Reformation Freedom

Texts: Romans 3:19–28 and John 8:31–36
Preacher: Pastor Seitz

Today we celebrate the Reformation and we remember our denomination’s name-sake, Martin Luther.

The story of Luther is well known among many of us but just to highlight a couple of his accomplishments lets start with the verse attributed with starting the Reformation. It is the last verse from the Second lesson, Romans 3:28 “For we hold that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law.”

This verse was a complete contradiction of the time. The Catholic church was teaching that salvation (or justification) was only attainable through works. You had to do what the church told you in order to be saved. One reason for this was that the Bible was only available in Latin and the church services we held in Latin. And most people did not know Latin so they relied on what the church leaders told them was necessary for salvation.

One of the first things Luther did as a result of discovering this verse that led to his theological revelation was to decide that it was not enough for him to be able to read the promises laid out for us in scripture. But that everyone should be able to read it for themselves so he translated the Bible from Latin to common German.

Well this is where the theological revelation moved into a social revolution. In Luther’s efforts to reform the Catholic church – he taught that any Christian is as close to God as any priest. And that almost every Christian was closer to God than the Pope whom Luther often referred to as the Devil.

Through the Word of God as revealed through scripture, every Christian could be and should be pursuing their own faith journey with Jesus. That everyone should be a leader in church as followers of Christ.

Now the Gospel text for today, Jesus says, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

And the Jews who were listening to him responded to Jesus saying, “We are descendants of Abraham, and have never been in bondage to anyone, how is it that you say, “you will be made free?””

I am only a pastor and not a true Biblical Scholar, but it seems to me that the Jews who respond to Jesus are missing something. What is wrong with this statement? Anyone? Uh, now again just speaking as a common pastor, isn’t there something in the Bible about Moses, the Pharoh, the Egyptians, and an Exodus? Jesus doesn’t like to argue but it seems like he could have just mentioned this in his response.

Now the reason we have this Gospel text attached to our celebration of the Reformation is that Luther showed us freedom in Christ in ways we were not aware of before. Through having scripture in our own language and sermons and services in our own language – we know that, as Luther taught and we still teach today, through Jesus we are free from Sin, Death, and the Devil. We are free to live without guilt, without fear, and without mortal grief. We know through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, that our sins are forgiven, that death has no hold on us, and that the Devil is powerless against us as those who follow Jesus.

We are FREE! Free to live guilt free stress free fear free lives! Hallelujah!

If somebody said to us, you are not free - you are all slaves. Like those responding to Jesus, we could say, we are Americans and the patriots of our country died so that we could have freedom. Slavery was abolished – we have freedom of religion and democracy. We could say that we are the most free people in the world! Not only do we have secular and religious freedom but as followers of Jesus we have freedom from Sin, Death, and the Devil. We could not be more free!

But how many of us feel free?

Speaking as a thirtysomething-year-old: as a representative of my generation and those coming up behind us: we work more hours than any generation before us, have more families where both parents are working full time, we have less vacation, we have more student loans, more credit card debt, less comprehensive health insurance, less job security, higher morgages and more stress than any generation before us. And lets not forget a whole list of other things like the recession, politics, corporate corruption, and war.

Now I hate to mention this in my sermon but I have to because today is Reformation Sunday.

Now speaking as a pastor, I can tell you, in reality – even for someone who dedicates their life and career to walking with Jesus; there are really only two times when I truly feel free.

One is whenever I get to relax with my beautiful wife and our son and none of us is watching the clock because soon one of us has to go. So, for at least a little while many evenings and some days I feel free. Because when I am with my family, and we are relaxing together, I am not worried about income or debt, not car nor house, or any other thing or situation that I am tied to that causes me stress.

The other time I feel free, and this is the Gospel truth, is right here and now. Whenever I get to spend time with my family of Faith and we get to worship and sing and pray together.

And our children are running around together and we stand young and old from all our different backgrounds and journies – and together we gather around the table that Jesus has set for us and we stand and kneel side by side under the cross of Christ together – in this 100 year old building together – whenever I get a chance to be here and share in this community I am not worried about income or debt, not car not house, or any other thing or situation that I am tied to that causes me stress.

In my family at home and at Faith when we come together I feel supported and I remember why I work hard and manage all the stressors in my life. When we come together I feel free and that I am a child of God who is blessed and blessed again. And when we come together we each remember who we are and that we are not alone in our struggles or our stresses.

For it is only when we are alone in our struggles and our stresses that we cannot feel our true freedom. From the very beginning we were made to be in community. When God made the first human, and he had the world and all the animals, he was lonely. So God made a companion for Adam, because as God put it, it is not good for him to be alone.

Now today in the Gospel, Jesus says, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

Well thanks to Luther, we have been invited to continue in God’s word for 500 years. And Jesus tells us that those who continue in his Word are not just his followers, but truly his disciples.

Now sometimes we see the disciples in scripture as an insular little band of 12 followers. But I commend to you today that they were more than just followers. Jesus said to each one, follow me, and they followed. But eventually he says, now go and do likewise.

Feed my sheep, be laborers in the field of the Lord, heal the sick, comfort those who mourn, preach the good news, bring good news to the poor and set the captives free!

Jesus teaches us to be servants and more than servants! He teaches us, as his true disciples, to be servant leaders. Eventually the disciples went out and did as Jesus taught them – the very fact the church exists today is evidence of that fact. At some point the disciples did more than answer the call: follow me. They extended the call to those around them and said to others: follow me.

Now on Reformation Sunday celebrate that Luther put the power in our hands so that we could be like priests ourselves, be leaders ourselves, and not wait for other leaders in the church to tell us what to do. And Jesus says “if you continue in my word you are truly my disciples, and the truth will make you free.” And God designed us to be in community so that we are supported in our lives and can feel our freedom.

We also remember on Reformation Sunday that the reformation is not over – not for us, not for the church, and not for this congregation. The next step in our own reformation is to move forward as disciples: as servant leaders and go to those in need – not waiting for others but embracing our Lutheran heritage and our Lord’s teaching and living as servant leaders ourselves. By moving forward and helping those in need and saying to those around us – be they our family at home or our family here or people just standing around and saying to them, Follow Me. We don’t have to go out by ourselves – we should go out as a community to those who feel alone. We are called to serve all those around us who may never feel their freedom because they feel alone in their struggles and stresses.

There are people all around us who need our help. We don’t have to wait for someone else to find a service opportunity and invite us - they may be waiting for us to invite them. Who among us would say no if any one of us said I am going to help someone right now – follow me!

I will close with something useful I heard at the Bishop’s Convocation this week. The keynote speaker said, “It is easier to act our way into a new way of thinking than it is to think our way into a new way of acting.”

So let us go forth as servants of Christ, as Lutherans, and as disciples who are servant leaders – acting in ways that not only help us to feel our own freedom but setting others free by showing them they are not alone in their struggles and that we are all in one community as children of God. Because Jesus says, “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” So let us be free indeed!