John 8:31-36 - "A Reforming Faith" (10-26-08)

So if the son makes you free you will be free indeed. When will we be made free? The verb tenses here from John chapter 8 are all future tenses. The verb is 3rd person singular so it’s plural. The truth will make you free again and again into the future. This means that Jesus is telling us that we will be made free in Christ again and again. But why are we not free in a permanent state to live in this household that we are invited into?

We know that the door keeps getting slammed in our face. We are locked out of this life of freedom and we end up creating our own traditions and manners by which we feel some control of our own destiny. We are imprisoned by our conforming to the idea that we can in some way stay free on my own. We think we can keep the door of grace open on our own. There are various mental, emotional or psychological doors that we try to just push open ourselves so that we may stay permanently free. But we have no place in this house of faith lest we are invited. This is the focus of reformation Sunday.

We are called again today to turn and enter into this freedom! God who formed us in the mother’s womb is continuing to reform us and calls us to reform. Jeremiah 7:3 says that God says “Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place.” Reform in the Greek word is diorthose which means channel to make things right and to straighten thoroughly; rectification. This is where we get the word orthodox, getting back to the basics.

So we recall today that it was October 31, 1517 that Martin Luther posted on the website the 95 THESIS or points of contention that he wanted to discuss further. Inspired by the Holy Spirit to seek to reform the church, he was a part of a reformation movement.

It was then in 1529 that the reformers sent a document that was called Protestatio, and hence, the entire group of reformers came to be branded “Protestants.” Thus, we who belong to any of the denominations that have sprung from the Reformation root have our beginnings in a protest movement firmly inspired by the reforming work of the Holy Spirit.[1] We don’t celebrate “protestant” Sunday but reformation Sunday.

Now the reformation continued in 1999. The Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation signed the Joint Declaration of Faith back in the same place where the reformation started. I had the chance to preach there. It is my hope that we will invite them next year on Reformation Day to preach here and have a service of prayer together.

God is continuing to reform the church. I saw this happening in the past week when I attended a Catalyst prayer meeting of church leaders of McHenry County. This is a newer group and has been put together by the evangelical free, Baptist, non-denominational and Willow Creek of Crystal Lake churches. I hadn’t been invited before last month to attend as they had been meeting for awhile. You see Lutherans get together with other mainline churches, Roman Catholics and Episcopalians, but not the conservative right of the church. Now I saw the agenda ahead of time. It listed an opening prayer, presentation on the Catalyst group of Lake County and prayer for the nation. The Catalyst group of Lake County did a month long food drive and raised over 120K pounds of food; they had 30,000 bags in the Daily Herald and did a great job of working together. Then the prayer for the nation took place and I figured they would pray for a certain candidate, which they didn’t. They did express concern for how the election might go. So when we prayed it was for all the leaders and then I prayed: Gracious God, help us to see that there is just one church; even if we don’t like one another; that there is just one Christ. Show us the more excellent way of love (1 Corinthians 12:31.” It was a hopeful experience. Well, I just read their mission statement that they sent out this week. It says: “A community of churches and ministries sharing a common mission to glorify God (Psalm 86:12-13) and to be used by Him to reconcile men to Himself through Jesus Christ.” Well I guess we are only going to reach about half of the county because we are excluding the women, since the mission is only for “men”. Now, when I bring this up they may just label me a feminist. Some will say that “men” is used in a general tone. Well when they might just say I’m a feminist. Yet the one who formed us in our mother’s womb is out to reform us again whether we like it or not.

God continues to reform us in Christ through worship, prayer, scripture and community that we might know the more excellent way and be a people of reconciliation. When we gather for worship, we are reminded of how imprisoned we are before God. Prayer and scripture expose us to the truth about ourselves and a door slams in our face for we are not free. We are slaves to sin which causes us to conform to the ways of the world. We gather to know the truth about ourselves and to hear the good news of Christ who WILL set us free again and again.

These young people today who are affirming their faith have transformed and matured in the past few years. They have been formed in the image of God and have grown up before our very eyes. I can’t believe you are taking this step of faith. Yet you are called to turn again and again to Christ who will show you how to care for one another in a world that wants everyone to conform to materialism, individualism and Christian denominationalism. You are free to not attend confirmation class – it was never called conformation class. You are confirming your faith and the word confirm means “with strength” and conviction you are saying yes to Christ as your Lord and Savior. You are invited to confirm your faith every day

So when someone asks you when you were saved, you can say like all of us that we were saved 2000 years ago outside of the city of Jerusalem when Jesus died on the cross. When someone asks you if you know the day you were saved, you can reply that you don’t just have one day but everyday the Holy Spirit calls out to me to reform. This is the promise of freedom, the Christ will set you free from sin, death and evil one to live and be a reformation people.

Let us pray: Gracious God, you continue to reform and reshape us into your people. Reform this world and let it begin here with us who gather. Even when we don’t want to be changed or transformed, your holy spirit grabs us and creates life where there is death. Reform us today, we pray in Christ’s name, Amen.

---

[1] www.homileticsonline.com – 2008 sermon subscription