Reforming Slaves

Today's sermon, for Reformation Day, was mainly based on the gospel lesson, John 8:31-36.  Today was also Reformation Day, when the Protestant Church, and the Lutheran church in particular, celebrates the anniversary of Martin Luther nailing 95 theses (or complaints) against the Roman Catholic Church to the door of the Wittenburg Chapel in hopes to reform the church.  Luther's complaints ended up sparking the Reformation, in which groups broke off from the Catholic church, instead of a reformation within the church.  For Bethlehem is was also the day that two teenage members (Ryan and Tori) affirmed their baptisms, or made their confirmation.


One thing I love about confirmation services being on Reformation Day is that it is a reminder to us that our faith is constantly reforming and God is revealed to us.  Our faith should not be stagnate!  So in the spirit of a reforming faith and a spirit of an confirming faith, enjoy today's sermon



Jesus was talking to some of his Jewish followers about freedom and they in response boasted that they are descendants of Abraham and therefore have never been slaves. Umm I seem to recall an entire book in the Torah about the Jewish exodus from slavery in Egypt into the promise land in Israel. I believe the book is called Exodus. The book is about how God sent Moses to tell the Pharaoh to let God’s people go from their captivity as slaves so they could go to the promise land. And then how Pharaoh refused multiple times so God kept sending plagues so Pharaoh would free the Israelites and eventually they had to flee after God killed the first born sons of Egypt and they went across the Red Sea and then wandered in the wilderness for 40 years (though that part is in the next three books of the Torah). These Jewish followers of Jesus were so confident in their supposed freedom that they were not able to recall how they ancestors had once been slaves nor where they able to see how they were currently slaves to sin.

And some of us are probably thinking that we are American and are not slaves, forgetting that just 145 years ago slavery was legal in this very country. Much less are we able to see all the ways that we are enslaved.

So what are you slaves of?

For Ryan and Tori, they probably have at times thought they were slaves to confirmation classes, having to be at church at 9am each Sunday for a year, and 10am on Saturday twice a month for another year. And having to deal with a pastor who thinks she is much cooler than she really is.

Many of us are slaves to our houses trying to constantly clean, maintain and pay the mortgage on. Many of us are slaves to our cars, so use we are to constantly making car payments, taking it in for oil changes, and getting gas that we forget that we can occasionally walk, ride a bike or take public transportation (granted I will give you the fact that very few things are within easy walking distance in this part of Connecticut). We are enslaved to student loan payments, insurance payments, credit card bills and other payments and bills that we struggle figuring out how to pay them all off each month. Some of us are enslaved to fashion, television, or the internet; we are addicted to gambling, alcohol, or drugs; we are imprisoned to our jobs; we are bound by family obligations; we are oppressed by the structures of society; we are subjected to the government. Yet all these things we can do something about, they take time, but we can change. We can downsize; we can join a support group or twelve step program to free ourselves from addiction; we can quit our jobs; we can tell people no; we can even move out of the country or disappear off the grid in order to be free from the government.

But regardless of what we do, we will still be enslaved. Regardless of what we do we will always be slaves, we will never be free. Because we are captive to sin. We are in bondage to sin. We are imprisoned to sin. We are enslaved to sin. We are oppressed by sin. We are subjected to sin. We are addicted to sin. And there is nothing we can do about it.

Regardless of what we do, we will always be sinners. Regardless of how much we pray we are still sinners. Regardless of how often we worship God, we are still sinners. Regardless if we memorize the bible, we are still sinners. Regardless of the fact that we are theological descendants of Martin Luther, we are still sinners. Regardless if we stand up here today and confess our baptismal faith, like Ryan and Tori will do today, we are still sinner, and Ryan and Tori, just for the record, you will still be sinners after you affirm your baptism today. Because no matter what we do, we will always be sinners.

But our freedom is not dependent on us. Christ is the one who sets us free from sin and death. Jesus’ death on the cross saved us from the power of sin. The truth that comes through Jesus allows us to be free. It is Christ who reveals our faith to us, a faith that is constantly reforming which we celebrate today on this Reformation Day. It is God who claims us in the waters of baptism. It is Christ who comes to us through a simple meal of bread and wine. It is the Holy Spirit working within us that allows us to affirm our faith. It is God who claims us as children of the heavenly Father. It is God who gathers us in God’s bosom and gives us refuge. It is God who sets us free!

MMC: Reformation Freedom

Good Morning Bethlehem

I hope you are enjoying our beautiful fall weekend and it looks like the next few days will be blessings as well.  

This coming Sunday will be an eventful day at Bethlehem and all are invited to celebrate with us.  Sunday is Reformation Day as we celebrate and remember the day that Martin Luther nailed 95 theses to the door of Wittenburg Chapel which started the Protestant reformation.  At 9am is an intergenerational Sunday School for all ages in which we will learn a little bit more about Martin Luther and the Reformation.  Sunday is also Confirmation Day, when Ryan and Tori will affirm their baptisms and become adult members of the congregation.  Please plan on joining us for this festive worship service, wear red (the color of Reformation), and bring some finger foods to share at the reception to follow.  

As Ryan and Tori affirm their faith, I am asking that if anyone has any advice to share about what has helped them in their faith life, to either email me or write out that piece of advice so that it can be passed on to Ryan and Tori on their confirmation day.  

The following Sunday, November 7th, is All Saints Day.  If you have a name to include in prayers of the saints for that day, please send me those names before November 7th.  We will be praying especially for those who have been born, baptized or have died within the last year.  

And this week's book of faith puzzler is: In Matthew, what did Jesus tell his disciples to fish for?  (Thanks to Tori Muniz for thinking of this week’s question.)  If you know the answer, or think you do, email me by Wednesday at noon to be entered into this week's drawing. 

Now onto this week's texts:

The first lesson is Jeremiah 31:31-34.  God promises that the day is coming when a new covenant will be made between God and God's people.  God's law will be written on our hearts and everyone will know the Lord and we will all be forgiven. Do you think this covenant has already been made or is it still to come?  If it already has happened, how is God's law written on your heart, how do you know the Lord and how do you feel forgiven?  If it hasn't already happened, do you experience any of those things at least on occasion?  

The second lesson is Romans 3:19-28.  Paul discusses the law and that we are made righteous outside of the law.  He also says that we are justified by Jesus' grace and that is a gift.  How is grace a gift to you?  Is it a gift that you realize that you have been given? Is it a gift that you accept? or one that you refuse?  Do you feel like you need to do something to receive this grace?  (Hint: verse 28 reads: For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law.)

The Gospel is John 8:31-36.  Jesus tells some skeptics that if they follow his word they are his disciples and through following the Son and knowing the truth you will be free.  What are you a slave to?  How do you follow Jesus' word?  How do you ignore it?  What does it feel like to be free?

As always I welcome any thoughts you may have on these texts or my questions.  Also all women are invited to the parsonage on Wednesday evening at 7:30 to discuss these text over chocolate and wine.  

Have a wonderful week

Pastor Becca

Lutheran Pride Day

Just a quick note before I post this last Sunday's sermon. I have been so overwhelmed by the number of comments I have received about my last post "The Letter." I know that no one should be shocked that such things are still said from Christians' mouths/pens but it is still always amazing. Thank you all, friends and strangers, for you comments. May Christ continue to be with you all as you share God's true gospel message with all the world.

So onto the sermon. This sermon was really not based on any of the text for this last Sunday (yes I know I'm bad), though I did allude to those text: Jeremiah 31:31-34, Romans 3:19-28 and John 8: 31-36. And again my disclaimer: this was written for an oral sermon, i.e. there are probably many grammatical errors and spelling mistakes, but just deal with it.

I love being a Lutheran on Reformation Day! It is the day that we wear red (which we don’t get to break out that often) sing the Lutheran fight song (A Mighty Fortress) and celebrate the fact that we are Lutheran. Today, Reformation Day, is kind of like a Lutheran pep rally or Lutheran Pride Day. Maybe to evangelize we should start having parades…think of how many people would claim to be Lutheran on Reformation Day? I mean hundreds of thousands of people claim to be Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, when they clearly aren’t Irish.

But what are we celebrating today? In 1517 on All Saints Eve, All Hallow’eve (better known as Halloween), Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the door of Castle Church in Wittenburg. These were 95 complaints that he had against the Catholic Church. The main complain that all of these 95 theses had to do with was how the church handled confession, forgiveness and absolution. The Catholic Church was selling forgiveness to anyone who gave money to help build St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Now as great of a capital campaign as that was, what makes a human think that they can sell God’s forgiveness?

Well this lead to quite a bit of debate, and it started the Reformation, the re-forming, of the church. And as a result many different groups or denominations broke off from the One, True, Catholic and Apostolic Church in order to follow their own understanding of God, scripture and faith.

So does this bit of history mean that we are celebrating the Lutheran break from the Catholic Church? Well for some people that is true, but really we are celebrating, remembering and reminding ourselves of so much more.

See the real reason Luther wrote these 95 Theses is because he had a different understanding of forgiveness and salvation. For Luther, and for us Lutherans, forgiveness is not something you can buy. You cannot do whatever you want and then be able to buy your way out of sin and death by giving enough money away. First off true stewardship is more than just paying your dues, it is about realizing your money and possessions belongs to God and you are to give generously to God and to those in need. But more importantly, we cannot buy God’s forgiveness because it is not something that we can buy.

God’s forgiveness is not doled out to the highest bidder or the person who does the most good in this world. No God’s forgiveness is freely given, it is grace that is pour out upon us, each and every day, it is a gift that one cannot buy and also that one cannot return. We are saved from sin and death because of God’s grace. We are saved by God’s grace through our faith, and not our works (including our money). We are saved because God loves us, not because God loves how much we time and money we give or because God loves how much we love others. We are saved, we are given God’s grace because God loves us.

Alleluia! Amen! What an amazing message! Who would turn away from that? Who would not want to hear that it is not up to us but solely up to God? I don’t know. It is a message that is almost 500 years old and yet still people do not know it and still people turn away from it.

And at the same time Jesus came 2000 years ago and there are still people who do not believe in him, who do not acknowledge him as the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God, Begotten not made, of one being with the Father through him all things were made, For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, and became truly human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.

So if people aren’t going to acknowledge that, I can understand why hearing that God’s grace, forgiveness and salvation are free gifts that require no effort on our own other than faith, can be a little difficult for people to sallow.

But that is the point of the church, that is the point for us as Christians. We are suppose to go out as Christians, as people of the reformed church, and tell other the good news, the good news that God continues to promise us that Christ died for our sins, that Christ has set us free, that Christ has made us no longer a slave to sin and death. We are called to go out and tell others about the new covenant that God has made with us, the covenant that is referred to in our reading from Jeremiah today, the covenant that was started with Christ Jesus, but has yet to be fully realized. The covenant that God has forgiven us of our sins, the covenant that we are saved by God’s grace through faith and not our works. And we are also called as Christians and as a church to tell people that we are still struggling to understand what exactly that means.

See the Reformation is not something that happened 500 years ago that we commemorate today. No the reformation, the re-formation of the church, of our hearts and of our faith, is something that was started long ago but yet continues today. The reforming of the church is something that faith-based people struggled with 500 years ago in the days of Martin Luther, but it something that we have struggled with more recently. 500 years ago, the re-forming issues were about forgiveness, being able to worship in the common language, clergy being able to marry, and the definition of the sacraments. In more recent decades the re-forming issues were about the ordination of women, the merging of church bodies, ecumenical relationships, and the authority of scripture. And today many of those same issues are still at the heart of how the church is re-forming. But other issues have arisen as well, including the ordination and marriage of homosexuals, as was greatly noted by our most recent church-wide assembly, and the church as a whole is dealing with issues about how to adapt, change and remain the same in the constant changing tides that happen in the secular world.

And on a local level, we too are re-forming. We have been reforming as you have seen fit to call me as your pastor; we have been reforming as we understand what it means to be Lutherans in this area of Fairfield County, Connecticut. We have been reforming by telling people that Bethlehem Lutheran Church is not dead but has much life left in it. We have been reforming as we, a small church, do many great things and yet continue to be underestimated. We have been reforming as we grow, change and adapt to new situations, to new life.

We are a reforming church and that is truly what we celebrate on this Reformation Day, not the fact that some dude nailed a piece of paper to a church door almost 500 years ago, but that by God’s grace we are a church today, that is alive, and constantly reforming.