Romans
3:19-28
19
Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the
law, so that every mouth may be silenced, and the whole world may be held
accountable to God. 20 For "no human being will be justified in his
sight" by deeds prescribed by the law, for through the law comes the
knowledge of sin. 21 But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been
disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, 22 the righteousness of
God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no
distinction, 23 since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; 24
they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is
in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his
blood, effective through faith. He did this to show his righteousness, because
in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; 26
it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he
justifies the one who has faith in Jesus. 27 Then what becomes of boasting? It
is excluded. By what law? By that of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 For
we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the
law.
John 8:31-36
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.
Then what becomes of
boasting? It is excluded. By what law? By that of works? No, but by the law of
faith. For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works
prescribed by the law.
·
Today is
Reformation Sunday, although the actual date of Reformation Day is October 31,
this Saturday, which of course interferes with seasonal festivities that
involve fiery gourds, door-to-door begging for sugary treats, and youthful masked
marauders.
·
For some,
this festival might be seen as a celebration of the victory of the churches of
the Reformation over the (supposedly) corrupt system of Roman Catholicism. Yet, the Catholic
Church still exists and preaches the Gospel in a way we’d surely recognize. At the
same time, the churches of the Reformation have shattered into many, many small
and often squabbling denominations while still clinging to the Gospel.
·
What we
really celebrate today is the work of God in history and the grace of God in
our lives. On October 31, 1517, Father Martin Luther, a friar of the Hermits of
St. Augustine, posted an invitation to debate certain issue of theology on the
church door of Wittenberg in Electoral Saxony. He questioned what many thought
should not be questioned and he did not have an easy time of it from there on
out. Neither did any of the other contemporary reformers. Any reform is never
easy. Inertia, entrenched human conservatism, and just plain laziness all work
against it. When discussing religious reform, evil cannot be forgotten on the
list of opposing factors.
·
The primary
insight of the Reformation is this: salvation comes from God and we cannot save
ourselves. Despite any amount of hard work, prayer, fasting, donations, or
study, the salvation we seek eludes us and cannot be reached by human effort.
It come to us as the rain falls and just as freely. For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works
prescribed by the law.
·
Justification
– the declaration of innocence from offences and sin – and salvation – the liberation
of the person from sin and its consequences – are given to us without cost by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus… We can’t
earn it, buy it, create it, build it, decide for it, or deserve it. The price
has been paid on the cross and what remains for us is to live it out in our
daily lives… not an easy task. When we fail (and we will fail), there is
forgiveness. That is one reason our worship begins with the Confession and
Forgiveness; not to drive home guilt, but to assure us of grace. We hear the
proclamation and the promise of the liberating grace of God, right here and
right now.
·
With this
in mind, we continue the Reformation in our present day. So what we celebrate
today is the work of God in our history and our own time and the grace of God
in our lives this very day. In a very short time, one of our congregation, Kate
P., will come forward to affirm her Baptism and the promises made in
her name when the water was poured over her head a few years ago. She has
studied, but it is not study that brings her here, but rather as with her
Baptism, it is the grace of God.
·
In a very
short time, each of us well renew own Baptismal promises along with Kate and
proclaim what we believe in the ancient formula of the Apostles’ Creed. We do
this as a church and a community, for none of us stand alone in the faith.
·
In a very
short time, we will all –ALL of us this time - partake of the Lord’s Supper,
the meal of grace provided to us in our Lord’s own body and blood, just as
Jesus told his disciples at that Last Supper, not because we deserve it, but
because we need it and our God knows and provides and because God wishes to
share God’s life with us.
·
In a very
short time, we will all be dismissed from our worship, not simply to drink
coffee and munch cookies, but to “Go in peace; Serve the Lord” for the rest of
the week and the rest of our days. We are sent to be preachers of the Gospel.
In truth, our words, our kindness, our smile might be the only Gospel someone
encounters one day this week. The real work of the Reformation remains outside
of these walls.
·
This
festival is not a time for boasting or triumphs; we have not brought it about
since it is the grace of God and the love of God that has made it happened. We
cannot boast of the triumph of the Reformation because others have led the way.
Further, we cannot boast because as long as we live and as long as the church
lives, reform will be needed – both reform in our individual lives and in our
community life as a church. The work of the ministry of grace goes on.
·
However, one
thing is assured; the grace of God will still be with us and in that grace, we
will be free, free to carry out a mission we could not do alone or even
conceive of alone. We are free to be what God created us to be, what Jesus
redeemed us to be, and what the Spirit inspires us to be.
So if the Son makes
you free, you will be free indeed.
No comments:
Post a Comment