31
Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you
continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; 32 and you will know
the truth, and the truth will make you free." 33 They answered
him, "We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves
to anyone. What do you mean by saying, "You will be made free'?"
34 Jesus answered them, "Very truly, I tell you, everyone who
commits sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not have a permanent
place in the household; the son has a place there forever. 36 So if
the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.
...you
will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.- I had a fantastic sermon lined up. It almost wrote itself and jumped into my lap. All that was needed was to type it up. I had been discussing things with another pastor while we were eating lunch in Windsor earlier this week. Pastor Steve and I discussed a few things and the sermon jumped up and shouted “Preach me!”
- Then came the events of Wednesday in Ottawa and I knew I couldn't preach the sermon that wrote itself. At least not as it was.
- The shocking events of a few days past cannot be ignored. To do so would do a disservice to reality, to us as a congregation, and to the Word among us.
- But the Word of God lives among us and has something to say for us in each event of our lives.
- Some of us might be frightened by what has happened. The events of this week might bring back bad memories and such memories have a way of replaying themselves and dredging up old fears. Some of us might be angry. A very good friend of mine, a veteran of the Canadian Forces, told me how angry he is (not was, is) and how the attack on the soldier at the War Memorial, the Memorial itself, and on the Parliament building was truly an attack on the values and the honour of the entire nation. I don't think he's wrong. He and many others are angry enough to want to do violence on those they perceive to have done these things... and he doesn't like the fact that he feels that way. No one is sure what will happen and what our nation will become through all of this.
- Something has changed. There are things that change in the blink of an eye and there are things that change like the wearing down of a mountain.
- Change is the only thing that never ceases. Some hold that every 500 years -more or less- the Christian church is hit by a wave of change. These waves move like the tide over the scope of time. About 2000 years ago, the Word of God made flesh entered into our world. About 500 years later, the Western Roman Empire collapsed, even after becoming a Christian state. Fast forward another 500 years and we see the Great Schism between Christians in the West and in the East, a divide that still has not healed. Another 500 years shows us the Protestant Reformation and all the changes that has brought to our civilization. Add about 500 more year, and we come to our own day, another time of change.
- Today the historical churches find themselves dwindling and becoming irrelevant to so many. What is called the “emerging church” looks very different from what we might be used to. Lay-led with less clergy involvement, the worship of these emerging churches appears tremendously informal and the expectations for the congregation are often higher. Old forms shrivel and new ways, unfamiliar ways, take their place. As an ancient hymn says “Over ancient forms departing/ newer rites of grace prevail.” We may not recognize the Christian Church in 100 years or 50 years or even 20 years!
- My telling you this is probably no comfort at all, yet it is true. We are awash in change and today we may feel cut loose from all moorings, adrift in a storm of chaos, and without direction. We don't know what our own government will do and we surely don't know what those who have attacked our way of life will do. We don't know what tomorrow will bring for any of us, whether we think of the weather, our families, our ways of thinking, or our health and life. Monday is election day and we have no idea what changes may come from that.
- This is the truth and as Jesus said ...you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free. We should know that Jesus was not talking about the realities of our mundane lives, but about discipleship. The entire quote is "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." Discipleship then leads to truth and freedom in Christ. That is what John was saying to the people he was writing to. Their searching for truth led them to directions that took them far from faith in Christ and John wished to have them back. He saw things in sharp contrast so for him you either were or were not, without nuances or grey areas. Truth was never simple but it did make those who were disciples free. And that was a freedom of grace given by God and freely received.
- This understanding of grace is the insight that propelled the Reformation and still makes Christians confident; Not confident in a certain way of being or in a political situation. Not confident in themselves surely, but confident in Christ who redeemed us, holds us, forgives us, justifies us, and sanctifies us... despite ourselves and our sins. It is in him that our confidence rests, no matter what goes on around us or within us.
- Since we always want to take something home with us after the service, is there a message we can take away with us on this Reformation Sunday? Is there something we can cling to in the face of change and fear? Where do we put our trust in the face of wave after wave of change and the roll of history? Three things: First, if you'll permit me to quote the present Pope of the Catholic Church. Pope Francis said “God is not afraid of new things.” Second, Katherine von Bora, Luther's wife, put it this way: “I will cling to Christ like a burr to an overcoat.” Third, we can hear and cling to the old and saving message of the Reformation, well spoken in the hymn with which we will end today's service: “On Christ, the solid rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand.”
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