Catholic. Evangelical. Reforming.

The last Sunday of October in Lutheran world is the Sunday that we in someway give nod to the Reformation. We remind ourselves of where we have come from, who we are, and where we are going.  We are reminded that we are a confessional church with a unique emphasis.  The churches of downtown Halifax are doing a variety of services this morning: the Roman Catholic basilica is doing Pentecost 24 which this Sunday is; many are celebrating All Saint’s Sunday (which in our world is next week), and the Presbyterians are going with Reformation. In Lunenburg County the Lutheran churches are joining together for one joint worship service this morning.

Lutheran Pastor Timothy Wengert tells a story of a woman coming to a service – a person who had never been to a Lutheran church before- the service, of course, began with the confession and forgiveness of sins. He had just proclaimed the Word, “I declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins,” when the woman stood up and said, “Really, is that it?”     Yes, yes it is.

This is the emphasis Lutherans continue to articulate from one generation to the next. We are justified by grace through faith – this is not our own doing it is a gift from God.  It is that simple.

Sometimes we forget who we are and the tradition of which we are a part. So this Reformation, we are being drawn back to the word of God – like the word that we hear in Jeremiah, saying that the word/ the covenant will be written on our hearts; the word in John that says the Word/the Truth will set you free. Each household was given a devotion book this morning.  The booklet is about the word – referring to scripture; and the Word, referring to Jesus.  The introduction teaches about Martin Luther and his use of words and how the printing press loved Luther because he wrote somewhere around 60,000 pages of words and translated the Bible into German.  Over the next two weeks you are encouraged to read a devotion a day, to be re-introduced to the importance of w/Word, in our faith lives and our everyday lives. Reconnect with the core of who you are, and with Jesus the Word, as articulated in theological reflection.

When I teach the faith and a Lutheran way of understanding and living, there are three words that I hope remain with the students.  The words are highlighted in their confirmation book, written by Daniel Erlander. The words are that Lutherans are:  catholic, evangelical, reforming.

Catholic – Polling the congregation, how many of you learned the Apostles Creed with the words, “I believe in the holy Christian church?” Who learned the creeds with the words,  “I believe in the holy catholic church?”

The current hymn book uses catholic, the hymnbook of 1978 had an asterisk after catholic – to allow for the word Christian to be substituted; the hymnbook, well the hymn books, before that said Christian.

As a tradition, we have continued to reflect on the words that we say, and the truth they convey. We are part of the church catholic, meaning universal; a story that goes back to the beginning of time, with a specific focus on Jesus as the Word and the Truth and the Life. For many years – that is from the time of Marin Luther through to the 1950s- a lot of energy was consumed to express difference; an avoidance of all things Roman Catholic. We are not that…this dispersion of energy sometimes had us forgetting that we had a specific Gospel message within the catholic world to articulate.

Those among us who have come from a Roman Catholic background will tell you that the liturgy sung every week is 98% the same as that used in Roman Catholic parishes, although our tunes are different. As you learned last week the Kyrie is older than the Roman church, so too are the words used at communion which go back to the early church, the Lord’s Prayer parts of which go back before Jesus. These words are shared by the universal church. We are catholic. Within the church catholic, we have a specific voice that uses particular words and phrases to articulate the Word.

Evangelical –   Often when this word is heard our minds go to a not so favourable place.  We think of denominations of Christian churches that call themselves evangelicals – we think of conservative churches in the Southern United States; we think of proselytizing, being told what to do, emphasis on sin, salvation.

To be Evangelical means to share the Good News.

That is what we are about: the woman who attended the service Timothy Wengert led, heard for the first time the Good News. The truth that her sins were forgiven and she was set free.  When we invite others to join us here, how much Good News is there to be heard?: we hear the words, “Your sins are forgiven,” in baptism “you are a child of God,” after the prayers “peace be with you,” in Eucharist “given for you” and “shed for you.” One way to be evangelical is to invite others to come with you to church, so that they might hear Good News, perhaps for the first time in their lives. Another way to share the Good News, when you are done with the booklet on the word, pass it on – spread the Word. Be an evangelist – the Word might just come to your friend via the words on the pages. Perhaps they will hear Truth that sets them free. If you are too shy to give the gift that sets people free, at least place the booklet in a stranger’s mailbox.

Reforming- Notice the word is an active verb.  Reformation didn’t just happen 499 years ago; Lutherans as a confessional church have continued to wrestle with the Word, to articulate faith in words and actions; to teach, preach, and confess Jesus generation after generation across many contexts. In my life time, a lot has changed in the church: women started to be ordained, women were given permission to sit on church council, there was an increase in lay assistants and communion assistants, the creed now says catholic, communion is opened to all the baptized, gay marriage is permitted, the hymnbook includes more global songs…

What hasn’t changed is the continued teaching of scripture, the creeds, the catechism, and the confessions. In away though the there has been constant change, that come out of reflecting on the foundation and core teaching of the church- theological reflection has been a part of who we are – and this conversation changes how we apply the word and truth in various contexts.  It is more than okay to ask questions, to debate, to converse, to wrestle with theological ideas – this is our heritage as a community of faith.

I don’t always express the “why” it is that I am Lutheran.  Yes, I have a German background, I have pretty much spent my whole life in the Lutheran church, but, I am not here out of default.  The older I get, the more education I receive, the conversations I have with colleagues of various traditions, I am struck by the freedom we understand as Lutheran Christians.  On a Sunday morning, I can preach a sermon on theological principles, quote theologians of the past and present, present alternative ways of thinking about a passage, talk about an array of scripture stories, use a hermeneutic that borders on being wild and crazy --- and as hearers you take it in and process it for yourselves. You theologically reflect and apply the pieces of what you have heard that make sense to your life. You are comfortable enough to converse with others, and myself about what you heard and how it affects you. There are times of difficult conversations: as Gloria Steinam once said, “The Truth will set you free…, but first it will piss you off.” Yet, we remain a community who wrestles with the Truth together—this is not the case in other contexts and communities.  That is why I am here. There is an ingrained openness to hearing the Good News, to wrestle with the Word at work amongst us. This is the Truth setting us free.

The Truth has set us free.  Every week that we come to this place we are confronted with God’s free gift. We hear words that are often unheard in our work weeks, Mon-Sat. Sometimes we are more willing to accept the gift than others, but, the gift is still given. The basic Good News: you are welcomed in, you are a loved child of God, given grace – as your sins are forgiven, and you are fed in Word and sacrament. This is a free gift for all, for everyone of you, always and forever. 

In a world that is full of fear, I chose to belong to a community of faith with a rich history of theological reflection, who considers themselves one among many – catholic; who continues to be evangelical, sharing Good News and grace in a world that so desperately needs it; and reforming – that we continue to move the church and God’s people to articulate truth and bring the kingdom to the present.  I come because I am reminded that there is freedom in the Gospel as expressed in this place. Through Christ, I am set free. You are set free.  Thanks be to God.