Sermon - 2017-10-29 - Reformation 500 Anniversary
Today is a very special day in the Lutheran church. Today, we are commemorating 500 years since the time that Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses. This was a monumental occasion that even still influences us today. From worshiping in our own language, going to school, and even some would argue, the way that we live as a society. As we are here today, we also look back. We have been learning about the historical events of the Reformation. However, Luther was not the last of the Reformers. Truly any Christian denomination that is not Catholic has formed because of the work that Martin Luther did. He laid the groundwork that is still the Re-formation of the church and society today.
Yet the reason that Luther wanted to have these changes or their rippled effects was because he felt that the people in the pew were not actually understanding the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They did not understand what does it mean to be a Christian. Which makes me wonder today, do you as people in the pew understand what it means to be a Christian? To be a Christian is NOT something that brings comfort to your life all the time, sometimes it means that you will be challenged to do something that you do not like or want to do. To be a Christian means that you will be asked to leave home, family, friends, and so much to go a people who NEED to have your insights brought to them and hopefully they will listen to you. To be a Christian does not mean that you are better because you have it all figured out, it means that you are trusting in the Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer of this world to help you in this journey of life and faith.
Now Luther was not the first reformer. Much of what he did and laid ideas were actually all in a book of the life of Jesus Christ. So it is no wonder that today, we speak of the Greatest Commandments. For it is in this story, that we bear witness to the very reason and purpose of the Reformation. That a common and ordinary person would understand who God is and what God is. For many of us can relate to the question that the lawyer asks of Jesus. What is the greatest commandment? What is the simplest thing that I must do in order to understand, follow and live as God would want me to live? However, the answer that is given back to the lawyer is not truly an outward action. “You are to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Stop and think about that, how do you do love? It is truly something that is within us. It is not an outward task to say that we have done but it is a movement of the heart. It calls the person to understand the heart of God and move that understanding into your soul and mind. This would influence your outward actions. It would influence your interactions with others. It would influence the whole of your existence.
Now the lawyer asks the question which commandment is the greatest? The commandments were often referred to as the LAW so why would God give the people laws if God wanted them to love and understand him. For us, we would not know that we are doing anything wrong so God gives us the LAW so that we know that we need God in our life. We need to know that God needs to be in our lives, otherwise, we would continue to go forth seeking our own heart, our own desires, and not God. God delivers us the Law so that we see God in our life. That we would begin to be like God in our life and thus understand God’s heart.
This leads us to the second commandment that Jesus delivers to the lawyer so that we as listeners also understand that God does not need our work but there are people around us who do. We need to open our eyes, our hearts and all that we are to the people around us. So the good works that we do are not for God but for our neighbor who is in need. Along with that, it is for our benefit to know the heart of God and God’s generosity. This continues to point out the ways that God is revealing himself to us, for us, and the world.
Now, what of the answer that Pharisees give in regard to say that Messiah is the son of David but David calls the Messiah Lord? How does that relate to the whole of even us today? Jesus is drawing the Pharisees to understand that even their knowledge of what they know, of who God is and what has been written needs to be studied to make connections between everything that we know of God. For God is part of this world yet is also the Creator of this world so that we should not expect God in only one place but also realize that God may be doing something more than even what we realize.
Which can draw us back here to the church today. As we commemorate the 500th anniversary of the work of Martin Luther and we hear of the calling of Jesus to all people. It begs the question for us to reflect upon: “how are we re-forming to make way for another 500 years of being the church, being serving God and God’s Word by helping those who are in need.
Yet the reason that Luther wanted to have these changes or their rippled effects was because he felt that the people in the pew were not actually understanding the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They did not understand what does it mean to be a Christian. Which makes me wonder today, do you as people in the pew understand what it means to be a Christian? To be a Christian is NOT something that brings comfort to your life all the time, sometimes it means that you will be challenged to do something that you do not like or want to do. To be a Christian means that you will be asked to leave home, family, friends, and so much to go a people who NEED to have your insights brought to them and hopefully they will listen to you. To be a Christian does not mean that you are better because you have it all figured out, it means that you are trusting in the Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer of this world to help you in this journey of life and faith.
Now Luther was not the first reformer. Much of what he did and laid ideas were actually all in a book of the life of Jesus Christ. So it is no wonder that today, we speak of the Greatest Commandments. For it is in this story, that we bear witness to the very reason and purpose of the Reformation. That a common and ordinary person would understand who God is and what God is. For many of us can relate to the question that the lawyer asks of Jesus. What is the greatest commandment? What is the simplest thing that I must do in order to understand, follow and live as God would want me to live? However, the answer that is given back to the lawyer is not truly an outward action. “You are to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Stop and think about that, how do you do love? It is truly something that is within us. It is not an outward task to say that we have done but it is a movement of the heart. It calls the person to understand the heart of God and move that understanding into your soul and mind. This would influence your outward actions. It would influence your interactions with others. It would influence the whole of your existence.
Now the lawyer asks the question which commandment is the greatest? The commandments were often referred to as the LAW so why would God give the people laws if God wanted them to love and understand him. For us, we would not know that we are doing anything wrong so God gives us the LAW so that we know that we need God in our life. We need to know that God needs to be in our lives, otherwise, we would continue to go forth seeking our own heart, our own desires, and not God. God delivers us the Law so that we see God in our life. That we would begin to be like God in our life and thus understand God’s heart.
This leads us to the second commandment that Jesus delivers to the lawyer so that we as listeners also understand that God does not need our work but there are people around us who do. We need to open our eyes, our hearts and all that we are to the people around us. So the good works that we do are not for God but for our neighbor who is in need. Along with that, it is for our benefit to know the heart of God and God’s generosity. This continues to point out the ways that God is revealing himself to us, for us, and the world.
Now, what of the answer that Pharisees give in regard to say that Messiah is the son of David but David calls the Messiah Lord? How does that relate to the whole of even us today? Jesus is drawing the Pharisees to understand that even their knowledge of what they know, of who God is and what has been written needs to be studied to make connections between everything that we know of God. For God is part of this world yet is also the Creator of this world so that we should not expect God in only one place but also realize that God may be doing something more than even what we realize.
Which can draw us back here to the church today. As we commemorate the 500th anniversary of the work of Martin Luther and we hear of the calling of Jesus to all people. It begs the question for us to reflect upon: “how are we re-forming to make way for another 500 years of being the church, being serving God and God’s Word by helping those who are in need.
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