousand Lutherans from all the world sang the South African hymn “We are Marching in the Light of God.” It was like an out of body experience. It was a moment beyond time, beyond sight, beyond language or thought. In that moment, together, we were Africans, Europeans, Asians, Middle Easterners, North and South Americans – TOGETHER, the body of Christ, one family of God.  In that moment, I got to see what the kingdom of God looked like, felt light, SOUNDED like. 

It looked like diversity, sounded like harmony, and felt like unity.

As one, with our beautiful harmonies ringing to heaven, we proclaimed to one another that the Reformation will live on in us… that we will march together, sing together, pray together, proclaim freedom together, all while being sustained by the light and love of God.

When we continue to walk in the light of God, as Bishop Kameeta said, “the amazing Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the over the top love of God, and the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit will be with all of us.”

May this be our prayer for the next 500 years. Thanks be to God. Amen.