Reformation Sunday—2007
Text:  John 8:31-36
Vicar Jason Zirbel
28 October 2007

Change?

Sayings and images come and go with the times.  A popular saying or rallying cry from one period of history may not have any meaning or significance in another.  Case in point:  How many of you have heard the saying, “Don’t Tread on Me?”  Do you know where this comes from?  It comes from the Revolutionary War.  This was the rallying cry of the colonies, and it was emblazoned on the flags, along with a picture of a snake that had been chopped into pieces.  What about, “Remember the Maine” or the images of “Rosie the Riveter” or “Make Love, not War?”  Very popular in their days, but they don’t really seem fitting in our modern world, do they?  The few people who do try and hold on to or resurrect these things wind up looking like pathetic, old “has-beens” that are simply longing for their glory days of decades long since past.  Change seems inevitable, doesn’t it?  The world changes; times change; people change, and so we must try to keep up by changing too.  Those individuals or groups who do try to remain firm in their ways are often chastised as being stagnant or antiquated, and worthy of the downfall and despair that invariably awaits them.

As we turn our attention to the Gospel lesson for this morning, we hear Jesus addressing a situation that was wrought with sinful and damning ignorance in terms of change.  “Abide in my Word, and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”  And how do the Jews respond?  “Free?  What are you talking about?  Do you know who our father is?  Do you have any idea of our history in terms of slavery?”  As Jews who were raised in the life of Torah, they certainly knew what the Word of God had said for centuries regarding the coming Messiah and what exactly He was tasked to do; namely, deliver them out of the bondage of sin, eternal death, and damnation by laying down His life as an all-atoning, all-redeeming sacrifice.  We’re told in this lesson that Jesus was speaking specifically to Jews who believed in Him.  However, if you look in your bibles to the verses that sandwich around this text, you will see that Jesus was speaking to a great crowd of Jews.  Within this crowd was also a great group of people who most certainly did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah of God; the anointed one of Yahweh sent to save the world from their sins by being lifted up on the cross.  Now understand: it is highly likely that all the Jews, believing as well as the unbelieving, questioned Jesus about His remarks regarding freedom and family tree issues.  However, the believing Jews, upon hearing this Gospel message, by the gift of faith granted by the Holy Spirit, were able to change their sinful mindsets and recognize and trust in this Word as the fulfilled promise of God, and no longer place their trust in their bloodlines and family trees, as their unbelieving brothers and sisters did.

This is a very important point to bring up, especially given the fact that we are celebrating the Reformation of the Christian Church this morning.  Why is this important?  What does this Gospel lesson have to do with Martin Luther and the Reformation and us today?  Everything!  Notice:  the truth of the Gospel message of Christ is the one and only thing that saves a person and brings them true freedom in God.  Did Christ change the message at all in proclaiming full Gospel truth to the crowds?  Did He ever speak a different message of salvation, depending on the audience?  Did He give them what they wanted to hear instead of what they needed to hear for salvation?  Not at all!  Christ Himself spoke one message of truth to everyone and the Holy Spirit created faith in some of those gathered there, working in that Gospel proclamation.  Christ didn’t conform the Word of God to fit the people; He let the Word conform the people to God.  Did they all hear the same message?  Yes they did.  However, many of them rejected this message because it wasn’t what they wanted to hear. 

Reject the Word of Truth; the Almighty Word of God?  Man, these must have been some pretty rotten, hardcore sinners, huh?  Actually, yes, these people were some pretty hardcore sinners; hardcore enough to merit eternal death and damnation before God, apart from Christ—just like all of us here today.  No matter what day and age it is, whether it’s the ancient Greeks with all their wisdom, the ancient Egyptians with all their technological and scientific genius, the Medieval Roman Catholic world with all its works-righteous ceremonies and rites aimed at man making amends for the sins not covered in baptism, or Twenty-first century America with all our “progressive feelings and emotions” that lead us in our own personal version of “truth;” no matter who it is, the ever-changing message of the world has always stood in stark contrast to the one, eternal message of Christ crucified for our atonement with God precisely because we could not achieve atonement (at-one-ment) in any way by ourselves. 

Does this come as a surprise to you?  It shouldn’t.  Look at what that one, simple message says:  “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified (declared by God to be righteous and forgiven) by God’s grace alone as a free gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.  One is justified by faith apart from works of the law.”  The world has always found contempt with this message.  The old Adam in us has always sought and will always continue to seek ways to make our own “fig leaf coverings” so as to cover ourselves before God.  No one has ever enjoyed being told they are wrong, much less that they are completely sinful and worthy of nothing but eternal death and damnation for their sins.  Mankind, especially in our culture today, is not privy to such a thing as dependence upon someone else for anything, especially salvation.  Independence is the American way!  Guess what?  Independence in terms of salvation is not the way of God—never has been and it never will be.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:  it is precisely this complete dependence upon the perfect life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ that is our joy this Reformation Sunday and has been the joy of God’s people for all time!  This Gospel message was the message of the Old Testament prophets to the rebellious children of Israel who were being seduced by the mighty nations around them.  Just look throughout the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and the other prophets; they all speak of God doing the work of deliverance and salvation through His Holy One of Israel.  Trust whole-heartedly and completely depend on the Holy One of Israel for your salvation and freedom.  The same can be said of the New Testament preaching and teaching of Christ and His apostles.   The same can be said of Martin Luther in his fight with the Roman Catholic Church. 

The Medieval Roman Catholic Church had created a whole system of theology that basically left Christ out of the loop as far as sins committed after baptism was concerned.  Salvation was put upon the heads of the people and what they could do to please or placate the angry God that only wished to strike them down for their sins.  Pay the priests enough money, and they’ll have a private communion mass for you on your behalf.  Say enough “Hail Mary’s” or do enough penance (good works aimed at erasing your debt of sin) and you’ll knock a few centuries off of Purgatory (another wicked and selfish invention) for either yourself or your loved ones.  Luther toiled in this system for years, almost to the point of insanity and suicidal despair.  It was the simple message of Romans 3; the same message we read today; the same simple message of the eternal and pure Gospel of Christ for all time that brought light and life into the dark and deadly world of Martin Luther.  No longer did Luther have to depend on any other works or merits for salvation other than the perfect works, merits, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ alone.  Faith, hope, complete dependence and hope on this long suppressed Truth meant life and freedom in the purest Christian sense of these words.

Dear friends: the world we live in today is vastly different than the world of Luther, the world of St. Paul, and the world of Isaiah.  In fact, this world is much different than the world I was conceived into a mere thirty-three years ago.  However, the sins of man have never changed.  Eternal death being the justly deserved wage of sin has never changed.  Consequently, the singular message of Christ crucified for the sins of this world has also never changed.  It is this Gospel message alone; this Truth alone that has always will continue to truly break the deadly bonds and chains of sin, setting God’s people free in Jesus Christ.  It is this singular Gospel message of Christ alone that completely eradicates all sinful ignorance of salvation, life, and complete forgiveness.   It is this Gospel message alone that exposes the errors of this sinful world and leads men out of the deadly clutches of the devil into the marvelous light that is Jesus Christ. 

Does the Reformation continue today or is it just a notable date on the church year calendar carried out by some good, Christian people almost five-hundred years ago; a date worthy of an anniversary celebration?  Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:  it most certainly continues today, and it continues with you.  You have been given the blessed gift of the Gospel that makes all men free in Christ and gives to all people life, forgiveness, salvation, and true peace that is found only in Christ.  May God grant us the strength and courage that He has granted all His people throughout history to stand firm in and freely proclaim this blessed, unchanging, eternal Word of Truth to a world that either despises or is completely ignorant of the true joy and freedom that is found only in God’s Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.