Oration for
Reformation Sunday
Almighty God, gracious Lord, we thank you that your Holy Spirit renews the church in every age. Pour out your Holy Spirit on your faithful people. Keep them steadfast in your word, protect and comfort them in times of trial, defend them against all enemies of the gospel, and bestow on the church your saving peace, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Additions to the
Prayers of the people:
·
For
our bishops, Susan and Michael, and all who are given authority in the Church,
let us pray…
|
·
For
Bishop
Michael Pryse, the Synod and for all their ministries, let us pray… |
·
For
all the needs and prayers we hold in our hearts…
(a time of silent
prayer)… let us pray…
Amen.
Jeremiah
31:31-34
31 The days are
surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of
Israel and the house of Judah. 32 It will not be like the covenant that I made
with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land
of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord.
33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after
those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it
on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 No
longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, "Know the
Lord," for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,
says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no
more.
Psalm 46
God is our refuge and strength,
a very
present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should
change,
though the mountains
shake in the heart of the sea;
3 though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains
tremble with its tumult. Selah
4 There is a river
whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation
of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be
moved;
God will help it when
the morning dawns.
6 The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice,
the earth melts.
7 The Lord of
hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is
our refuge. Selah
8 Come, behold the
works of the Lord;
see what desolations
he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow,
and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields
with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God!
I am exalted among
the nations,
I am exalted in the
earth.”
11 The Lord of
hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is
our refuge.
Second
Reading: 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.
Gospel Reading: 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.
For there is no distinction, since
all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by
his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus
§ Today we celebrate Reformation Sunday. Yes,
Reformation Day is this coming Saturday, but we might be too busy avoiding or
giving candy to people of all ages dressed as ghosts and goblins. Yes, next
Sunday is November 1st and that is All Saints Sunday. That day has
its own special purpose. So today we speak of Reformation.
§ Lutherans make a bigger thing out of Reformation Day
than many other Christians. We talk about the 95 Theses and the Wittenburg door
and the Diet of Worms (it isn’t what it sounds like) and the Wartburg. It’s
important to us. The singing of “A Mighty Fortress” is important to us.
§ But why?
§ The reason, I think, is a change of focus. Quite
often, humans like to do things for themselves. From our youngest days, we want
to do it ourselves. We all know toddlers who rejoice in doing something for
themselves without the help of a parent or an older sibling or a teacher. It’s
a sign of maturity and independence. “I
can do it myself” is the cry and being unable to do it for yourself is a
sign of being less than we want to be or conceive ourselves to be.
§ The Reformation changed the focus from what we must or
can do for God in order to deserve to be loved to what God is doing for us in
order to show that we are loved without a question of deserving.
§ We all know that the Reformation in Luther’s time
changed a lot of other things in the Church. The translation of the Scriptures
into the language of the people, the idea of the priesthood of the faithful,
the reform of the structures of the church were all done and were needed. There
were times when those reforms went further than Martin Luther wished and he
argued about them… and boy, could he argue!
§ All those things being what they are, the focus of the
church returned to the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ. The focus
returned to the grace of God, God’s saving action in Christ, the centrality of
faith for the Christian, and the embodiment of the love of God in the lives of
those Christians. All those practical reforms were done to refocus the church
on the Gospel.
§ Paul’s words tell us much: For there is no distinction,
since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now
justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus… All have sinned; all are now justified by grace as
a gift. We have not earned it or plucked it out of the air or built
it for ourselves; we’ve received it as a gift.
§ Can you believe it? It is hard to grasp, especially
since we’ve spent our lives working to deserve, to be worthy of, to hold, or to
earn so much. How could something so great as reconciliation with God fall into
our laps without us presenting the ledger? How could something so wondrous as
redemption come to us as a gift?
§ Yet there it is. The questions I mentioned a moment
ago were asked in Luther’s time and are being asked in our time. The surge of
the Reformation and its message are as much needed in our day as they were in
Luther’s! It’s a constant failing of humans to desire to save themselves and
place themselves on the throne of God. The story of Adam and Eve shows that,
while the end of the Christian Scripture – the book of Revelation – ends with
God’s heaven coming to earth… without our help.
§ So rejoice, even in our separations, for Good News
comes to us every day and even every minute and So if the Son makes you free,
you will be free indeed. (John 8:36) If the message and power of
the Reformation is as needed in our time as it was in Luther’s, then its
message and power is as present as it was then. The message is and remains one
of freedom… as a gift and as a goal.
there is no distinction, since all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a
gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus
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