“Faithful to God’s Word”

Picture of a young, pensive, and dishevelled Martin Luther, a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation.

Reformation Sunday Sermon
Based on John 8:31-36
Rev. Magdalena I. García

Common English Bible (CEB)
31 Jesus said to the Jews who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teaching. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They responded, “We are Abraham’s children; we’ve never been anyone’s slaves. How can you say that we will be set free?” 34 Jesus answered, “I assure you that everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 A slave isn’t a permanent member of the household, but a son is. 36 Therefore, if the Son makes you free, you really will be free. 37 I know that you are Abraham’s children, yet you want to kill me because you don’t welcome my teaching.

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Introduction: Contemporary reforms

British Princesses To Be Equal To Princes In Line Of Succession
That was a National Public Radio headline on October 28, 2011.
And here is how the story began:
“Sons and daughters of any future U.K. monarch will have equal right to the throne” under royalty succession reforms agreed to today by all 16 Commonwealth countries, the BBC reports.
“And under the new rules, British kings and queens will no longer be banned from marrying Roman Catholics — though the rule barring a Catholic from becoming king or queen will remain...”

And the story went on to clarify what this means:
“...if the first child born to William and Kate
— the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge — is a girl,
she would be the heir to the throne,
assuming her father one day becomes king...”

It’s amazing how a decision on an issue
that is a no-brainer took centuries!
And this is a contemporary example
of a long-awaited reform in the life of monarchies.

Today is Reformation Sunday
What do we celebrate on Reformation Sunday?

The Protestant Reformation was, as its name indicates,
a reform movement in Europe that began in 1517,
although its roots lie further back in time.
The movement began as an attempt to reform
the Roman Catholic Church
(which was the Western branch of the Christian Church,
with the Orthodox and the Coptic churches to the East),
although it resulted in a schism
and the establishment of the Protestant Church.

What was the issue, you might ask?
Many western Roman Catholics were troubled
by what they saw as false doctrines
and malpractices within the Church,
particularly involving the teaching and sale of indulgences.

What was an indulgence, you might ask?
For me, an indulgence can be...
a slice of rum cake, drizzled with buttery rum syrup,
and topped with Haagen-Dazs rum raising ice cream?
For my husband, an indulgence can be...
a wedge of warm pecan pie,
topped with creamy vanilla ice cream.

According to Dictionary.com, an indulgence is, basically,
“the act or practice of indulging; gratification of desire...”
So, that decadent, dark chocolate brownie on a bed of caramel,
and topped with raspberry sauce is definitely an indulgence!!!

But in Roman Catholic theology,
an indulgence is something entirely different.
Here is a simple definition from Wikipedia.com:
“In Catholic theology, an indulgence is the full or partial remission
of temporal punishment due for sins
which have already been forgiven.”

A major figure of the Reformation was Martin Luther
(November 10, 1483 – February 18, 1546).
He was a German monk, theologian, university professor,
Father of Protestantism, and church reformer
whose ideas influenced the Protestant Reformation
and changed the course of Western civilization.

What were the Reformation ideals?
Luther’s theology challenged the authority of the papacy
by affirming that the Bible
is the only infallible source of religious authority,
and that all baptized Christians under Jesus are a universal priesthood.

According to Martin Luther
—and to Reformers before him, such as John Wycliffe and John Hus,
and to reformers after him, such as John Calvin and John Knox—
salvation is a free gift of God,
received only by true repentance and faith in Jesus as the Messiah,
and this faith is given by God and unmediated by the church.

Another major contention of the Reformation
was the practice of buying and selling church positions,
and what was seen at the time as considerable corruption
within the Church’s hierarchy.

When did the Reformation take place?
It is usually said to have begun in 1517
when Luther published The Ninety-Five Theses.
The Protestant Reformation—also called the Protestant Revolt—
was a 16th Century event,
a split within Western Christianity.

But the Reformation is also an ongoing movement and a way of life.
We are, after all, part of the theological heritage
that in the 16th Century coined a phrase in Latin
that has become the slogan for all Reformed Christians:
“ecclesia reformata semper reformanda secundum verbum Dei”
[the church reformed, always being reformed, according to the Word of God]

What about Reformation today?
What does it mean for us to be...
“the church reformed, always being reformed,
according to the word of God?”
It means that we also struggle to figure out
how to resist the evil forces—within us and around us—
(those voices that invite us to “say yes”
to all kinds of apparently innocent things)
in order to live with greater faithfulness to the Word of God.

Faithfulness to the Word of God has led the Presbyterian Church
to take action around various issues, such as...

+ the ordination of women
In 2006 the PC(USA) celebrated the anniversary of women’s ordinations: 100 years for deacons, 75 years for elders, and 50 years for ministers.

+ the adoption of confessions that call for greater inclusiveness, such as:
-The Confession of 1967
-A Brief Statement of Faith

+ the use of inclusive language
The General Assembly has taken action and encouraged the church to use inclusive language since 1971. The brochure Well Chosen Words! (allwomen.pcusa.org/pdf/wellchosenwords.pdf) is a resource that offers suggestions for the use of “Inclusive Language with Reference to the People of God and Expansive language with Reference to God.”

+ the ratification of Amendment 10-A
This historic action has had an important effect on our life together as a church, mainly, that persons in a same-gender relationship may be considered for ordination and/or installation as deacons, elders, and ministers of the Word and Sacrament within the PC(USA).

Amendment 10-A was approved by the 219th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in July 2010, and ratified by a majority (87) of the PC(USA)’s 173 presbyteries (regional bodies) on May 10, 2011. Thus, it is now part of the Book of Order.

There is a minority group within the denomination still expressing discontent over this measure, and some partner churches overseas have broken their relationship with our denomination. But other respected leaders and churches have applauded our denomination’s prophetic action.

(See letter from Archbishop Desmond Tutu inserted in your bulletin today.)

Faithfulness to the Word of God has also led contemporary Christians
to take action around political and economic issues, such as...

+ oppose the war in Iraq
Here is a quote from an October 27, 2011 editorial by Jim Wallis, the CEO of Sojourners magazine (an evangelical publication that articulates the Biblical call for social justice):

“The war in Iraq was fundamentally a war of choice, and it was the wrong choice.

“From the outset, this war was fought on false pretenses, with false information, and for false purposes. And the official decisions to argue for this war and then carry it out were made at the height of political and moral irresponsibility — especially when we see the failed results and consider both the human and financial costs...

“Here are some of the costs of an unjust war:
-4,499 U.S. military killed
-32,200 wounded
-110,000 estimated Iraqi civilian deaths
-2.5 million internally displaced Iraqis
-$800 billion in federal funding for the Iraq War through FY2011
-An estimated $3-5 trillion total economic cost to the United States of the war in Iraq.
-As many as 300,000 U.S. troops returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with post-traumatic stress disorder.
-320,000 troops returning from Afghanistan and Iraq with traumatic brain injuries
-The number of suicide attempts by veterans could exceed an earlier official estimate of 1,000 a month.”

+ occupy Wall Street
What is the occupation all about? Here is what Alan A. Aja, Assistant Professor in the Department of Puerto Rican & Latino Studies at the City University of New York (CUNY)- Brooklyn College, had to say about it in an October 11, 2011 article titled “Confessions of a Protesting Middle-Class Freak”, and published by the blog Your Black Politics:

“Put simply: Wall Street executives and their elected-appointed government bedfellows should be held accountable for years of pain and suffering they have caused an overwhelming majority of people domestically and worldwide, is such too much to ask? Only if you join the freaks!”

And so the question this morning is this:
What will faithfulness to the Word of God lead you to do today?
As we continue to journey through this season of stewardship,
I pray that faithfulness to the Word of God
will lead more of us to give...
I pray that, minimally, faithfulness to the Word of God
will lead more of our members and friends,
to ponder their commitment to the church,
and to pledge their support to this congregation,
giving of their talent, their time, and their money.

This congregation is a unique place of ministry.
It is the only multicultural, bilingual and progressive church
in this presbytery and, as far as I know, in the City of Chicago.
There are plenty of other progressive congregations,
but they are neither multicultural nor bilingual.
There are a some other multicultural congregations,
but they are neither bilingual nor progressive.
There are a few other bilingual congregations,
but they are neither multicultural nor progressive.

Ravenswood Presbyterian Church is a unique congregation,
one that has been shaped not by safe choices,
but by faithfulness to the Word of God.
Are you aware that you are part
of this wonderful heritage and family?
And more importantly,
will you renew your commitment
to do everything within your power
not just to keep this place going,
but to keep it growing in faithfulness to God’s Word?

Now, let’s be clear, there is a difference, a world of difference,
between working to keep a church going
and ministering to keep a church growing!
The former ultimately kills the church,
while the latter gives it new life.

Reformation Sunday is an invitation
to commit ourselves to take new risks
in order to be faithful to God’s Word.

And so this morning, in the Spirit of the Reformation,
I invite you to prayerfully consider
the things that we need to risk and the ways we need to invest,
in our personal lives and in our church life,
so that we might be faithful to the Word of God.

And I invite you to prayerfully consider
the things that we need to let go of
and the things we need to do,
in our personal lives and in our church life,
so that we might be faithful to the Word of God.

And may the Church reformed,
always continue to be reformed,
according to the Word of God,
lest we become the church deformed.

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Link to the NPR story:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/10/28/141789347/british-princesses-to-be-equal-to-princes-in-line-of-succession?sc=fb&cc=fp

Link to the Sojourners editorial by Jim Wallis:
http://blog.sojo.net/2011/10/27/it%E2%80%99s-finally-over-and-it-was-wrong/

Link to the opinion by Alan A. Aja:
http://yourblackpolitics.blogspot.com/2011/10/confessions-of-protesting-middle-class.html#more