Classic Luther film clip

Clip from the movie Luther (2003)

Cool digital painting of Luther for Reformation Day

HT: Matt Harrison

Sermon for Reformation Day (observed) and Confirmation (October 30, 2011)

“Setting Forth the Righteousness of God” (Romans 3:19-28)

The church authorities of Martin Luther’s day tried to shut him up. The Bishop of Rome began to take notice of Luther when he read a document written by this previously unknown German monk. It was a series of 95 Theses, or statements, which questioned certain practices and teachings of the Church. It was posted on the door of the castle church in Wittenberg on the Eve of All Saints’ Day, October 31, 1517. It quickly made it into the hands of those who owned recently-invented printing presses, and one copy made it into the hands of Pope Leo X.

Luther was a faithful son of the Church. He didn’t plan to cause a ruckus. He simply wanted Church teachings to match up with what the Bible said. And what he discovered was that certain practices and teachings of the Church were obscuring the glory of the Gospel. The free grace of God and the forgiveness of sins earned by Christ on the cross of Calvary had turned into something you had to earn by doing penance, paying for indulgences, performing acts of devotion before the relics of saints and martyrs.

And so, the Church wanted to silence Luther. Representatives of the pope visited Luther to convince him he was wrong. More writings came from the pen of Luther. By 1521, Luther was excommunicated. That same year, he was summoned to appear before the Diet of Worms, a gathering of leaders of the German states, and told to recant his teachings. After some time of prayer and deliberation, Luther appeared before the assembly and declared

Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. Here I stand. I can do no other. So help me God. Amen.

After that, if not for the protection of Frederick III, the prince of Luther’s home territory, Luther could have been executed as a heretic. But God had other plans, and as the cliché goes, the rest is history. The centrality of the doctrine of justification by grace through faith in Christ alone was restored to its proper place. They tried, but failed, to shut Luther up.

Today, God’s Law shuts us up when we still mistakenly suppose that there is something we have to do to earn God’s favor. St. Paul writes in today’s Epistle reading, “Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” (Rom. 3:19-20)

Human beings are really good at making excuses for their actions. I’m only human. Nobody’s perfect. I was raised this way. I was born this way. The devil made me do it. I’m not as bad as that person. Everyone else is doing it.

The Law of God silences our excuses and our claims. It silences the Jew who claims to have kept the Law of Moses that was given to them … the Ten Commandments and the rules and regulations of the Old Covenant. It silences the Gentile who claims to have a clear conscience … the universal standards that are implanted on the heart of everyone, the Law of God written on the heart. It silences Christians today who still think that we have something good in ourselves to offer God and somehow earn his favor. The whole world … every single person … stands condemned before God. There is no room for boasting. God’s Law has not been kept. The Law says “shut up” … “shut your mouth” … “just be quiet.” Stop trying to justify your actions and attitudes which are an affront to God. You are guilty. There is no getting around it. The purpose of the Law is to make it absolutely clear that you are a sinner. Like a mirror in which you see all your blemishes and warts and scars and wrinkles, the Law shows your sin and guilt in all its ugly reality.

That we are sinners is set forth for us in all its serious reality. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” You and I have fallen far short of that glory. No matter how hard we try, we will never come close. We think we have some good deeds to display before the Lord and show him how glorious we are. Instead, the prophet Isaiah says, “All our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Is. 64:6 NIV).

In stark contrast to the filthiness of our sin, God manifests … shows … sets forth his righteousness. But what Luther came to discover was that “the righteousness of God” is not his holy wrath and anger over sin, as you might expect. Rather, the righteousness of God is the glory of his Son’s death and resurrection on behalf of us sinners. After years of struggling under the weight of a troubled conscience, when Luther finally figured this out, he declared, “I felt that I was altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through open gates.” The righteousness of God is the way in which God acts justly and faithfully in accordance with his promises. It’s the way in which Christ was holy and perfect on our behalf. It’s the way in which our sin was credited to Christ’s account as he suffered and died on the cross. It’s the way in which Christ’s sinlessness is credited to our account. It’s the way in which God declares us righteous because of what Jesus did for us at the cross. That’s what it means to be justified … declared not guilty … forgiven. And it’s all free. A gift. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

God manifests … shows … sets forth his righteousness by telling us that it’s “apart from the law.” It’s not about keeping a certain set of rules and regulations. “The Law and the Prophets bear witness to it,” that is, it was all foretold long ago in the Old Testament. Everything there was meant to point us to Christ and how we receive “the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.”

God manifests … shows … sets forth his righteousness by putting his Son “forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.” Now there’s a big fancy theological word … “propitiation.” Basically, it means “to cover over.” The blood of Jesus shed on the cross covers over our sins. But there’s more to it. Paul may very well be pointing us back to the Law and the Prophets which pointed us to Christ. The word for “propitiation” in the Greek is the same one used to describe the “mercy seat,” the lid on top of the ark of the covenant in the Old Testament tabernacle. There, in the Holy of Holies where the ark was placed, above the mercy seat, God promised to be graciously present for the people of Israel. On one day of the year, the Day of Atonement, the high priest would take the blood of an animal and sprinkle it on the mercy seat. The life of that animal was to serve as the substitute for the sins of the people. The thing is, you had to keep doing this year after year. But now, Christ Jesus has become our once-for-all sacrifice. He is our mercy seat. His blood was shed for us. God himself in the flesh of Jesus of Nazareth was graciously present for us at the cross, acting as our substitute. Risen from the dead, our Lord Jesus is graciously present for us today. In Christ Jesus, the righteousness of God is shown to us “at the present time.” It’s not just something that happened long ago and far away. His righteousness is shown to us today in the Holy Supper. Here, Jesus offers to us the fruits of his sacrifice to eat and to drink, his true body and true blood, and we receive the blessings of his sacrifice when we trust in the words “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of all your sins.”

Justified, forgiven, righteous in God’s sight through faith in Jesus, you and I can show forth God’s righteousness as we proclaim the Good News. Our lips that were shut up by the Law are opened wide by the Gospel. We have been set free from our slavery to sin, death, and the devil. We have been set free from the fear of condemnation. In Holy Baptism, we have been made sons of the Father, brothers of Jesus who paid the price for our sins and earned for us a permanent place in the Father’s house. (John 8:34-36)

Like Luther, you too can say “Here I stand. I can do no other. So help me God.” [You can say it on the day of your confirmation, as you stand here and confess your faith before God and the congregation, the faith God gave you in your Baptism.] You can say it when you are faced with opposition against God’s Word. You can say it when you are tempted to compromise the truth for the sake of convenience, political correctness, or out of fear of being labeled a religious nut.

That’s a pretty tall order, to be like Luther. He’s a giant of a figure in history, that’s for sure. Back in 1997, Life magazine named him the third most important person of the last millennium. We Lutherans like to boast about our hero.

But boasting in Luther is also excluded along with boasting about our works. In fact, the Reformer once wrote this about himself: “What is Luther? The teaching is not mine. Nor was I crucified for anyone. God could raise up many Doctor Martins … How is it that I, a poor stinking bag of maggots, should come to the point where people call the children of Christ by my evil name?” In spite of Luther’s low opinion of himself, we give thanks to the Lord today for Martin Luther. We’ll even continue to use his name in the name of our church as shorthand for our confession of faith.

There is a proper kind of boasting, however. Paul said it in Galatians 6:14 … “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Now that’s the kind of boasting that Dr. Luther would approve of. That’s the kind of boasting that clearly sets forth the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

Amen.

Giving Thanks in Uncertain Times

From Messiah Lutheran Church's November 2011 newsletter

These are uncertain economic times. The Tea Party movement decries our enormous national debt. The Occupy Wall Street movement protests corporate greed. Taxes are high. Wages are low. Jobs have been lost. Social Security seems like it is on the rocks. Will our economy continue to sputter or will it recover?

If all continues as it currently is, it appears that there may be more financial hardships ahead for many people … maybe for you. Of course, whatever is ahead of us certainly does not compare to what many people face around the globe. Just this morning I was looking at the pink tiles in our shower, thinking how much I hated the color. Then I stopped and realized how foolish that was. There are multitudes who have no running water in their homes, no potable water, and no hot water heaters to give a comforting, soothing, steaming cleansing such as I was receiving inside my pink-tiled shower.

With all the chatter about the evils of corporate greed, you and I ought to take a serious look at the greed in our own hearts. Our own insatiable desire for more, better, newer things causes us to be discontent and ungrateful for the blessings we have already received in our lives.

In his first letter to St. Timothy, St. Paul wrote,

Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. (1Timothy 6:6-10)

Moreoever, Paul equates covetousness with idolatry in Colossians 3:5 and says that it deserves the wrath of God. It is spiritually dangerous to one’s faith and eternal destiny to be greedy and covetousness. Therefore, we must all repent and turn to Jesus who forgives even these sins which to some are virtues and not vices. He is the One who became poor for us so that we might become rich … rich not with material blessings, but with the blessings of life, forgiveness, and salvation through his suffering, death, and resurrection (2 Cor. 8:9). And when he does pour material and financial blessings into our laps, then we are called to assist those who are suffering due to financial hardship. For example, Paul commends the saints of Macedonia and Achaia for helping their fellow believers who were suffering in Jerusalem and says, “For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings.” (Rom. 15:27) Likewise, you can also share material blessings with those with whom you share spiritual blessings … not to mention sharing with those who are outside our Christian fellowship, doing acts of mercy for them because Christ has been merciful to us.

None of knows for sure what’s going to happen with the economy. Other than the opportunity to vote, things often seem to be out of our hands. Whatever lies ahead – whether good times or bad times – may it lead us to turn to the Lord. May it lead us to repent of our own sins of greed and covetousness and turn to the Lord who gives us the riches of heaven. May it lead us to give thanks in all circumstances and to be content with what God has given us, even in uncertain, leaner times.

We have much for which to give thanks.

Yes, even for pink-tiled showers.

In Christ’s service and yours,
Pastor Onken

Sermon for the 18th Sunday after Pentecost (October 16, 2011)

Text: Matthew 22:15-22

Whose likeness and inscription is on a dollar bill? Looking at a one dollar bill, you’ll see the likeness of George Washington, our nation's first president. What inscriptions do you see? “The United States of America” tells you which country the bill is from. “Federal Reserve Note” used to mean that the bills were backed up by gold and silver. Today, it tells you that the note is backed up by the “full faith and credit of the U.S. government” and its ability to impose taxes and pay its debts (at least we hope, right?). You also see the inscriptions of whomever the Treasurer of the United States and the Secretary of the Treasury were at the time the bill was printed. Other bills and coins have other images of past presidents. Since 1955, all our currency has also carried the words “In God we trust.” Which “god” that refers to is, of course, up for grabs nowadays. The way we act, our trust in the Almighty God is often displaced by trust in the almighty dollar.

In spite of what is printed on our currency, when Matthew wrote today’s text government and religion were more closely connected than they are today in our country. Back then, religious duty was intimately associated with one’s duty to civic leaders and obedience to the government. Rulers were viewed as divine. You owed them your worship and allegiance. Loyalty to the Roman emperor was accompanied by offering sacrifices and worshipping him. Every time you reached in your pouch and pulled out a denarius, you were reminded of that fact. The face of the emperor on the coin was surrounded with the inscription “Tiberius Caesar: Son of the Divine Augustus.” The flip side showed him seated on a throne with the surrounding words “Pontifex Maximus” … “High Priest.”

As you can well imagine, the Jews were completely opposed to this idea of offering sacrifices to the emperor. In fact, they were exempt from this but still paid their taxes. They freely used coins with Caesar’s image stamped on them, except in the temple. That’s why moneychangers were present in the temple. Their job was to exchange Roman coins for temple currency. You certainly would not want to use Roman money to pay for the sacrifices you were about to offer in the Holy Place.

Today’s Gospel reading shows the escalating conflict between Jesus and the Jewish leaders during the days leading up to his crucifixion. Here the Pharisees and Herodians join forces offering false flattery in an attempt to entrap Jesus in his words. They want him to answer their question in such a way so they can finally have a clear reason to do away with him. But Jesus calls them out. He sees right through them (and he sees through our false pretenses, too, doesn’t he?). Jesus truly is “not swayed by appearances,” but instead looks at the heart and knows everyone’s true motives.

“Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” was the question. How should he answer? If he answers, “Yes” the crowds will desert him. They want him to be the Messiah who defeats the nasty Romans and their tax collectors. This would make the Pharisees happy. They were no fans of the Roman government.

If he says, “No,” then the Romans will arrest him for sedition. This would make the Herodians happy. They were fans of the ruling Herod family which collaborated with Rome. The Romans usually paid no attention to you as long as you minded your own business and paid your taxes. If you started a tax revolt, then they would tend to get upset.

How does Jesus answer? He asks for a coin and says, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” It was Tiberius Caesar, of course, the Roman emperor. So Jesus wisely answers, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

What’s the lesson for us here today? Think back to the Collect of the Day that we prayed earlier: O God, the protector of all who trust in You, have mercy on us that with You as our ruler and guide we may so pass through things temporal that we lose not the things eternal.

God is our true ruler and guide. In “things temporal,” He places authorities over us, to maintain order, to dole out punishment to wrongdoers. Sometimes God uses authorities to discipline his Church when she endures suffering for the sake of Christ. Nevertheless, God calls us to obey the governing authorities insofar as they do not demand we do something against God’s Word.

Close to 600 years before the birth of Christ, God used Cyrus, the pagan Persian, to release the people of Judah from their captivity in Babylon and send them back to Judea to resettle and rebuild the temple. Later, God used the Roman Empire and its Caesars to keep the peace and prepare the world for the spreading of the Gospel … not to mention that our salvation was earned for us on a Roman cross.

Our political environment today is polarized with passionate debate on both the left and the right. Talk of raising taxes brings joy or woe … depending on whose taxes are being raised. But however you feel about taxes, it’s part of our Christian vocation as citizens to honor our president and other authorities and pay taxes. And in our context, it is the calling of Christians – Lutherans, too – to get involved in the political process, to vote, maybe even run for office. That’s how we render unto Caesar.

On the other hand, we are often tempted to put our hope in the “things temporal” so much so that we lose sight of the “things eternal.” When we see things economically going to hell in a handbasket, we forget that God alone is our “ruler and guide.” We are tempted to despair because of the state of “things temporal,” and in so doing, we lose the “things eternal.”

But our salvation does not lie in the “things temporal.” Our salvation is not dependent upon the state of the economy or who happens to be in charge in the government. Our salvation lies in the fact that you and I bear the likeness and inscription of Jesus in Holy Baptism.

Humanity was originally made in God’s likeness, created in “true righteousness and holiness” (Gen. 1:26; Eph. 4:24). We lost that image and likeness when Adam and Eve disobeyed God for the first time and brought sin into the world (Gen. 3; Eph 4:22). The Son of God came to earth in the likeness of sinful men, although was without sin (Rom 8:3-4; Phil. 2:7). His innocent suffering and death was the payment for sin, so that we who are guilty are forgiven and freed from condemnation (Rom. 8:1). Jesus rendered his innocent life up to the death of the cross so that you and I might be forgiven and given the promise of resurrection, even as Jesus rose from the dead on Easter morning.

In Baptism, you are made new. The likeness of God begins to be restored in you … “the new self,” Paul calls it, “which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator” (Col 3:10; see also Rom. 8:29; 2 Cor. 3:18) You are marked with the sign of the cross of Christ. The holy name of the Triune God is inscribed upon you. You are declared holy and righteous in God’s sight. And you are given a new nature with new Spirit-led inclinations.

In Baptism, you now bear the likeness and inscription of your Creator and Redeemer. You belong to him. So render to God what is God’s. What does that mean for you? In the light of the cross, it means first giving to God your sins, your death, your fears, your pain, your sorrow of every sort. It means that God truly does rule in your life, but it’s a rule which flows out of his grace and love to your every blessing. The old man should be afraid of this rule because it means his final death. But the new man – the man God caused to rise up from the waters of baptism, the man whom he feeds at this altar, the man who waits with eager expectation to see Jesus on the Last Day – this man of new life loves the rule of God. He confesses with the psalmist that he loves the law of God. Giving to God the things that are God’s starts with letting him handle all the worst things in your life.

Having taken all the garbage of your life, your whole life now can be a service rendered to God. It’s not just limited to giving your offerings, as important as that is. Paying taxes, buying groceries, mowing lawns, weeding flowerbeds … all those things also belong to God. Being a good citizen, a faithful parent, a devoted spouse, a helpful neighbor … in all these things you are serving God. The whole package belongs to him, not just our moments in prayer, not just Sunday mornings, but the whole week, the whole person, the whole of you. [Thanks to Phil Brandt for the thoughts in these last two paragraphs.]

So, render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s. Give thanks that you were marked with the inscription of the cross in your baptism, and that your sins are forgiven in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Pancake luncheon to benefit ULC Minneapolis on Nov. 6

University Lutheran Chapel needs our help. Their building is being sold out from under them, and soon they will have no church building.

They are a faithful Lutheran (LCMS) congregation at the University of Minnesota. They are a congregation of students and non-students gathering together to hear the Word and receive the Sacraments together. They are suffering. They need financial support from us, their brothers and sisters in Christ. We are called by our Lord to serve them, for we are all one in Christ Jesus. We can stand together in prayer for them, let them know they’re not abandoned, and help them financially at the same time.

Here’s how: On Sunday, November 6th, 2011, Messiah, Marysville and other congregations around the country will host pancake breakfasts (or a luncheon, as in our case). All proceeds (via free-will donation) will go to benefit ULC. Everyone can make pancakes, and everyone loves to eat them!

This will bring awareness of ULC’s plight to so many more people. This can help pool together many resources from throughout the Synod to aid them. Let’s pray for our Christian family at ULC, and let’s join together to make and eat pancakes for their benefit!


(The above was borrowed from https://pancakesforulc.wordpress.com/)

Wake me up when you get to the good stuff.