Luther acted on his private faith and intellect when he posted his “Ninety-five Theses” on the church door in Wittenberg in 1517 and affected the religion of his time moving forward. This is the historic upheaval we remember and celebrate, if I can use that word, as the Reformation today.
No one could have predicted the reforms in Christian teaching and practice that followed. In every dimension of Christian faith a renewed trust in God’s forgiving mercy replaced a reliance on teachings and practices that, like the sale of indulgences, were vulnerable to corruption. Preaching a few years later, Luther said, “I opposed indulgences ... but never with force. I simply taught, preached, and wrote God’s Word; otherwise I did nothing. I did nothing; the Word did everything.” When he began to propose reforms in worship, he wrote similar words. “This is the sum of the matter: let everything be done so that the Word may have free course.”
Pastor Michelle referenced in her sermon the book The Great Emergence by Phyllis Tickle, Tickle argued that Christianity is currently undergoing another massive upheaval as part of a regular pattern that occurs every 500 years, in which old ideas are rejected and new ones emerge. Ultimately, the old expression of Christianity is refurbished and revitalized, while a new, more vital form also is created, according to her work.She identifies these periodic upheavals as the Great Reformation, the Great Schism, the Great Decline and Fall, and the Great Transformation, and says they stretch back into Jewish history as well.
Another author, Rainer Maria Rilke, described in a letter to a young poet: “And when you realize that their [adults’] activities are shabby, that their vocations are petrified and no longer connected with life, why not then continue to look upon it all as a child would, as if you were looking at something unfamiliar, out of the depths of your own solitude….?”.
What I appreciate about church is captured in Rilke's description and, I believe, transcends it. After looking out of the depths of solitude Creator looks at the activities from a community perspective as well. I treasure our worship because of the invitation and a new vision of a more genuine relationship with God is promised - not regulated by personal preference or by a denominational hierarchy. An understanding of God predicated not on what we have done but on what Christ has done for us.
Jesus tells his disciples in the Gospel lesson today "The truth will set you free". Is that believable? Currently our society takes freedom to mean independence, the choice of what to be responsible for, the wealth to buy what we want, what regulations to follow, what taxes to pay, and even our mortality. Where does mutual dependence fit with Christian freedom?
In 1520 Martin Luther wrote in his book On Christian Freedom "A Christian man is the most free lord of all, and subject to none; a Christian man is the most dutiful servant of all, and subject to every one." His scriptural basis for this came from 1 Corinthians 9:19 "For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. Pastor Michelle's sermon quoted Bishop Dave's observation at the Bishops Convocation that anyone who is not grieving about today's world is not paying attention. Do we need to embrace our grief and learn for it? How we process that may be important when we take into account another thought Pastor Michelle preached about today, "Be careful how you live your life. You may be the only gospel people will ever see".
Her words put the story of Tabitha—called "Dorcas" by her pagan neighbors in my mind. This is a lovely story of healing, hope, and neighborly participation. Tabitha was beloved by her Greek (pagan) neighbors. The widows who lived all around her wept uncontrollably over Tabitha's death. This sorrow was not the product of a fleeting or momentary relationship. The story says that the widows displayed the evidence of Tabitha's long and serving presence with them (Acts 9:39). She had practiced "faithful participation."
Keep in mind that this faithful participation among pagans was before Peter's vision that took him to Cornelius' home. In this vision God clarified to Peter that the Gentiles were truly part of God's gospel commission. Peter's vision happens in the next chapter, Acts 10, and one must wonder if the profound example of Tabitha had prepared Peter's heart for his change of theology.
The love and devotion between Tabitha and her neighbors had been built over thousands of unexceptional everyday encounters.
So how do we live our life with the Reformation as our heritage? I remember my grandmother commenting how her heart soared when she sang "Vår Gud är oss en väldig borg" (A Mighty Fortress is Our God). I know the feeling, even experienced it when we sang it in worship today, but there is also a feeling of regret about the 500 year-old unintended fracturing of the body catholic as well.
There is something to grieve about examining history. Last June I read Pope Francis was praising Luther — once deemed a heretic by the Catholic Church — as a great reformer. At that time - on his flight back to Rome from Armenia - the pope told reporters: "The church was not a role model, there was corruption, there was worldliness, there was greed, and lust for power. He (Luther) protested against this. And he was an intelligent man."
In thinking about my grandmother as I look at Protestant history, I understand that after the Reformation, Sweden became a grim place for Roman Catholics: Those who rejected the new Lutheran faith were punished with deportation or death. So much becomes easy to justify and do in God's name.
The circumstances couldn't be more different as Pope Francis arrives in Sweden to commemorate the split in Western Christianity that started with Martin Luther's revolt. The once-omnipresent Lutheran Church is bleeding members in Sweden, and is now considered a bastion of tolerance, while the country's small Catholic community is growing, mainly due to immigration.
Pastor Michelle asked to post what we would like to talk about or see changed in the "new" reformation the church is currently undergoing. Ecumenical tolerance and unity, insofar as it can be achieved, is certainly on my list.
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