John 8:31-32

Reformation Sunday,

written by Rev. Walter W. Harms

Free or Slave?

I have good news for you. God, before whom all of us stand constantly, loves you unconditionally and accepts you just as you are. Now he does this, not because we are such good people (we have doubts about that), nor because he just has to love poor cusses like us, but because of the life, death and resurrection of this person, we call Jesus. Jesus is the Lord of all and our Savior. He is the only person of whom we need fear, respect or stand in awe. But that fear is mitigated because he is also the Savior, the One who has lifted us out of all that would destroy life, bring it to a miserable condition, and finally destroy it in this world or the next. That is what his life, the cross, and the resurrection are all about.

I want you to believe this, because this is what gives joy and peace to your life. Not happiness, which is eating the first chocolate chip cookie, but gagging on the 3rd or 4th. No, joy is the sense, the inner core that trusts God intends good for you and will accomplish that in your life. Peace is not smooth sailing. Peace is knowing that in the storms of life, you are going to make it safely to the shore–you will make it home to be with your Creator, your Savior, your Father, the Spirit who has lead you and all who trust in this Jesus forever.

Here you are on this Sunday, called Reformation Sunday. Some of you may be here because you have seen the new movie, Luther, and wonder if the Lutheran Church has any of that vibrancy and fire today as it had at its beginning. Some of you didn’t know this was Reformation Sunday, but are sure you get smeared with another dosage of „why the Lutheran Church is what it is and how it got this way.“ Some of you love worship and are here regardless of what Sunday it is. Still others of you really have no idea what Reformation might be all about (but are soon to find out) and maybe don’t even care!

Whatever Reformation Sunday is, I supposes all of us believe we would be better if there was a little reformation in our life. You know, a little change here and there to make us more attractive, more personable, easier to live with. „If I could only get rid of my zitzes,“ says the teenager, „I would be a lot better.“

A little tummy tuck here, a little Botox there, more exercise, cut down the fats we eat (or whatever seems to be the way to lose weight right now)–these changes- „reforms“–we could see might be helpful to us.

„Any encouragement you can give us, reverend, in any of these areas would be most appreciated!“ So the church has become a place to „reform“ ourselves. It has become a place to improve ourselves, a place to make changes in ourselves, a place, maybe, to smack down our worse desire and habits so that our world (my world?) is a better place to live and I can feel better about myself and get along better.

Now not everybody believes that a little „reformation“ of the self is good or constantly necessary. I heard one person who belonged to a church make the comment to his pastor that went something like this: „Change, change! They always want me to change. Why can’t I ever hear that I’m fine just the way I am.“

I suppose that man is fine just the way he is, but you know the church: get with the program! Either to please God, to be a better person, to improve society, to be a Christian, or whatever you call yourself.

And the church itself! Does it need reforming? „A church not being reformed constantly is not the real church,“ someone said many years ago, (or something like that).

With all that in mind, I am sure it might help to understand what reformation is all about, by hearing what the Gospel someone said should be read on Reformation Sundays in the church. Let’s see what this says about reforming the church and ourselves, as this person Jesus talks to us in this story.

He is talking to people who believed in him. Not a group of schleps who are not interested, but people in the church or at least calling themselves believers. You know, people like you who are here.

He tells them, these concerned believing persons: „You know what? If you stay true to my teaching, you’re really my disciples. Then you’ll know the truth, and that truth will free you!“

True to his teachings? Shades of thick dusty volumes of dogma or slim books called Catechisms. Who can know all of them? Not even the preachers know that much, and if they do, are probably going to argue with each other about what he really said and meant.

„Really his disciples.“ So much is said about following Jesus, it is hard for any of us to understand what being his disciple really means. Believing? Believing what? Acting how? „Letting the walk, follow the talk“?

Truth? What is he talking about? Truth changes every 10 years or more, doesn’t it? What was bad yesterday is good today; what offered hope 5 years ago is now to be avoided. A simple example is hormone replacement therapy, and the Atkins Diet. Is there any truth at all in this world, except that which I accept as truth and what is good for me?

All this will make us free! Free? Political freedom we understand. Free? Are we slaves to anything, any idea, anything at all? Were we ever slaves to anything?

So many questions, so few answers. „Anyone who sins is a slave to sin.“ say Jesus. There’s that word „sin. Such a pious church word. Sin, sin, sin–what is it?

It is that which enslaves you, from which you cannot free yourself, which offers no manumission of any kind. It is like being chained to the seat in one of those Roman galleys from which you can only escape–by death, and to death.

We hate being chained to the pious stuff the Christian church wants. What is common complaint? „All that church stuff takes away all the fun in life.“ You’ve heard yourself say that, haven’t you? At least in your mind? Yes, but at least you may not have acted on that impulse. (Is that the reason so many Christians appear to be grumpy, because they can’t have any „fun“ as Christians?)

I saw the opening show on TV for Two and a Half Men. The ten year old, the half man, wakes his uncle up who has a splitting headache from drinking too much wine the night before. The 10 year old asks: why he drinks too much when he knows what it will do. The uncle’s reply is some weird gesture which simply says, „Half a man wouldn’t understand.“ But it was fun while it lasted, wasn’t it? Sin is that fun stuff which we can’t explain why we did it.

Lots of that kind of stuff has been going on for a long, long time. Not just now.

It was back that way at Dr. Martin Luther’s time back in the fifteen hundreds. Lots of German beer then (and now). Back then people waking up and not knowing why they did what they did that is now causing them so much pain.

When the first Reformation took place some years ago in 1517, Dr. Martin Luther saw people chained to an economy in the church which, simply stated said, pay some money and God will forgive that sin and you will be free. You could even get advance forgiveness for sins you were going to commit. Think of that! You could get forgiveness for that future affair, or that drinking too much you were going to do this next weekend! Luther said, „You don’t have to pay. It’s been paid! Jesus through his death has paid the penalty for your sins completely. You are free from sin, from death, from the power of the devil through what Jesus has done for you.“

That was revolutionary. It changed the one holy catholic and apostolic church! It changed the entire landscape of the political, economic, and church world.

If you are one of those regular church going persons, you still probably pay a lot. We call it giving–offerings, tithes, or whatever. But not to get rid of sins. None of that stuff anymore. We give out of grateful thanks to God for what he has done for us through what Jesus did. The money given pays salaries, church expenses, to help needy folks and missions. Notice, carefully, that we decide what to give or not to give. Not tied to anything–free! No particular „spiritual“ benefit from giving that God is going to give you for your generosity.

This goes for whatever takes place in the church. No sins removed by any kind of church stuff. No relatives having their sentence in purgatory shortened by giving. I hope you all know that!

That economic system in the church was broken somewhat by the first Reformation. I still know people who only come to church when they have really done something sinful, or they have a problem and feel a little „gift on the altar,“ will probably lead to better things in their life. For the most part, however, we feel free–free from sin and its consequences, free to do as we want. We don’t have to appease any gods, because there is no God but our God. So we control what we want to do, say, think, feel or act out. We do as we please in or outside the church

More and more we make the decisions. Very subtly, we have become in charge. I decide what is right. I will do as I please. I will be nice, if I want to be, nasty if I want to be. I will buy what I want, live how I want, and be what I want to be. Very subtly we have become chained to our wills. Neither God, hell or the devil make any difference. Isn’t that what the Reformation long ago tells us and what it was all about?

In a greater or lesser extent, we do see „holding“ onto the teaching of Jesus as setting us free, free to trust ourselves to know what to be and do.

Sure, this Jesus has destroyed all other gods. There is nothing we can offer him. He’s got it all. He has freed us from hell, from death, from an eternity of separation from God. He has given us life, he has made us his children, he has placed us in a position of inheriting heaven itself. That’s what Jesus was about–his life, his suffering and death on the cross, and most importantly his resurrection from the dead. Man, humans, you and I have been liberated.

How boring living that kind of life can become. As Ivan Karamazov’s Grand Inquisitor tells Christ, that the freedom that the gospel brings is too terrible to be borne indefinitely. With no evil gods to fight, with no „real“ enemies, we slink back into the darkness of trusting our own will to lead us

Our failure, the failure of Christians to live up to the victory over the old gods vanquished by Christ has allowed the dark power that once hid behind all the false gods to step forward. This new rough beast that holds our fascination is arising to control us. The beast-god is in our ever coarser, crueler, more inarticulate, more vacuous popular culture. That new slave owner’s world, cloaked in its anesthetizing stupidity, is our world becoming increasing devoid of merit, wit, kindness, imagination and charity. In that world, there is no comfort, no piety, no rest, no hope, no peace.

Only by the power of the cross of Jesus can it be destroyed, can we be reformed, reshaped again and again, into the image of God, into children of God, sons and daughters of the household of God. Only by the power of Jesus, the only Son of God can we become children of God, stay children of God and be free. Only through the guidance of God’s Good Spirit coming into us constantly, can this world of nothingness be seen, can we be changed, can we be reformed, can we wake up in the mornings of our life without that stupid hangover of self determined pleasure. The power of Jesus is that Good News that we are right with God because of Jesus and its exploding permeation into our heart, our minds, our will and our actions.

Slave or free? The beast of this age seems to be powerful, but it is only an illusion. We live in a world that loves illusions–TV, movies, Las Vegas, world domination. We will be lured by them, deceived by them, and man-handled by them.

God is always present with you. He shows you that this twisting, fascinating snake is dead, and you are alive in Christ. If the Son of God sets you free, you will be free indeed. You are free!

Don’t offer incense to this beast because he has nothing to offer you but the void of nothingness. Stand free. Stand reformed. Stand as what you are: free children of God! That means that we shall permit God the Holy Spirit to lead us and help us in all the decision we make, to the glory of the only God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Yes, free at last. Thank God, we are free at last and for always!

Rev. Walter W. Harms, Pastor (retired)
Austin, Texas
waltpast@AOL.com