What a wonderful day it is to gather as God’s people! On this Reformation Day, we lift up all the ways that God is working in and through us to reform and make new the Church. Together we celebrate God’s promises made to us in baptism, especially as Caleb, Colleen, Chase, and Derek affirm these promises and join the ranks of confirmed adult members of the congregation.
Their Confirmation follows two years of intentional study of the Bible, the Small Catechism, and Lutheran theology and practice. This is not an ending in their journey of faith, but rather a stepping stone. They have been equipped with some tools and knowledge to help them make decisions in life that are informed by their faith. But there are always more things to learn, more ways to grow, more ways to listen for God’s call for us as individuals and us as a community.
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| Photo by Matt Meilner on Unsplash |
When these students come forward, this is what I will ask them: You have made public profession of your faith. Do you intend to continue in the covenant God made with you in holy baptism:
to live among God’s faithful people,
to hear the word of God and share in the Lord’s supper,
to proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed,
to serve all people, following the example of Jesus,
and to strive for justice and peace in all the earth?
Each person will respond:
I do, and I ask God to help and guide me.
These are big promises. And all of them necessarily take place in community, with the support, prayers, and efforts of our fellow workers in the Body of Christ. But, on a day that we’re focused on the power of the truth, here it is - you will fail.
Someone will say something that makes you mad or hurts your feelings, and you will withdraw from life with and among God’s faithful people.
Life will get in the way, and you will neglect to come to worship, the space where we, in community, hear the word of God and share in the Lord’s supper.
Overcome by self-preservation, or fear, you will fail to proclaim the good news of God in Christ in word and deed.
There will be moments that selfishness will lead you to serve only yourself, or only people who look or worship or live like you do.
Overwhelmed by the vastness of injustice, or perfectly content with how things are for you personally, there will be times when you will barely shuffle after justice and peace, let alone strive for them.
How am I so certain that you will fail? Because I have failed. And everyone here has failed. When, not if, these times come, I hope you remember that in the midst of our failure, our selfishness, and our fear, God’s promises and God’s faithfulness stand firm. God will hold you tightly and surround you with love even when you feel like you are lost, even when you’re angry, or freefalling, or actively running away.
This is precisely the truth that Jesus talks about in today's Gospel reading. The truth about us is that we are sinners. The truth about us is that we harm one another, intentionally or unintentionally. The truth is that we are selfish, and too easily make distinctions and draw boundaries between ourselves and other people God dearly loves. The truth about us is that we cannot earn or deserve God's mercy, that we cannot justify ourselves.
Are you cringing yet? This is not a truth about ourselves that is comfortable to talk about. It is a truth we barely want to admit to ourselves, let alone everyone else! How on earth is this a truth that makes us free?!
How? Because when we recognize that we are human, and sinful, and incapable of bringing about our own salvation no matter how hard we try or how good we are, we can be free from trying. You will not earn forgiveness or salvation. You cannot! It comes from God, and God alone.
This, then, is the other truth that makes us free - that we are justified, made right, freed from sin, death, and the devil not by our own work but by God's abundant and free gift of grace. This truth, this gift frees from the need to keep track of points; frees us from the need to be in competition with one another for God's love; frees us from the need to place ourselves above others. This truth, this gift frees us for love of God and love of neighbor.
And so, at other times, however imperfectly, you will do these things you are promising today. You’ll join with the people who are the Church, the Body of Christ, and we will raise our voices in praise, prayer, lament, and action so that all might know the goodness and welcome of God.
Following the example of Jesus and looking to the welcome of God’s kingdom, we are freed to stand alongside the hurting, the marginalized, and the outcast. Created in the image of God, we are made for love, for relationship, and for community. Marred always by sin and brokenness, we cling tightly to God’s promises. These promises are trustworthy and true - that we are loved, that we are forgiven, and that it is grace, and not anything we do or fail to do, that saves us, gives us life, and makes us whole.
This is the truth - the Son has made us free, and we are free indeed!
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