Classic Luther film clip

Clip from the movie Luther (2003)

Cool digital painting of Luther for Reformation Day

HT: Matt Harrison

Sermon for Reformation and Confirmation Day (October 31, 2010)

“Abide in My Word” (John 8:31-36)

Today is a very special day. Reformation Day actually falls on a Sunday this year. It’s the day on which we remember the start of the Reformation of the Church. On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the castle church of Wittenberg, expressing his disapproval of the forgiveness-for-sale scheme that was foisted upon the Germans. That day and the production of that document was a watershed moment in the history of the West. The pure teaching of God’s free gift of forgiveness apart from good works was restored as the central teaching of Holy Scripture. And God’s Word was put within reach of more people as Luther translated the Bible into the language of the people.

But today is also special for another reason. It’s Confirmation Day. It’s the day on which four young people in our congregation will publicly confess their faith and reaffirm the promises God gave to them in their Baptism. For two intensive summers, twice a week, two hours a day, they studied the Small Catechism and Bible history. Now, they will stand before you, and we will pray for them, asking God the Holy Spirit to confirm them – to strengthen them – in their faith. And tonight, they get to celebrate by going door to door receiving “Reformation Candy” from their neighbors.

So our Gospel text from John 8 is very appropriate for today. Jesus says, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” As heirs of the Reformation, Lutherans are people of the Word who want to abide in Christ’s Word. And as Katie, Mackenzie, Ben, and Karina, confess their faith today, we promise to pray for them and support them as they continue with us on our journey together of abiding in Christ’s Word.

“Abide in my word,” Jesus says. Dr. Luther said it this way when he explained the Third Commandment: “We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and his Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.” Whether it’s when the pastor is preaching or the Sunday School teacher is teaching … whether it’s when you read the Bible by yourself in your room or with your family at the table … Jesus calls us to abide in his word. Stay in it. Continue in it. Dwell in it. Jesus calls us to a lifelong commitment to hear his Word, to read his Word, to study his Word, to take every opportunity for his Word to do its work in us. His Word of Law will convict us of our sin and kill our old sinful nature. His Word of Gospel will forgive our sin and create new life within us.

If you abide in Jesus’ word, then he says that “you are truly my disciples.” When we hear the word “disciple,” we might first think of the Twelve Disciples whom Jesus called and who followed him around during his brief earthly ministry. Or perhaps we think of the larger group that followed Jesus other than the original Twelve. But the word “disciple” doesn’t just mean a “follower.” It’s following with a purpose. It’s following in order to be a “learner.” A disciple is “one who learns.”

Jesus told the Church to go out and make disciples by baptizing and teaching. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matt. 28:19-20) You were made to be a disciple of Christ in your Baptism and by being instructed in Christ’s Word. But being a “disciple” means following Jesus and learning from his Word for the rest of your life. I know I sound like a broken record when I say this, but I mean it: “Confirmation is not graduation.”

Some people who become disciples of Jesus are moved by temporary excitement. But when the going gets rough, they drop out. They set aside their Bibles. They neglect coming to receive Christ’s gifts in the Divine Service, his forgiveness and his Body and Blood. They reject the promises God gave them in Baptism.

Some people only come to church and youth group because of peer pressure, which is not always a bad thing … at least they’re coming, right? “My friends are going to be there, so I guess I’ll go.” At least they’ll hear that Jesus died and rose for them for the forgiveness of their sins. But then there are those that don’t even pay attention to the message, because they’re only there to check out the cute guys and girls. And there are other pressures outside of church that often beckon, influences that are not always godly. Besides that, let’s face it … church is boring. But here I’ll just quote Pastor Mark Sell from last summer’s Higher Things conference: “Repeat after me. The most important things in life are boring.” On the other hand, when you really think of it, how can this be boring? Jesus is present with us in Word and Sacrament. Our Savior himself gives us his Body to eat and his Blood to drink. He forgives our sins. He fills us with his Spirit. He sends us back into our daily lives refreshed and renewed to love and serve others. It’s may not be as exciting as going to a homecoming dance or scoring the winning goal or riding a roller coaster at Silverwood. But I wouldn’t exactly call this boring.

Some only go to church “because mom and dad make me.” But you are getting to the age when it’s time to take responsibility for your own spiritual life. That’s also part of what Confirmation is all about … learning to participate in the life of the Church in a more mature way, thinking about what you are doing in worship and actively participating in worship, meditating on God’s Word, serving others in love, making time to read the Bible and pray on your own.

Think about the promises you are making today (and for the rest of us, remember that we once made these promises, too). These are not to be taken lightly.

• Do you intend to hear the Word of God and receive the Lord’s Supper faithfully?
• Do you intend to live according the Word of God, and in faith, word, and deed to remain true to God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, even to death?
• Do you intend to continue steadfast in this confession and Church and to suffer all, even death, rather than fall away from it?

Those are some heavy-duty questions. And your answer is, “I do, by the grace of God.” It is only by God’s grace – his undeserved love toward us in Christ – that we can say “I do” to those questions. On our own, our weak sinful nature cannot keep these promises. We need to return time and again to God’s grace to receive forgiveness for breaking these promises. The shed blood of Jesus at the cross will always cover your sin and shame. You can confess your sins, return again to God’s promises in your Baptism – where he made you his own child and washed your sins away – and say “I do” once again to your Confirmation vows that you are making today.

“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,” Jesus said. Then he adds, “and you will know the truth.” What is “the truth”? The “truth” is Jesus, that he is the only way to truly know God. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” The truth is that Jesus is True Man and True God, who came to be your substitute, keeping God’s Law perfectly in your place, and suffering the wrath of God for sin in your place at the cross, and rising to life again, conquering sin, death, and the devil for you.

When Jesus was on trial, he said to the Roman governor Pontius Pilate (you know, the guy we mention all the time in the creed), “For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world – to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate responded, “What is truth?” (John 18:37-38) Pilate expressed the thoughts of many people today. We live in a world with many competing truth claims. Many people believe that there are many ways to heaven or to God. Many believe that it doesn’t really matter what you believe, as long as you are sincere. Many now claim that there is no absolute truth, that two people can believe something completely contradictory and both be correct. But the nature of truth is that there is only one truth. Jesus does not leave us with any other options other than the truth he came to reveal. You heard his own words earlier that no one comes to the Father except through him. Acts 4:12 says of Jesus, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) And 2 John 1:9 says, “Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.” (2 John 1:9) When you abide in Christ’s words, you have Christ himself abiding in you.

Finally, Jesus says that not only will you know the truth, but “the truth will set you free.” As a teenager, you are enjoying the experience of some new freedom. You are allowed to stay out a bit longer than you used to. You can text to your heart’s delight because your dad finally ponied up and bought the unlimited texting plan. Soon, you will be getting your drivers license and you don’t have to worry about having your mom and dad haul your bottom all over the place.

But with freedom comes responsibility. And often we make sinful choices with our freedom. Jesus said, “everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.” That’s proof that we aren’t as free as we thought we are. We are slaves to our sin and our sinful nature with its evil, selfish, greedy desires. We are slaves to false ideas that we may have about God (that’s why the Reformation was so important … and still is today … so that we are freed from those ideas that want us to think we still have to earn our way to heaven).

But then Jesus makes a contrast for us between slaves and sons: “The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” In Jesus’ day, people owned slaves who lived in their homes and served the family. They were a part of the household. They could gain their freedom if their owner granted it. But that was never a sure and certain thing. Only the sons of the fathers had permanent status in the family and were assured of their ongoing freedom.

You are made to be God’s sons in Baptism. You were set free from your slavery to sin and your sinful nature and given freedom in Christ from the condemnation of the Law. Romans 8:1-2 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” In Holy Baptism and by faith in Jesus, you were joined to Christ and his gifts of forgiveness and eternal life. You were given the Holy Spirit through the Word of Truth so that you can believe and receive God’s promises. In Christ, you have a place in God’s kingdom forever. You have been “justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,” (Rom. 3:24) purchased not with gold or silver, but with Christ’s holy, precious blood and with his innocent suffering and death, that you may be his own, live under him in his kingdom, and serve him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, even as he is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. This is most certainly true!

Abiding in the word of Jesus, you have been set free to believe, love, obey, and serve. Martin Luther once wrote that “A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all.” (The Freedom of a Christian) We are completely free in Christ. We are justified by grace apart from works. But with freedom comes responsibility to serve our neighbor in love … not coerced, but willing, with a joyful, thankful heart, empowered by the Holy Spirit who dwells in you. St. Paul wrote, “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” (Gal. 5:13; See also 1 Pet. 2:16)

I’ll close with some words from the song that the choir will sing in a few moments:

We are the Lord’s. Then let us gladly tender

Our souls to Him in deeds, not empty words.

Let heart and tongue and life combine to render

No doubtful witness that we are the Lord’s.

And then, hear your Savior’s words to you one more time, on this, your Confirmation Day: “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” God bless you now and always, my dear friends, my brother and sisters in Christ.

Amen.

Issues, Etc. Reformation Week Video

Watch this short video for Issues, Etc. Reformation Week October 18-22.

Click here to download a special church bulletin insert for Issues, Etc. Reformation Week. Please note that there are four different bulletin inserts for each time zone.

Great sale on new book: Lutheranism 101

I hesitate to mention other books while we are featuring a particular Book-of-the-Month at Messiah. However, this one appears to be just too good to pass up. Lutheranism 101 is one of the latest outstanding offerings from Concordia Publishing House.

You may order it now at a special price WEB ONLY price of $14.99. Click here to order at Concordia Publishing House's website. This special offer ends at the end of October.

Here's what the CPH website has to say about it:

Lutheranism 101 examines Lutheran beliefs and heritage in a fresh way. If you are a lifelong Lutheran searching for more information or new to Lutheranism looking to understand what we believe, this book will be your guide. It is written in an easy-to-read conversational style with short articles, side-bar features, and some humor. Lutheranism 101 helps create a solid foundation of reference upon which a lifetime of sound teaching can be built. Explore the basics of Lutheran theology by digging into the history of Lutheranism and making connections between what Lutherans believe and what Lutherans do.

There is a sample available for download by clicking here.

If you're still not convinced, check out the Lutheranism 101 blog by clicking here.

Here is an interview with the editor, the Rev. Scot Kinnaman, about Lutheranism 101.

Register now for "Your Reformation Walk" Seminar, May 22

Offered by the Confessional Lutherans for Christ's Commission (CLCC) and hosted by Messiah Lutheran Church in Marysville, WA. This 6-hour seminar provides a history of the faith from the days of the early church fathers to recent times. Heavy emphasis is placed on the Reformation period, including a summary of the books and their history making up the Book of Concord. Following comes information of history leading up to the immigration of Lutherans from Saxony to the U.S. Interwoven with the religious events are the significant geo-political events of the time having an impact on the religious history, thus more context is provided. On the lighter side you could say that some travelogue information is also interwoven, all with the intent of encouraging you to think about making a visit to Saxony yourself, to see first hand places where Reformation history was made.

To register, see the insert in the church bulletin, call the church office at 360-659-4112, or see the info at the CLCC website by clicking here.

The Halloween and Reformation Connection

Read about it at Past Elder's blog by clicking here. It's a lengthy post but well worth the time.

Evangelism, Outreach, and Assimilation Seminar

We had close to 50 attendees at the "Evangelism, Outreach, and Assimilation Seminar" on Saturday. It was sponsored by the Confessional Lutherans for Christ's Commission (CLCC) and the presenter was Pastor Dan Freeman of Chehalis, WA. Gene White, the CLCC treasurer, and his wife Deanna, were there, too, and attended services with us on Ash Wednesday and today. Thanks to Gene, Deanna, and Pastor Freeman for being with us.

Gene shared with us after church this morning a bit more about the work of the CLCC and I promised I would put a link up to their website on my blog. It can be found at www.theclcc.org. I've also put a link up in the sidebar at the right under "Lutheran Links."

The Smalcald Articles on Repentance

The renewed interest in indulgences in Roman Catholicism is really not all that new nor surprising. Pope John Paul II announced a plenary indulgence back in 2000.

I found it serendipitous, then, that this week's Treasury of Daily Prayer's assigned readings from the Lutheran Confessions are from the Smalcald Articles, specifically the parts dealing with repentance in contrast to the false idea of repentance in the papal church.

Click here to read an introduction to this portion of the Smalcald Articles at Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions blog.

Then click here to read Article III, Part III of the Smalcald Articles.

Comments about the state of today's church

God keep us from the descriptions of the state of today's church in the following video. This is from the White Horse Inn, although I viewed it at Slice of Laodicea.

February Book-of-the-Month

February's Book-of-the-Month offering at Messiah is "Don't Tell Me That!" Here's the description from the publisher, Lutheran Press:

Martin Luther’s Antinomian Theses recast for the modern reader! Martin Luther initiated the Protestant Reformation in 1517 by asserting that "When our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, said 'Repent,' (Mark 1:15) He meant that the whole life of the believer should be one of repentance." Twenty years later he discovered that questions concerning this assertion were still being asked: What is repentance? How can the "whole life of the believer" be spent repenting? Is not the Christian, redeemed by Christ, to live a life of joy, free from the guilt created when sin is exposed by the Law of God? Luther's answers to these questions will help today’s Christian to gain greater insight into basic Christian living.

To order, sign up on the sheet in the entryway or call the church office to reserve a copy. If you wish to order on your own, then click here to order online with Lutheran Press.

February Newsletter Article

Lutherans: Confessional

Over the last few months, we have been discussing how to answer the question “What does it mean to be a Lutheran?” Thus far, we have answered that question using the words evangelical, catholic, and sacramental. This month’s word is confessional.

When you ask some Christians what they believe, they might say something like this: “I believe the Bible.” Sounds good, right? Only one problem. There are many churches and non-Christian cults that use the Bible as their source of religious beliefs, yet they come to different conclusions about central doctrines of the Christian faith.

Similarly, some Christian churches pride themselves on not using any man-made creeds in order to summarize their beliefs. “No creed but Christ,” they might say. Ironically, these same churches probably have some kind of “statement of faith” which they publish. That becomes their “creed” whether they realize it or not. After all, the word creed simply comes from the Latin word credo, which means “I believe.”

Lutherans have the advantage of having a set of documents which summarize what makes someone a Lutheran. These documents are the “Lutheran Confessions,” as they are called, and are contained in The Book of Concord or Concordia of 1580. The first of these documents are the historic, ecumenical creeds (Apostles’, Nicene, Athanasian), placed there to show that the Lutherans at the time of the Reformation were not trying to teach anything other than what the ancient church believed and taught. Other than the creeds, Luther’s Small Catechism of 1529 is probably the most familiar of the Lutheran Confessions. It is important to note, also, that we do not place The Book of Concord on the same level of Scripture. The Bible is our only source and norm for our faith and our life. It alone is divinely inspired. Yet, we still declare that The Book of Concord is a true exposition of what God’s Word teaches.

Sadly, some contemporary Lutherans do not hold the Lutheran Confessions in such high regard. They believe that they are important historical documents, but it is not necessary to pledge unconditional agreement with them. On the contrary, our LC-MS pastors are expected to subscribe unconditionally to the Lutheran Confessions in their ordination vows. “Confessional” Lutherans believe in the importance of making an unconditional subscription to the Lutheran Confessions because they are an accurate and truthful exposition of the Word of God. Other Lutherans will say that they hold to the Confessions in so far as they agree with Holy Scripture. But that is really not much of a confession. It leaves the door open to one’s own private interpretations based on subjective feelings, rather than a bold, clear, united confession of faith given to the world, as was the original intent of the Lutheran Confessions.

The Book of Concord closes with these words, and sums up what it means to be a “confessional” Lutheran: “In the sight of God and of all Christendom, we want to testify to those now living and those who will come after us. This declaration presented here about all the controverted articles mentioned and explained above – and no other – is our faith, doctrine, and confession. By God's grace, with intrepid hearts, we are willing to appear before the judgment seat of Christ with this Confession and give an account of it [1 Peter 4:5]. We will not speak or write anything contrary to this Confession, either publicly or privately. By the strength of God's grace we intend to abide by it.” (Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Article XII, paragraph 40)

In Christ’s service and yours,
Pastor Onken

P.S. To read more about The Book of Concord, go online at bookofconcord.org. You may read the Confessions online there along with helpful articles. Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions is also a wonderful edition for laypeople, with helpful explanatory introductions and notes. Cool pictures, too! Or you can get a handy-dandy pocket-sized edition (no pictures). Order online from CPH or call them at 1-800-325-3040.

December Book-of-the-Month

From the Amazon.com website:

Culture expert Gene Veith unpacks the biblical, Reformation teaching about the doctrine of vocation, emphasizing not what we should specifically do with our time or what careers we are called to, but what God does in and through our callings--even within the home. In each task He has given us--in our workplaces and families, our churches and society--God Himself is at work. Veith guides you to discover God's purpose and calling in those seemingly ordinary areas by providing you with a spiritual framework for thinking about such issues and for acting upon them with a changed perspective.

To order at church, call the office to reserve your copy or order online by clicking here.

November Newsletter Article

Lutherans: Catholic

Last month was the first in a series of articles to help you answer the question, “What does it mean to be a Lutheran?” We began by saying that Lutherans are “evangelical.” We use that word not in the way the rest of the world usually understands it. Most people think of Bible-believing conservative Christians when they hear the word “Evangelical.” Rather, to be “evangelical” as Lutherans is to be focused on the Gospel, the good news that Christ died for our sins and rose to life again, and that all who trust in his finished work at the cross have eternal life as a gift of grace. All that we do and say as Lutheran Christians revolves around and flows from that central truth.

This month our word is “catholic.” I can hear the cries of resistance already: “What? What do you mean we are catholic? I thought we broke away from the Catholic Church at the time of the Reformation.”

Well, first we need to remember that Luther never intended to “break away” from the Catholic Church. He was excommunicated. Secondly, there is a difference between the Roman Catholic Church and the “catholic” Church. The Roman Catholic Church is that church which recognizes the bishop of Rome, the Pope, as the head pastor of the Church with “full, supreme, and universal power over the whole Church, a power which he can always exercise unhindered.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, p. 234). The “catholic” Church, on the other hand, refers to the universal nature of the Church. That is, after all, the meaning of the word “catholic”: universal, the Church of all times and all places, the entire body of believers in Jesus Christ. It is taken directly from the Greek word katholikos, which means “whole” or “complete.”

If the Church is truly “catholic,” then what are the implications for us as Lutherans? It means that we do not claim to be nor teach anything other than what the Church has always taught when it has been faithful to the Scriptures. At the end of the first section of the Augsburg Confession, the primary document which defined what the Lutheran Church believes and teaches, it says, “As can be seen, there is nothing here that departs from the Scriptures or the catholic church or the church of Rome, in so far as the ancient church is known to us from its writers.” (Tappert, p. 47) That being said, the Augsburg Confession had clarified the beliefs of the Lutherans in contrast to Rome, in addition to addressing assorted abuses that had arisen and needed to be corrected.

To be “catholic” also means to be concerned with how the Church has worshiped in the past. We use historic forms of worship and hymns which show our connection to Christians who have gone before us. That doesn’t mean we do not add new songs to our “repertoire” written in the last 30 years or so, or which remain to be written. It does mean that we are careful to make sure that our new songs agree with the catholic faith, and that we don’t jettison the old simply for the sake of the new. Again, the Augsburg Confession says, “We on our part also retain many ceremonies and traditions (such as the liturgy of the Mass and various canticles, festivals, and the like) which serve to preserve order in the church.” (AC XXVI.40; Tappert, p. 69)

Being “catholic” also means being concerned about not only the universality of the Church but also the unity of the Church. It is a sad state of affairs that there are so many denominations and schisms. We should always be looking for ways to change this situation, but always on the basis of a common confession of what Holy Scripture teaches. We seek unity not for the sake of unity, but for the sake of the truth. That’s what the confessors who compiled the Book of Concord expressed when they wrote, “it was our intention to remain and abide loyally by the truth once recognized and confessed at Augsburg in the year 1530 ... and that other good-hearted people would have been reminded and stimulated by this our reiterated and repeated confession the more seriously to investigate the truth of the divine Word that alone gives salvation, to commit themselves to it, and for the salvation of their souls and their eternal welfare to abide by it and persist in it in a Christian way without any further disputation and dissension.” (Preface to the Book of Concord, Tappert, pp. 5-6) To this end, our Missouri Synod and her representatives are constantly seeking ways to confess the whole of Christian doctrine with other church bodies around the world. When it is discovered that we share a common confession of that doctrine, then altar and pulpit fellowship is declared. Missouri Synod Lutherans have often been accused of being separatistic, but that is simply not the case. We have always been interested in expressing the “catholic” nature of the Christian faith while maintaining a vigorous defense of the truth of God’s Word.

In Christ’s service and yours,

Pastor Onken

Happy Reformation Day!

Today we celebrate the day when, 491 years ago, an obscure German monk and university professor nailed a paper with some statements to a church door. He never intended to pick a fight with church authorities. He just wanted to discuss whether it was really possible to buy and sell forgiveness. But in so doing, he unwittingly stepped on the toes of the Roman Pope. Many more writings followed on various topics. The light of the pure Gospel of the full and free forgiveness of sins in Christ was recovered for the Church. He was brought before a meeting of the emperor, princes, and church leaders and told to take back what he had written. And these famous words have echoed down the corridors of time:

"Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason—I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other—my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen."

And what do we about all this Halloween business on this day? Well, I used to be rather uptight about it. But I've loosened up in my "old" age. Maybe having a child in the house now has changed me. It's kind of fun to see her get all dressed up ... a cute ladybug last year, a beautiful Chinese princess this year (Mulan). Sure, all the ghosts and goblins and gore are pretty creepy. And there are certainly some pagan connections with this holiday, although in our culture that's pretty much gone by the wayside. Halloween has simply become a silly day for kids to dress up in fun costumes and get some teeth-destroying goodies. Sure, we ought to avoid the gruesome excesses of the day. But dress up. Have fun. Go get some candy. Greet the neighbors. Get ready for All Saints' (Hallows') Day tomorrow. And maybe take this night to thumb your nose at the devil.

I also like what Gene Veith suggests on his blog today:

Tonight, do not give candy out of trick-or-treat coercion or obligation, but as a free gift.

When you see people in masks, contemplate the masks of God; that is, the doctrine of vocation.

When you see our culture’s strange celebrations of death–all the gore, corpses, and graveyards–let it remind you of our Lord’s gruesome death on the Cross, His burial place, and His glorious resurrection.

Sermon for Reformation 2008

Reformation 2008 (October 26, 2008)
“The Reformation is for Today!” (Psalm 46)

In the Holy Name of Jesus, through whom we are saved by grace alone, by faith alone, and revealed to us in Scripture alone. Amen.

Our text this morning is from the Psalm assigned for the Festival of the Reformation, Psalm 46. The Psalm begins with these words: "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." And it ends like this: "The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress."

Martin Luther based his hymn “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” on those words. He understood the need to rely on God alone as his refuge and strength when it seemed as though the entire church and the empire was against him.

Things didn’t start out that way. Luther wanted to be a good monk, a faithful priest, a loyal churchman. He never thought that his words would some day lead to his excommunication with a price on his head as an outlaw and a heretic. But Luther’s intensive study of God’s Word led him to confess the truth in spite of what years of medieval tradition and superstition had led the Church to believe and teach.

The match that started the fire was struck on October 31, 1517. On that day, Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the door of the castle church in Wittenberg, Germany. These 95 statements questioned the practice of selling indulgences ... a full or partial remission of sins which could be bought at a price. You could purchase these for yourself or on behalf of your dead relatives who were in purgatory … the place it was believed that souls went to be “purged” of the sins they did not confess while here on earth. As the saying went, “As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, another soul from purgatory flings.” Luther was incensed that forgiveness was being bought and sold like any other commodity, especially since it was being done without a care for repentance and faith in the heart.

The 95 Theses were followed by other writings of Luther that questioned certain abuses in the Church. In 1521, he was called before the Diet of Worms, an assembly of all the representatives of the empire at the city of Worms in Germany. There he was told that he must recant what he had written. But Luther could not take back what he had written, and his famous words have echoed down the corridors of time: “Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason—I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other—my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen.” (Roland Bainton, Here I Stand, p. 185)

The Reformation of the Church continued from there. Other people confessed the truth of God’s Word and were condemned for it. Important writings of the Lutheran Reformers became official documents that formed the basis of what it means to be Lutheran—which really is simply being “biblical”—and these writings were published in the Book of Concord of 1580.

But that was the 16th Century, right? We’re now in the 21st Century. What significance does the Reformation have for today? Here are three reasons why the 16th Century Reformation is for today. The Reformation is for today because it is CONTEMPORARY … it is CONFESSIONAL … and it is COMFORTING.

The Reformation is for today because it is…CONTEMPORARY. In the Psalm, David says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Notice he says, “God IS” … not “was” or “might be” or “will be.” He IS our refuge. He IS a mighty fortress. He is VERY PRESENT to help us … right now.

That’s the truth of God’s Word. And the truth of God’s Word never changes. Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” His truth is the same now as it was in the 1st Century, the 16th Century, and the 21st Century.

Many of the issues dealt with in the 16th Century Reformation are still around today. That’s why we’ve been studying some of the documents in the Book of Concord in our Sunday morning Bible class.

For example, one of the documents in this book is called the Formula of Concord. In many places it sounds very contemporary. Two of the issues it deals with are the doctrines of Original Sin and Free Will. Today, there are churches who in their practice deny that man is absolutely spiritually dead in their sin, and they attribute to man the ability to choose by an act of their will to believe in Christ. Instead, the Formula teaches the biblical doctrine that man’s spiritual nature is totally corrupt because of sin, and that we have no power in and of ourselves to choose to believe. It is all God’s doing. He chooses us and through his Word instills faith in our hearts.

Also, the Formula of Concord sounds very contemporary when it addresses the issue of ceremonies and rituals in the church. Many churches today, even some of our sister Lutheran churches, are throwing away the liturgy and using songs with false doctrine. It has become “every man for himself” in worship. Now, the Formula makes it clear that nowhere in the Scriptures are church ceremonies commanded or forbidden. But that doesn’t mean that we should throw them out willy-nilly. They are used for the purpose of reverence and awe, good order, instruction, and the edification of the worshippers. Besides, much of the liturgy is based on God’s Word, and if you throw it out, you are throwing away something that has edified the Church since the earliest centuries after Christ and strengthened the faith of millions upon millions of Christians … because it is God’s Word that we read and pray and chant and sing together in the Divine Service, the place where God serves US.

The Reformation is for today because it is…CONFESSIONAL … not in the sense of confessing sin, but confessing the truth … speaking the truth of God’s Word. The antiphon of today’s Introit is from Psalm 119, where David says, “I will also speak of your testimonies before kings.” Martin Luther certainly did this at the Diet of Worms, as he stood before the emperor, Charles V, and refused to deny his writings and the teachings contained in them. Nine years later, several German princes and city councils gave their confession of faith before Charles at the Diet of Augsburg. The document they presented is what is now known as the Augsburg Confession, which is the first of the Lutheran Confessions.

Faith cannot help but confess what it believes. In 2 Corinthians 4:13, St. Paul says, “Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, ‘I believed, and so I spoke,’ we also believe, and so we also speak.” Also, in Romans 10:10, he says, “For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” Confessing your faith is a natural, Spirit-led result of being justified by grace through faith in Christ Jesus.

Fear of rejection and ridicule often keeps us from confessing our faith. We need to repent of being worried more about what people think about us than what God thinks of us. And then, compelled by Christ’s love for us, we will not be afraid to proclaim the message of the cross. Most of us will never get the chance to “speak of [God’s] testimonies before kings.” But the Lord daily gives us opportunities to be “Confessional Lutherans,” speaking of God’s testimonies before friends and family with clarity and conviction.

Finally, the Reformation is for today because it is…COMFORTING. David, after saying “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble,” then declared “Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea.” David knew that he had nothing to fear in spite of whatever trouble was brewing around him.

In Luther’s day, Christ was presented as a fearful judge and the giver of a new Law. Luther trembled when he heard from the Scriptures about “the righteousness of God.” He knew he could never measure up to God’s holy standard. Entering the monastery failed to bring him the comfort he expected, because as hard as he tried to be good and holy, he could never get past the sin in his own heart.

But when Luther was a professor at the University of Wittenberg, studying and teaching the Bible, he recovered a truth that had long been lost and neglected. God’s righteousness does not primarily refer to his holiness and anger over sin. It primarily refers to his gracious will to save mankind.

St. Paul’s letter to the Romans was significant in this understanding of God’s righteousness. Listen again to the words of today’s Epistle lesson, from Romans chapter 3: “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law…the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for 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, whom God put forward as a propitiation [which means “an atoning sacrifice”… a “covering over” of our sins] by his blood, to be received by faith.”

To be “justified” means to be declared not guilty in God’s sight … to be considered righteous. This has nothing to do with keeping God’s Law, as Paul says right before the passage I just read: “by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight.” It is all a gift of God’s undeserved love towards us sinners. It’s a gift of grace. Jesus took our sin upon himself at the cross. His shed blood was the price we owed to God for our disobedience to his Law. Now, the shed blood of God’s Son covers over our sin, and God the Father gives us the righteousness of Christ. You receive this all by faith … by trusting in Christ’s death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life.

In our world today, you often hear the refrain, “You gotta have faith,” or you hear people say, “I’m relying on my faith” ... “I don’t know where I’d be without my faith.” But that’s the wrong emphasis, isn’t it? Faith is sort of like a trick-or-treater’s bag. After a busy night of trick-or-treating, you don’t go around and say, “Wow, look at the cool bag that I used. I really relied on this bag tonight!” That’s silly. Instead, you say, “Oh, man, look at all the great candy I got!” You could care less about the bag. All that matters now is what’s inside it. Likewise, faith is necessary to receive the gifts that God gives to you. But once you have faith, all that matters is what God has given you ... forgiveness of sins, everlasting life, Himself! All that matters is Jesus! (illustration adapted from Klemet Preus’ book The Fire and the Staff, p. 72)

Faith itself is a gift of grace. It’s not something we have to stir up inside ourselves. It is simply the hand that receives all of the gifts that God pours into it. That’s comforting. Now, we can stop acting like a hamster on a wheel in his cage, running and running and running trying to justify ourselves and our sin. It gets us no where. Instead, we can get off the wheel of our own efforts and rely on God’s grace in Christ. He is our “refuge and strength” from sin and death and hell. He is our “very present help” when we are troubled by doubt and despair. God is “very present” with his saving love through this Word that is preached to you. And Christ, your Savior is “very present” for you in the Sacrament with the very same Body and Blood that justifies you. That is the comforting truth that sets us free.

And that is the most important reason why the Reformation is for today. How much more contemporary is the forgiveness of sins? We need it today and every day until Jesus returns. May we courageously confess that comforting truth. Here we stand. We cannot do otherwise. God help us. Amen.

October Newsletter Article

In October, with Reformation Day coming at the end of the month, Lutherans typically reflect a bit more on what it means to be Lutheran. When people ask, “What does it mean to be a Lutheran?” you could answer that question in several ways. You could hand them a copy of the Small Catechism and have them read it. You could tell them to read the Book of Concord, but after looking at its girth, they would reply, “You’re kidding, right?” You could tell them that we believe the Bible, but that means different things to different people. Many Christian churches (and a few non-Christian cults) claim to believe the Bible, but each has certain distinctions that set them apart. With this in mind, over the next few months in these newsletter articles, I’d like to help you answer the question “What does it mean to be a Lutheran?” by using some words that will assist us in our task.

Lutherans are “evangelical.” That word is derived from the Greek word “evangel” which means “good news” or “good message.” The word “Gospel” is an Old English word that means “good news.” Lutherans are “evangelical” because we focus on the Gospel. True Lutheran theology clearly proclaims the Good News. And this is the Good News: the Son of God became flesh in the person of Jesus Christ, died on the cross for the sins of the world, rose to life again, and those who are baptized and believe in him have forgiveness of sins and life everlasting. This is all a pure gift of grace. We can’t earn it nor do we deserve it. God has done it all for us for Christ’s sake.

Unfortunately, the word “evangelical” is misunderstood today. It has become politically charged. The news media uses it when referring to the large voting bloc of Bible-believing conservative Christians in our country, no matter what their confession or denomination. Those of a liberal political bent may use it as a pejorative term, although socially liberal political views are becoming more acceptable in some evangelical (and here I use the term the way the media uses it) circles.

But Lutherans were the first “evangelicals.” That term was first used to describe Lutherans back at the time of the Reformation. The teaching that good works contributed to salvation had become entrenched in the church’s teaching by the 16th Century. Luther, through his study of Scripture, recovered the fact that the central teaching of the Bible was justification by grace through faith in Christ alone. The Good News is not about good works helping us along the way to salvation. Rather, good works flow from a heart that has been forgiven in Christ and filled with faith in the Good News. It was this focus on the Gospel that caused the followers of Luther to be called “evangelicals.”

So there’s the first word you can use when someone asks you, “What does it mean to be a Lutheran?” Tell them that we are “evangelical.” Then tell them what that means. It doesn’t mean we are going to tell them who to vote for in the next election (although our faith certainly informs our votes). It doesn’t mean that we are just like all the other churches out there (far from it). It doesn’t mean that we expect them to make a decision for Jesus (because they can’t ... people are spiritually dead until the Holy Spirit breathes life into them through the Word of God). It does mean that all that we say and do and teach flows from this central teaching of the Bible: that we are saved by grace through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That’s what it truly means to be “evangelical.”

Rick Warren is actually Roman Catholic

Well, he's actually Southern Baptist, if denominational affiliation counts for anything these days. Who hasn't heard of Rick Warren, especially after the presidential candidates were invited to his church to be interviewed a few weeks ago? For those of you who have been hiding under a rock for the last few years, Warren is the pastor of mega-mega-megachurch Saddleback Community Church in Southern California, and author of several best-selling books, including The Purpose-Driven Life.

But a fellow blogger and acquaintance from Australia made these observations about Warren which are "spot on" as they say down under:

Purpose Driven Pr. Rick Warren, may be Baptist in name but in spirit, he is absolutely Roman Catholic.

Here is what he said in a sermon...

You see it takes more than belief. It takes more than faith to really please God. He says it takes faith that results in loving others. Religion without love doesn't matter. It is not enough to say "I believe". What matters is how I love God and how I love other people, that is the Great Commandment.

Firstly, compare this with Heb 11

6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw
near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

What Rick says is denial of [justification by faith alone], this is saved by loving. This is going to damn us because we never love as we ought. There is only one who did that -- and you know his name. Though faith produces love, that love is not the basis of our justification. This is an old error - a guy by the name of Osiander believed like Warren and he was corrected by the Concordists.

We are not reckoned righteous by God based by what is inside us and not even on the basis that Jesus lives inside us. And above all, certainly not because we love (because we don't), we are reckoned righteous through faith on account of what Christ has done at Calvary ...

... He should not be identifying himself as a Protestant, because he is not.

Book of Concord Videos