On October 31st, 1517, Martin Luther posted his Ninety-Five Theses on the door of the castle church in Wittenberg, Germany. (The full title of the document is Ninety-Five Theses on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences.) I suppose Luther's act marked the unofficial start of the Lutheran Reformation, and so this Sunday a lot of churches will celebrate "Reformation Day."
I am ambivalent when it comes to celebrating the Reformation. On the one hand, the disunity of the Church clearly contradicts Jesus’ prayer for unity among his disciples. (John 17) Also, the false teaching that plagues much of Protestantism in general, and Lutheranism in particular, sometimes makes me want to “swim the Tiber” to the Roman Catholic Church. A pope who can put the kibosh on false teaching is pretty appealing.
Nevertheless, I deeply appreciate Martin Luther and his minions, especially Philipp Melanchthon and Martin Chemnitz. The confessions of these reformers are solid reminders of what it means to “worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:24) Even if Lutheran doctrine often gets misconstrued to mean that we should “continue in sin in order that grace may abound,” an actual reading of the Book of Concord makes it clear that the Lutheran Reformers were in fact upholding “the faith that once for all was entrusted to the saints.” (Jude 1:3)
Whenever we're tempted to seek salvation in the things that we can have, in the deeds that we can do, or in the people that we can become, the confessions point us back to the clear message of Scripture: the Christian life is a gift – Christ himself is the Father’s gift – grasped through faith alone. Yes, love – that is, patience with and kindness toward others, not some schmaltzy “anything goes” love – is the immediate consequence of a living faith. However, the fruit should not be confused with the root.
So, in honor of Reformation Day, here are some notable Lutheran quotes:
“When our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, said ‘Repent’, He called for the entire life of believers to be one of penitence.” - Thesis #1 of Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses
“This act or ceremony (of baptism) consists of being dipped under the water, which covers us completely, and being drawn out again. These two parts, being dipped under the water and emerging from it, point to the power and effect of baptism, which is nothing else than the slaying of the old Adam and the resurrection of the new creature, both of which must continue in us our whole life long. Thus a Christian life is nothing else than a daily baptism, begun once and continuing ever after. For we must keep at it without ceasing, always purging whatever pertains to the old Adam, so that whatever belongs to the new creature may come forth.” - Luther’s Large Catechism
“Faith is a living and unshakeable confidence, a belief in the grace of God so assured that a man would die a thousand deaths for its sake. This kind of confidence in God’s grace, this sort of knowledge of it, makes us joyful, high-spirited, and eager in our relations with God and with all mankind. That is what the Holy Spirit effects through faith. Hence, the man of faith, without being driven, willingly and gladly seeks to do good to everyone, serve everyone, suffer all kinds of hardships, for the sake of the love and glory of the God who has shown him such grace. It is impossible, indeed, to separate works from faith, just as it is impossible to separate heat and light from fire.” - Luther’s Preface to Romans
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God – not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.” - Ephesians 2:8-10 (Paul was pre-Lutheran)
Happy Reformation Day.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Ordination Approval - A Few Thoughts
Last week I was approved for ordination in the North American Lutheran Church (NALC). By this time next year – God-willing – I might just be publicly preaching and teaching the Christian message like nobody’s business. Such a prospect has made me think more and more about what it means to do Word and Sacrament ministry. A few, somewhat-random thoughts are below.
1. “If I proclaim the Gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the Gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16)
Those are the words of the apostle Paul, but I would venture to say that many people count them as their own. I was converted to faith in Christ by a sermon I heard in high school, and so preaching is something about which I care deeply.
Nevertheless, I have to admit that it’s far easier to speak the Gospel from the pulpit than it is in less-structured settings. The true mettle of faith is demonstrated by those who speak the Word of God in a situation that doesn’t naturally welcome it. Those without such boldness would do well to remember – and would do even better to believe – Jesus’ words: “Everyone who acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God; but whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God.” (Luke 12:8-9)
Indeed, “woe to me if I do not proclaim the Gospel!”
2. “Do not ordain anyone hastily…” (1 Timothy 5:22)
Ordination is not a right. (It is a rite, but that’s different.) Thus, it is not open to anyone who desires it or even to anyone who thinks God has called him to Word and Sacrament ministry. Assuming that the gifts for ministry are gifts of the Holy Spirit, and assuming that the Church is led by that same Holy Spirit, then the gifts must be recognized and validated by the Church.
Of course, this gets increasingly easier for me to say as I approach ordination. Still, the point stands: “Do not ordain anyone hastily…” The logical flip-side of that is this: If you believe that God has given you a particular gift for the sake of edifying his Church, then submit that belief and that gift to the Church for her Spirit-led determination. (Yes, this gets a lot more complicated by the fact that many “churches” are led by a different spirit than the Holy Spirit, but I’m not even going to try to solve that problem here.)
3. “Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’” (John 20:21-23)
As the above quote shows, ministers of Word and Sacrament have been entrusted with Christ’s mission, and they have been given his Spirit to carry it out. Their mission is to redeem the fallen world not with the wisdom of men, but with a message. What does that message entail? Two related things: the forgiveness and the retention of sins. Like their forbears, modern-day apostles carry a twofold message: “Repent, and believe the good news.” In other words, turn away from false gods, and turn to the merciful lordship of Jesus Christ. That’s the basic message. The first part retains sins, the second forgives the repentant sinner. It is both Law and Gospel, and it both kills the old Adam and gives birth to the new Christ.
It’s worth noting that when the Law is preached, the Christian preacher’s definition of sin is not up to his discretion. An example of such an abuse of the preacher’s office: “I love the environment, so I’m going to tell SUV drivers to repent.” Or, “Gee, according to God’s Word that man is committing a sin, but I don’t want to hurt his feelings. I’ll just stay quiet.” Put simply, sin is not that which the preacher doesn’t like. Rather, it is that which God’s Law proscribes, whether we like it or not.
Finally, by what means is the preacher’s task accomplished? With the proclaimed Word of God, and by the power of the Holy Spirit. The task of the Christian preacher is to speak the Word in its twofold form, and pray that the Spirit will do his salvific work. The preacher cannot ensure that the message will be received. His task is faithfulness to the Word, while the power of conversion belongs to the domain of the Holy Spirit. As it is written, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” (1 Corinthians 3:6) (Of course, if one’s proclamation of the Word never bears fruit, then he ought to consider why. Perhaps he’s not proclaiming the same Word to which the Spirit lends his power.)
So those are my somewhat-random thoughts. I’ll conclude with what I find to be the best description of Christ’s apostles, both 2,000 years ago and today: “Think of us in this way, as servants of Christ and stewards of God’s mysteries.” (1 Corinthians 4:1)
1. “If I proclaim the Gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the Gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16)
Those are the words of the apostle Paul, but I would venture to say that many people count them as their own. I was converted to faith in Christ by a sermon I heard in high school, and so preaching is something about which I care deeply.
Nevertheless, I have to admit that it’s far easier to speak the Gospel from the pulpit than it is in less-structured settings. The true mettle of faith is demonstrated by those who speak the Word of God in a situation that doesn’t naturally welcome it. Those without such boldness would do well to remember – and would do even better to believe – Jesus’ words: “Everyone who acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God; but whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God.” (Luke 12:8-9)
Indeed, “woe to me if I do not proclaim the Gospel!”
2. “Do not ordain anyone hastily…” (1 Timothy 5:22)
Ordination is not a right. (It is a rite, but that’s different.) Thus, it is not open to anyone who desires it or even to anyone who thinks God has called him to Word and Sacrament ministry. Assuming that the gifts for ministry are gifts of the Holy Spirit, and assuming that the Church is led by that same Holy Spirit, then the gifts must be recognized and validated by the Church.
Of course, this gets increasingly easier for me to say as I approach ordination. Still, the point stands: “Do not ordain anyone hastily…” The logical flip-side of that is this: If you believe that God has given you a particular gift for the sake of edifying his Church, then submit that belief and that gift to the Church for her Spirit-led determination. (Yes, this gets a lot more complicated by the fact that many “churches” are led by a different spirit than the Holy Spirit, but I’m not even going to try to solve that problem here.)
3. “Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’” (John 20:21-23)
As the above quote shows, ministers of Word and Sacrament have been entrusted with Christ’s mission, and they have been given his Spirit to carry it out. Their mission is to redeem the fallen world not with the wisdom of men, but with a message. What does that message entail? Two related things: the forgiveness and the retention of sins. Like their forbears, modern-day apostles carry a twofold message: “Repent, and believe the good news.” In other words, turn away from false gods, and turn to the merciful lordship of Jesus Christ. That’s the basic message. The first part retains sins, the second forgives the repentant sinner. It is both Law and Gospel, and it both kills the old Adam and gives birth to the new Christ.
It’s worth noting that when the Law is preached, the Christian preacher’s definition of sin is not up to his discretion. An example of such an abuse of the preacher’s office: “I love the environment, so I’m going to tell SUV drivers to repent.” Or, “Gee, according to God’s Word that man is committing a sin, but I don’t want to hurt his feelings. I’ll just stay quiet.” Put simply, sin is not that which the preacher doesn’t like. Rather, it is that which God’s Law proscribes, whether we like it or not.
Finally, by what means is the preacher’s task accomplished? With the proclaimed Word of God, and by the power of the Holy Spirit. The task of the Christian preacher is to speak the Word in its twofold form, and pray that the Spirit will do his salvific work. The preacher cannot ensure that the message will be received. His task is faithfulness to the Word, while the power of conversion belongs to the domain of the Holy Spirit. As it is written, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” (1 Corinthians 3:6) (Of course, if one’s proclamation of the Word never bears fruit, then he ought to consider why. Perhaps he’s not proclaiming the same Word to which the Spirit lends his power.)
So those are my somewhat-random thoughts. I’ll conclude with what I find to be the best description of Christ’s apostles, both 2,000 years ago and today: “Think of us in this way, as servants of Christ and stewards of God’s mysteries.” (1 Corinthians 4:1)
Friday, October 7, 2011
Faithless Preaching
This Sunday, Saint John’s (my church for internship) begins a three-week sermon series on stewardship. Thinking about the Church’s message in relation to stewardship, I’ve been fighting a peculiar temptation. That temptation is to turn the gospel into a petty how-to speech.
Let me explain. Throughout the New Testament, the Christian message has two parts: (1) repent, and (2) believe. That’s the Christian life in a nutshell: (1) turning away from false gods, and (2) falling into the mercy and lordship of Jesus Christ, the Son of the one true God. And so the twofold Christian message functions both to kill the old Adam and to bring forth the new Christ.
But what does this mean for a sermon on stewardship? It’s tempting to change the Christian message from, “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Repent, and believe the good news,” to, “The Kingdom of Heaven needs to be built by you. Repent, and be a good steward.” I’ve heard such sermons before, and they usually conclude with some sort of petty instruction that aligns with the given preacher’s personality traits or political leanings.
Of course, this is nothing but being “ashamed of the gospel.” It is faithless preaching, and it’s rooted in disbelief that the gospel of Christ is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith.” (Romans 1:16) Ultimately, faithless preaching knows neither the depth of sin nor the power of God. The problem of sin is not just that we do the wrong things, but that we trust in false gods.
Hence, the Christian message – even and especially in relation to stewardship – is not, “Repent, and do this or do that with your time, talents, and money.” Rather, it is always, “Repent, and believe the good news.” Yes, that message unfolds in ways that shape our lives and make us faithful stewards of God’s gifts. (We cannot say, “I believe,” as we persist in sin.) Nevertheless, the Church’s proclamation is not fundamentally about the things that we do, but about the One we believe in and what He has done.
Let me explain. Throughout the New Testament, the Christian message has two parts: (1) repent, and (2) believe. That’s the Christian life in a nutshell: (1) turning away from false gods, and (2) falling into the mercy and lordship of Jesus Christ, the Son of the one true God. And so the twofold Christian message functions both to kill the old Adam and to bring forth the new Christ.
But what does this mean for a sermon on stewardship? It’s tempting to change the Christian message from, “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Repent, and believe the good news,” to, “The Kingdom of Heaven needs to be built by you. Repent, and be a good steward.” I’ve heard such sermons before, and they usually conclude with some sort of petty instruction that aligns with the given preacher’s personality traits or political leanings.
Of course, this is nothing but being “ashamed of the gospel.” It is faithless preaching, and it’s rooted in disbelief that the gospel of Christ is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith.” (Romans 1:16) Ultimately, faithless preaching knows neither the depth of sin nor the power of God. The problem of sin is not just that we do the wrong things, but that we trust in false gods.
Hence, the Christian message – even and especially in relation to stewardship – is not, “Repent, and do this or do that with your time, talents, and money.” Rather, it is always, “Repent, and believe the good news.” Yes, that message unfolds in ways that shape our lives and make us faithful stewards of God’s gifts. (We cannot say, “I believe,” as we persist in sin.) Nevertheless, the Church’s proclamation is not fundamentally about the things that we do, but about the One we believe in and what He has done.
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