Freed From -- Freed For

John 8:31-36

Today we celebrate the Reformation. We celebrate the work of Martin Luther as he on this day in 1517 posted the 95 Theses on the door of the Wittenberg Church. Today we celebrate the past, the present, and the future. We celebrate where we have been, where we are now, and where we hope to go.

According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, the meaning for Reformation is, “a 16th century religious movement marked ultimately by rejection or modification of some Roman Catholic doctrine and practice and establishment of the Protestant churches.” The Reformation is over. This word in its capitalized form refers to the 16th century movement. Under the leadership of many influential reformers, several doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church were rejected. As a result, Protestant churches were established. So, in this sense the Reformation is over.

However, I do not think that reformation is over. The definition for reform is to amend, change, or improve. As we work towards ecumenical agreements, ordain women, and look at the sexuality statement, we cannot deny that we are a church that is ever changing and continuing to make amendments. If the reformation were over we would continue to be a denomination that looked exactly like it looked in the 16th century. That is not the case. We, as Protestants, have not become stagnant. We, as Lutherans, are part of a church that continues to reform.

Luther knew the truth and the truth set him free. The Son made him free and he was free, indeed. So, he acted. He acted for freedom. He acted for reform. In Luther’s work titled “Freedom of a Christian,” he explained the doctrine of justification. He said, “A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all.” Let me repeat 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.” This doctrine of justification is two-fold. In this, Christians are given the ability to live in freedom and servanthood.

Jesus sets us free from, and Jesus sets us free for. Jesus sets us free from “sin, death and the power of the devil,” to quote Martin Luther. Jesus defeats all those things that would separate us from God.
Jesus also sets us free for – for a life that reflects his life and strives for the positive impact on people’s lives that Jesus achieved in his life. The incredible gift given to us by our Lord is that we are freed from having to try to earn God’s favor; we have that as a gift. We can now steward that freedom through a life dedicated to praising God and serving those people with whom we travel on our journey through life. We don’t have to count the cost of being a servant to those around us. We can simply serve them because our place in God’s household has been secured.

A steward is, by definition, one who cares for that which belongs to another. Our freedom is not our own, it comes from God. What a joy to have the gift of freedom. What a privilege to live a life in which we care for that freedom through caring for others.

Another way that we can think about this two-fold freedom is to think about the beams of the cross: vertical and horizontal. The vertical beam refers to God’s relationship with us. We are freed from. We are the slaves. We are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves. Jesus paid the price of freeing us from our bondage to our sin. Jesus paid the price with his own life by standing in humanity’s place, enduring the judgment that we deserved for sin. Jesus gave his life as a ransom for humanity. In response to that ransom we are redeemed for good works. We are freed for good works, not because we must, but because we are able.

The horizontal beam refers to our relationship with each other. We are freed for service. We are called to shine the light of Christ into the dark places of our world. We are called to live in justice, love, kindness, and service to all people. Often this servant way of life calls us to make personal sacrifices, sacrifices of our finances, our time, and our talents. We are called to live in relationship with the rest of the world, which is not always easy. Despite the difficulty we might face, we are called to mission, God’s mission.

This year as Pastor Omholt and I began teaching the confirmation class, we started with Martin Luther. As we talked about Luther’s 95 Theses and the Reformation, I asked the class how the church has been reformed in their lifetime. Now, I ask that same question of you: How has the Lutheran church been reformed in your lifetime?

Maybe you remember the Lutheran church prior to the formation of the ELCA, back in the day of the ALC, the LCA, and the AELC, prior to 1988. Or maybe you can recall a time when churches were divided by race. Some of you can likely recall a time when women were not permitted to be pastors and when women were not allowed to be acolytes, crucifers, and other worship assistants. Maybe you can recall a time in the church when communion was not typically offered weekly. Most of us can recall a time when homosexuals did not feel welcome in the church and were not allowed to be ordained. These are all products of a reforming church. These are all products of a free church.

The next question I asked the class was how would they like to see the church reformed in the future. Again, I will pose the same question to you: How would you like to see the Lutheran church be reformed in the future? Maybe there needs to be more biblical education. Maybe we need to increase our evangelism efforts. Maybe we need to be more involved in inter-faith dialog. I am not certain how the church needs to be reformed in the future, but I am certain that we need to continue to be a church body that is open and willing to be reformed.

We know the truth. The truth has made us free. The Son has made us free. We are free, indeed. May we live as people who have been freed from sin and freed for service to our neighbors. May we walk in the footsteps of Martin Luther, who has showed us how to reform the church. May we, together, be the reformers of the church in the years to come. Amen.

Faith Alone, Grace Alone, and Mustard Seeds

Luke 17:5-10

This week I celebrated an anniversary – my baptismal anniversary. When I decided to go to seminary I had to put the date of my baptism on the forms I submitted. I never quite knew what the date was, so I had to research it a bit. This year, for the first time, I remembered that date when it arrived. I think it was partially due to the fact that we celebrated a baptism last Sunday. That baptism aided me in remembering my own baptismal anniversary. As I went about my day on Tuesday, my baptismal anniversary, I thought about grace. I thought about the waters of grace that were poured on my head when I was just over two months old. At that age I had no idea what baptism would mean for my life or why it was even happening. Now I know that it was happening because I am an unworthy sinner. I am a worthless slave. I am undeserving. In the act of baptism I was given the gift of God’s grace and God’s unconditional love. In baptism I was given faith – the same faith that the disciples in our text today asked Jesus to increase.

In the four verses that precede this text Jesus sets a standard for discipleship and servant hood. Jesus tells the disciples to repeatedly confront and forgive those who sin. The disciples are not sure that they are up for this challenge. They demand, “Increase our faith!” I don’t think Jesus responds the way the disciples were hoping. Jesus says, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed…”

When we hear “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed,” it is easy to think “of course I don’t have that much faith.” In Greek, this sentence has a different emphasis—the gist of this sentence is: "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed (and you do) ..." or “Since you have faith the size of a mustard seed…” Luke is affirming that they have the faith to do what is expected of them. No increase in faith is necessary – they already have ample faith. If they would believe and act on the faith that they already have, then they would be able to rebuke and repent and forgive within the community. In essence, he seems to imply that they don't need more faith, but to make use of the faith that they already have.

While the faith I have today is similar to the faith given to me at my baptism, it is also different. I think that our growth in faith is nearly always a movement from faith to faith, rather than from unbelief to faith. Similarly, who I am today is both the same and different than who I was as an infant. My essence – my DNA is exactly the same, but my knowledge, physical size, abilities, etcetera have changed considerably since birth.

The same is true of the disciples in our text today. They have faith. They have DNA. Their essence has not changed. However, their life circumstances have. When the disciples were each called to follow Jesus I bet their faith leaped to a new lily pad in the pond. When they witnessed Jesus doing miracles I would imagine they hopped to another. And in today’s text they are challenged to adopt the attitude of servants whose actions are responses to their identity rather than works seeking reward.

The same is true for all of us. We have the faith that was given to us at baptism. We have a DNA that is exactly the same as it was the day we were born. Our essence has not changed. Yet, our life circumstances have. Maybe your faith was altered when you traveled to Nicaragua or Zambia. Maybe your faith leaped to a different lily pad when your first child was born. Maybe it was when you helped with the food pantry or participated in the walkathon for the homeless shelter. Maybe it was when someone you loved died. The beauty of being individuals is that our faith is not identical. Faith cannot be shaped by a cookie cutter or a Jell-O mold. For this reason we cannot measure our faith by its quantity, nor can we compare our faith the person sitting next to us. Faith is ever-changing for all of us, yet different for each one of us.

We are each disciples. We are each called to servant hood. We are each called to adopt the attitude of servants whose actions are responses to our identity, rather than works seeking reward. We are called to live in a manner that proclaims “For it is by grace we have been saved, through faith—and this not from ourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” It is not about living a life of servant hood “if” we have faith. It is about living a life of servant hood “since” we have faith.

I spent Friday and Saturday at the Bolger Center with the church council and the chairs of the ministry committees. We spent our time together strategizing how to live out the new vision statement for St. Paul’s: “SAVED by God's grace and nourished through Word and Sacrament, we, the community of believers at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, are SENT by the Holy Spirit to SHARE the Good News and to SERVE our neighbors following the example of Jesus Christ.” We prayerfully considered what this church and its members are being called to do in the years ahead “since” we have faith. We don’t need God to increase our faith. Since we have faith the size of a mustard seed, we are called to be active in the way we live as servants who already have faith.

May we be filled with faith so that we can live lives of servant hood in response to our identity as God’s children redeemed and forgiven by Jesus’ gift of grace. As we work together in the kingdom, may we remember that we do not need Jesus to increase our faith, because Jesus has already given us all the faith we need. May we have the courage to live out the reality that we already have faith the size of a mustard seed and can therefore do whatever it is God is calling us to do.

Let us pray. O God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.