Reformation Sunday
On All Hallow's Eve 1517, Martin Luther walked across the main square of the small town of Wittenberg to nail his Ninety-five Theses to the door of the Castle Church. Luther was protesting the sale of Indulgences to raise money for the building of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Indulgences - the word literally means "a kindness" - were a way the church had developed to deal with the consequences of our sinfulness and to raise money. It was complicated, but basically it meant that by making a donation of money you could be assured your soul, or the soul of a dead relative, would go to heaven. One of the most notorious peddlers of these indulgences, John Tetzel, used a little jingle to get that idea across to the common people:
"As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, at once the soul up to heaven springs."
Because of his study of the Bible Luther had come to doubt the legitimacy of these indulgences. He also had begun to question the spiritual value of relics. In Wittenberg, All Saints Day included a viewing of the Castle Church's huge collection of holy relics - 17,433 altogether - which included 9 thorns from Christ's crown, 35 splinters of the true cross, straw from the manger, one piece of Jesus' swaddling clothes, one piece of bread from the last supper, one vial of milk from the Blessed Virgin Mary, and so on. Relics and indulgences raised alot of money. But Luther's 95 Theses challenged their legitimacy. He argued that relics and indulgences "made out of God a merchant, who would give the Kingdom of Heaven not freely, out of grace, but for money and human achievement." Luther not one to mince words said, "through indulgences the devil sets up shop in our soul." Soon Luther came to see that relics and indulgences were only the tip of the iceberg. The bigger problem was the common belief that human good works bring about our salvation without grace. This is how Luther talks about this in a sermon:
You have often heard me say that the Christian life has two dimensions: the first is faith, and the second is good works. A believer should lead a devout life and always do what is right. But the first dimension of the Christian life, faith, is more essential. The second dimension, good works, is never as valuable as faith. However, people of the world adore good works. They regard them to be far higher than faith.
But we should be careful that we don't elevate good works to such an extent that faith and Christ become secondary. If we esteem them too highly, good works can become the greatest idolatry. This has occurerd both inside and outside the church. Some people value good works so much that they overlook faith in Christ. They preach about and praise their own works instead of God's works.
Faith should be first. After faith is preached, then we should teach about good works. Because it is faith---without good works and prior to good works---that takes us to heaven. We come to God through faith alone.
Imagine you're a pastor sitting with one of your flock, hearing Luther say these things even in a film-- it can be dangerous. An elbow jab in the ribs, the gleeful remark, "I guess I don't have to bother with my tithe to Deerfield Lutheran, huh pastor." Or, "Pastor, I'll bet if you held your hand in the flames like that John Tetzel did even us Norwegians would give a few extra dollars."[That's a tease to get you to see the Luther film we'll finish watching after worship November 1st.]
When Luther was asked: If you take away all human effort, all good works, what will you put in there place? His answer was simple: faith alone. Human beings are saved by grace alone through faith. We are saved on account of what God has done in Christ, and faith in Christ alone, not our own good works. Luther came to such a radical understanding by studying the Bible. The Bible made Luther certain this was true. So on Reformation Sunday it was fitting we gave Bibles to our third graders!
In a recent book: The Essential Conversation: What teachers and parents can learn from each other. Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot talks about what is essential for public education, "From my point of view there is no more complex and tender geography than the borderland between families and schools." She goes on to describe how a real partnership between parents and public school teachers is essential for a child's education. Luther realized the same thing 500 years ago. Besides translating the Bible so people could read it, he wrote the Small Cathecism to help parent with the support of their pastors to teach the essentials of Christian faith in their homes. In our congregation, following Luther and the best practices recommended by educators today, we are nurturing the tender geography between home and congregation. This is how the Reformation Luther started 500 yrs ago will continue today! [Check out our faith chests for the newly baptized as part of this ministry to nurture faith!]
For Martin Luther, faith is a living relationship we each have with God because of Jesus Christ. In faith, we don't just believe in Jesus, we take a hold of him. We have him present in our heart and life. Luther who loved the kitchen and kitchen images said, "by faith Christ and the Christian are baked into one cake."
By faith alone we are baked into one cake, gathered into this church we call the living Body of our Lord, and are set free from sin, death, and the power of the devil. We're given the freedom to live a new life, a rich abundant life that will lead to heaven. Not because of what we have achieved on our own, but because of what God has done for us. As Dr. Martin Luther would say, This is most certainly true!
