Reformation Sunday
Jeremiah 31:31-34; Psalm 46; Romans 3:19-28,
John 8:31-36
31Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; 32and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” 33They 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’?”
34Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. 35The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the Son has a place there forever. 36So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”
(Never) Alone
I was listening to a podcast this week and heard that something very true was said in the hit TV show Ted Lasso and it is currently making waves on the internet. It’s a quote that originally belongs to Gloria Stainen, the long-time rebel, and pioneer of the feminist movement. Gloria once famously said that the truth will set you free, but first, it will p#$! you off.
For us, beloved children of God, we should look no further than the 7th and 8th chapters of John, when Jesus is visiting Jerusalem alone during one of the Jewish yearly faith celebrations held in the Jerusalem Temple at that time.
In this scene, Jesus had been making speeches on temple grounds for a while now, and he has angered enough people that they are already plotting to kill him. It is only going to go sour from here. At the end of this interaction, the very people who first started to believe would want to stone him. And then we know what will happen all the way to the cross.
Let us be honest with ourselves. A lot of times, we don’t like to hear the truth. For instance, we cringe every time we hear that we promote, participate, or at least benefit from systems that perpetuate injustices, segregation, that abandon, that condemn, that take away life and human dignity, in the name of self-preservation. We don’t like to hear that we take from others the freedom that we cherish for ourselves. We don’t like to hear that we are sinners like everybody else, that there is no distinction, that all have fallen short of God’s glory, that God wants the entirety of his creation to be well and full of life.
We don’t like to hear that there is nothing about our condition to brag about. We don’t like to hear that we are stumbling even if we see ourselves on top. We don’t like to hear or think about the things done or left undone when we lay down our heads comfortably for the night. We don’t like to hear that the good we do is not our own doing, but the Spirit’s, moving us.
No, we don’t like it. It is upsetting. We are addicted to this drug called self-righteousness, and when it is withdrawn from us, it infuriates us.
It was no different when people back then first heard the Word, Jesus Christ. They did not like to hear Jesus implying they were misguided and following the wrong path. They became indignant when hearing Jesus say that they might be slaves to sin.
Luther at least accepted his condition. He was so tormented by what he perceived to be a complete sinful existence beyond repair that for a while, he was convinced that God was so angry at him that God was out there to torture, or worse, kill him.
If there is a valley of the shadow of death. This is it.
But wait, look! A new thing. A new covenant. I, said the Lord our God, will give them this most precious gift of wisdom and understanding. I will dwell with them, within them, be ever-present to them.
No longer they will need to fight among themselves to win my favor, to be the greatest. I, God alone, will make them righteous, justified, forgiven, out of my steadfast love for them, not by their merit but by grace alone.
I will bring them to streams of living water, wash their souls, put my Spirit in them, and seal them with the sign of my sufficient sacrifice out devotion to them and give them faith in my Son’s life, death, and resurrection, and this faith alone will save them, will free them.
Some will see with their own eyes what I will do for them, but many will not. Therefore, I will inspire those who will write down my love for them for generations yet to come. And there, on my holy scriptures alone, they will find what they need to believe.
They will still rebel l against me. I know. They will always think they can figure this out by themselves. I hope they will understand that I don’t want to punish them. I made that promise long, long ago. I want them to live safely and in peace. I will send to them those who will remind them that they don’t need to fear me, that they are now free to love me as love them, and that they are free to love one another, to become my righteousness for the sake of the ones next to them.
It is not going to be easy for them. I know that too. But I hope they will always realize that I am forever their God, that they are forever my people, and that I remember their sins no more. Let it be so that they become bearers and heralds of this good news, this gospel, this Evangelium. Let them be ever made new, an evangelical community of sinners made saints for the sake of the world. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Bridging Faith 