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Reformation Day 2024
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
October 27, 2024
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Today we celebrate Reformation Day. We remember Martin Luther nailing the 95 theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg Germany on the Eve of All Saints Day in the year 1517. This call for debate on the sale of indulgences began the Reformation of the church and led to the Lutheran Church coming into existence.
I confess that I may have, at times, turned the Reformation Day sermon into a sort of pep rally for Lutheranism, but I have not yet in the cheerleaders from school to lead us in a rousing chant, “Lutherans are ready… Lutherans are smooth… Lutherans will take control and stomp all over you!" I haven’t gone that far for Reformation Day, but it certainly seems to be a day to be proud to be Lutheran. Proud to be Lutheran! But wait…is that an okay thing to say? In the Gospel of Mark we learn that pride is one of evils that come from the heart of man. And, interestingly, what Luther rediscovered about humanity in Holy Scripture is not a source of pride.
The beginning of the Reformation came from Luther questioning the sale of indulgences which promised to remit all earthly punishments for sin for someone who is alive. Or, an indulgence could be purchased for someone who had died with the promise that they would spring from purgatory as soon as the coin in the coffer clings.
As a Lutheran pastor I am not overly familiar with the teachings about purgatory, so, at a casual discussion group I was chatting with a young Catholic priest and he talked about the dignity of purgatory. He said a person has dignity because they suffer on account of their sins either in this life, doing penance, or in purgatory. Now, dignity means to be worthy of honor or respect. Does the Bible teach that you have dignity because of your actions? Is there dignity in the doing?
Even today, for Roman Catholics who want to avoid purgatory, they can still get an indulgence. You cannot buy one, but a quick internet search shows there are still many ways to earn a plenary indulgence which is the full remission of the earthly penalty for your sins. You can earn one each day, by being in a state of grace and with a proper disposition, go to confession, receive communion, and pray for the intentions of the pope. You can apply the indulgence to yourself or to someone who has died. In 2025 you can earn two indulgences each day because the pope has declared it is a jubilee year. For the jubilee year there is a detailed list of many ways to earn an indulgence; you can go on a pilgrimage, perform an act of mercy, fast from social media, and many other things. From these instructions it seems that there is dignity in the doing.
But what does the Bible say? Looking at our Epistle reading from Romans, what can we learn about our dignity? Romans 3:19 (ESV) 19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.”
God’s law stops your mouth, leaving you nothing to say in your defense. The law says you have no excuse. You get no dignity from the law. Paul continues, Romans 3:22–23 (ESV) 22 … there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” In our gospel reading Jesus teaches more about sin, John 8:34 (ESV) 34 …“Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.”
The very difficult thing about Christianity is the knowledge that you cannot save yourself. As a descendent of Adam and Eve, you are, by nature, sinful and unclean. You cannot undo that. The Bible is clear about the source of salvation. Ephesians 2:8–9 (ESV) 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” It is utterly humbling to realize that you cannot do it. There is nothing you can do to save yourself. With man it is impossible. You are poor in spirit. You have nothing to offer God.
We like to go through life pretending that we are pretty good people and we are doing ok, not like those really bad people, but then we learn from Holy Scripture, Isaiah 64:6 (ESV) 6 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
The New Testament is no more encouraging. 1 Peter 1:24–25 (ESV) 24 for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.”
You are like grass that withers. Your righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. You cannot do it. There is no dignity in your doing.
This can make it hard to market Lutheran theology. “Come to our church and we will let you know that you are a helpless sinner and you can do nothing to save yourself.” That is not a very positive message.
But that is not the whole message. God’s truth is not all about God’s law. Romans 3:21–22 (ESV) 21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe…”
Righteousness does not come through the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ. Romans 3:22–25 (ESV) 22 … there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation (an appeasement) by his blood, to be received by faith. …”
You can do nothing to merit salvation. You cannot gain dignity by doing. It has been done for you. Jesus did it for you and gives it to you as a gift. Romans 3:27 (ESV) 27 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. John 8:36 (ESV) 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
You are free in Christ. You can trust this Good News because Jesus did it all without your help and Jesus does things perfectly. In Christ you have the perfect promise.
Which of these two statements gives you more assurance? “I am saved because I believe in Jesus.” Or “I am saved because Jesus died for me.” If you emphasize your belief you are always left wondering, do I believe enough? If it is about what Jesus has done, you can trust it completely. You are saved -- because Jesus died for you. Let the joy of that promise sink in. The truth is that you can do nothing to aid in your salvation; you have no dignity in the doing, and that is the most joyous truth because it means that you need not doubt. You need not wonder -- have I done enough. Jesus has done it all.
Jesus delivers this saving grace to you in the waters of Holy Baptism, in His Body and Blood in Holy Communion, and in His Word.
Lutherans follow scripture alone. Whatever I teach from this pulpit or in a class, I need to be able to show you where it comes from in the Bible because the Bible is God’s Word. In scripture you find truth.
As Jesus teaches, John 8:31–32 (ESV) 31 … “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
1 Peter 1:24–25 (ESV) 24 … The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.” VDMA Verbum Domini Manet in Aeternum. The word of the Lord remains forever. This is the motto of the Lutheran Reformation. So we sing and we pray, “Lord, keep us steadfast in your word.”
You have the amazing, pure Good News that your sins are forgiven in Jesus. And today we remember and celebrate the rediscovery of that Good News begun by Martin Luther in Wittenberg.
Jesus saves you, you do not save yourself. There is no doubt of what Jesus has done. You can trust that His redemption of you is complete. And so, while you still struggle with temptation and sin, Jesus has declared you to be a saint; holy, righteous and pure. The joy and light of Jesus shine forth from you as a redeemed child of God destined for eternal life in the Heavenly City.
You are destined for eternity with Jesus, but for now there are dangers lurking, so be aware. The devil will tempt you to believe that you have to do something to complete your salvation; that your sins are forgiven, if, you do your part. The devil will tempt you to abuse your salvation by acting like an unbeliever following the ways of the world, instead of acting like the saint that you are following the commandments of God. The devil will try to get you to abandon God’s truth and believe the devil’s lies. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Today, we celebrate Reformation Day. We remember a brave, stubborn monk who rediscovered the truth that dignity is not in the doing, or in the buying of an indulgence, or suffering in purgatory, an imaginary place invented by men. Jesus’ grace is a free gift for all people.
For questioning indulgences, Martin Luther was kicked out of the Roman Church and sentenced to death. The penalty for translating the Bible into any language other than Latin was also punishable by death. So since he was already under a death sentence, and with the protection of his prince, Luther translated the Bible into German so the German people could read the Bible in their own language. The people could abide in God’s Word and the truth set them free. Luther gave people the Word of God and churches were able to learn the truth of the Bible.
Luther did not start something new. He did not start a new church of the enlightenment period in which he lived in order to make everything make sense. He did not start a new church that rejected infant baptism and rejected the real presence of Jesus’ Body and Blood in Holy Communion because that just makes more rational sense. Luther did not start something new. Luther went back to an earlier form of the Church when scripture alone was the source of church teaching. Luther called it the Evangelical Church. The Gospel Church. The Good News Church. “Lutheran” was first a name coined by Luther’s enemies, but the churches began using the term in the middle of the 16th century to distinguish themselves from Anabaptists and Calvinists. So now we are called Lutherans and the last Sunday of October each year we remember and celebrate the Reformation. We are tempted to say, “I’m proud to be Lutheran,” but perhaps it is better to say, “I am thankful to be Lutheran because I know the truth. Jesus has fully redeemed me and I need not doubt God’s promise to me.”
You know the truth and the truth sets you free. If the Son sets you free, you are free indeed. The word of the Lord remains forever. Amen.