On the Way to Wonder

         One of the major differences between Protestants and Catholics during the Reformation resulted in debates surrounding the role of Mary as a co-redeemer and to what extent good works impact our salvation.  Most Protestants do not believe in Purgatory, a holding place between heaven and hell.  As I understand it, your time there depends on your sins and penance.   The reformers insisted that faith in Christ was the only way of salvation.  To die is to be with Christ for sinners.  They looked to verses like:

• John 14:6 – “Jesus replied: I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
•  1 Timothy 2:5 – “Because there is only one God, and only one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
• Acts 4:10–12 – “May all of you and all the people of Israel know that this happened in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth […] And there is no salvation in anyone else; for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved”

Today we face a pluralistic world where we are exposed to all the major world religions.  Not only that but we value tolerance.  We want to respect other faith systems.  Anyone who insists that Jesus is the only way will be thought narrow, dogmatic, intolerant and just plain wrong.  But our world is not so different from that of the early Christians who were surrounded by Roman and Greek gods as well as the local baals other believed influenced life.  We might talk about Lady Luck or Good Fortune or Carma.

         Gods come in various forms, not just formal religions from around the world.  Let us listen to this worship song that talks about the meaning of Christ as God to Christians.

“In Christ Alone My Hope is Found”

In Christ alone, my hope is found.  He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground.  Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.  What heights of love, what depths of peace.  When fears are stilled, when strivings cease.  My Comforter, my All in All.  Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, who took on flesh,  Fullness of God in helpless babe.
This gift of love and righteousness,  Scorned by the ones He came to save.
‘Til on that cross as Jesus died,  The wrath of God was satisfied.
For every sin on Him was laid.  Here in the death of Christ I live, I live

There in the ground His body lay,  Light of the world by darkness slain.
Then bursting forth in glorious Day,  Up from the grave He rose again.
And as He stands in victory,  Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me.
For I am His and He is mine.  Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,  This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath,  Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man,  Can ever pluck me from His hand.
Till He returns or calls me home,  Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.

¹⁷ The law indeed was given through Moses;

 grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

  John 1:17

         The third cornerstone of the Protestant Reformation is based on the idea of grace.  We talk about unconditional love when we think of another important person – to us anyway – loving us when our hair is messy, when we flub up, and when we forget.  As I reflect on my years of marriage and that my husband did indeed stick with me on good days and bad, on fat days and thin, during child birth – times when I did not feel “loveable” but ugly, I realize what an undeserved gift that was.  It was unconditional love but it was also an undeserved gift.  Grace, to me, is God reaching out to me while I was yet a sinner.  The thief on the cross had nothing to offer Jesus but the plea, “Remember me when you come into your kingdom.”  Jesus responded, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.”  We are saved because of the cross and not because of our own merit or borrowed merit from some other saint or holy being.

         As I have pondered just how to explain what the cross means, I have come to express it as Jesus walking through death to show me that nothing can separate me from God.  God does not force us to choose the kingdom of heaven but it is there for us as a gift.  It is grace, not works.  It is grace, not merit.  I cannot pay forward enough for the snarky remarks, the periods of doubt, and the selfish deeds I am most likely going to do in the future.  I cannot climb or work my way up some ladder to heaven.  I must humble myself and acknowledge God as creator and myself as creation, needing his help.  I need mercy and grace.

         I love the prayer of the man who brought his son to Jesus’ disciples to be cured of an evil spirit that threw him into the fire.  The disciples were defeated but Jesus came down from the Mount of Transfiguration and prayed for the boy.  The father cried, “I believe, help though my unbelief!”  God gives and saves from a heart of love and I bow my head and receive.

         Perhaps there is an area of your life today where you feel defeated. Let us bow our heads in gratitude for God’s grace that is dealing with our dilemma even as we pray.  Thank you, Lord.

         One of the debates of the Protestant Reformation was between the role of faith and works in the process of salvation.  It is the question of how do I become right with God?  On one hand a rich young ruler came to Jesus and asked what he must do to inherit eternal life and Jesus told him to go and sell all he owned and give to the poor.  The man thought he had kept the Mosaic Law perfectly but he walked away sad for he was wealthy.  The issue was not his lifestyle but his heart.  We do not know the eternal state of his soul but we do know the tension he felt.  He had tried so hard to do things right but was not sure he had paid for his sins.

         We hear the mantra of the Reformation that we are saved by grace and not works but we also know that living congruently with our faith will result in transparency with how we live.  A salty ocean does not give fresh water for drinking.  In Luke 8 a woman who had suffered for 12 years from bleeding, touched the hem of Jesus’ garment and was healed.  Jesus calls her into voice to admit she had touched him and he replies, “‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.’ (Luke 8:48)”  Another time ten lepers come to Jesus for healing.  He heals them and sends them to the priest to be declared clean.  One returns to say thank you.  Jesus says, “‘Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.’ (Luke 17:18)”  A third example from Luke tells of a blind man who asks to see.  Jesus heals him and says, “‘Receive your sight; your faith has saved you.’ (Luke 18:42)”  Faith and actions are so closely related.

         As the Reformation grappled with this in a context where indulgences were sold to remove years in pergatory and where acts of penance were done to appease an angry God, focus on faith in a God who freely healed and loved people in the Gospels and did not require acts of good deeds presented a more “user-friendly” diety that was more approachable.  Today the tendency is to connect our bad days with feelings of guilt about what we might have done wrong to anger God.  For many it is hard to believe in a God who understands our weaknesses and responds to our cry for help.

         May I suggest that we focus on the privilege we have in prayer to bring our sins, our burdens, and our fears of rejection to him in honest relationship.  We may not be able to touch his hem but we can approach him in prayer and that is a blessing.  Faith in a God who hears me even when I am not perfect is a tenant I can get behind.  Blessings as you integrate your faith with your life.

⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life.

John 6:68

         Next Sunday we remember the Protestant Reformation when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenberg, Germany.  He publicly called the dominant Catholic Church to debate certain foundational beliefs he disagreed with.  The newly invented printing press was able to spread this public challenge for the ordinary person to read in the vernacular.  As the Reformation unfolded, Luther became famous for Five Solae or “alone” statements that summarized the basics of his beliefs.  This week we will look at those statements.  So first was “Scripture Alone,” Sola Scriptura.  Luther maintained that Scripture had more authority than church tradition.

         In the Gospel of John, John shares an incident when Jesus offends the masses listening.  Jesus makes one of his famous “I am” statements when he says, “I am the bread of life” and continues to talk about the manna that was given to the Jewish ancestors in the wilderness at the time of Moses.  He compares himself to that manna and says his followers must eat his body and drink his blood to live.  It sounded like cannibalism and many were offended and stopped following him.  Even today Christians differ on their understanding of the sacrament or ritual they call Communion.  At the time of the Reformation many of these splits originated as people sought to define church beliefs.  In the Bible text, though, Jesus then turns to his disciples and asks if they too are going to leave him.  Peter turns and says to Jesus, “To whom can we go?  You have the words of eternal life.”

         Luther maintained that Scripture is foundational to any belief and not church traditions that have often disagreed and contradicted each other.  We may not agree on exactly what Communion means but we do agree that Scripture is the basis.  A rule of thumb is that a principle must be presented more than once in Scripture and not just a single verse.

         Our reflection today is to ponder the role of Scripture in our lives.   Are we content to eat spiritual food regurgitated by the pastor like a mother bird feeding her little ones or are we too reading and pondering and praying over the Word ourselves.  Luther and many reformers fought for the Bible to be translated into common language so we can read it today.  Luther translated it into German.  William Tyndale translated it into English.  Calvin preached in French.  The Reformation deserves credit for the gift of having the Word of God to read.  Thank you, Lord.  Help me dust off any sloppy scripture reading habits I might have.

⁵ Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
    for you are the God of my salvation;
    for you I wait all day long.

  Psalm 25:5

         Today I am visiting my son and looking out his dining room window towards Lake Michigan or Superior – I get them mixed up.  It is overcast but I would like to think I see blue on the horizon.  Some days are like this.  We look at the challenges facing us and it is a bit of a haze and we are not quite sure what we are seeing or how to proceed.  For me it is the adventure of stepping into widowhood. What doors are going to open now and how do I reinvent myself after 47.5 years of journeying in a partnership in the bush of Africa, raising kids, administering programs and aging together.  What does forward look like?  I think all of us face transitioning challenges – high school graduation, marriage, new jobs, new babies, maybe divorce, maybe illness or disability.  The unexpected or unknown of each day is always there.

         Psalm 25 by King David pleads with God to lead, not just for direction but also for guidance into God’s truth.  He asks God to be his teacher.  I guess we might ask, who teaches the king?  Then we have to ask, who teaches me?  Perhaps a good question to reflect on, Am I teachable?  “Truth” is a slippery slope.  News broadcasters would like us to think that they are presenting truth from whichever “professional” they interview on any given evening.

         At his trial, another leader questions Jesus: 

³⁷ Pilate asked him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.’ ³⁸ Pilate asked him, ‘What is truth?’ (John 18:37-39)

         Let’s ponder the challenges we face today.  Are we looking for answers that are mechanical solutions, how to do a task, or are we looking for truth, for God’s perspective on our situation?  Blessings as you step into your future!

⁵ I am the vine, you are the branches.

Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit,

because apart from me you can do nothing.

John 15:5

         The image of Jesus as the vine and us as the branches is one of the last images Jesus left with us on his way to the Garden of Gethsemene.  You have probably heard sermons about it.  We must stay attached.  The vine is the source of nourishment.  We can be grafted in from a wild vine and become part of a healthy vine.  A fruitful life is promised.  We need that relationship with the vine to be healthy.

         In Psalm 5, King David talks about that relationship.

¹ Give ear to my words, O Lord;
    give heed to my sighing.
² Listen to the sound of my cry,
    my King and my God,
    for to you I pray.
³ O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice;
    in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch.

⁴ For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
    evil will not sojourn with you.
⁵ The boastful will not stand before your eyes;
    you hate all evildoers.
⁶ You destroy those who speak lies;
    the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful.

⁷ But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,
    will enter your house,
I will bow down towards your holy temple
    in awe of you.

Psalm 5:1-7

         As you think of Jesus as the vine and the vineyard owner, what do you think about?  Spend some time today writing down key words that remind you of the gift of being a part of God’s vineyard.  Blessings.

²⁷ The kingship and dominion
    and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven
    shall be given to the people of the holy ones of the Most High;
their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom,
    and all dominions shall serve and obey them.’

Daniel 7:27

         Daniel 7 tells of a dream or vision Daniel, one of the wise men of Israel carried off in the Babylonian captivity, had and its interpretation.  We remember Daniel because of being thrown into the lion’s den because of the jealousy of the other wisemen.  The lion’s did not eat Daniel.  Angels protected him.  But Daniel was also famous for his ability to interpret dreams and visions for the various kings of the Babylonian empire.  In this case, though, Daniel is sharing his own dream and the interpretation given him.  He envisioned four kingdoms of the future arising and then falling.  Ultimately though, “the Most High” is given ultimate authority and becomes the ultimate judge. 

         The language of Daniel is symbolic and much has been written as to what it means and just when this will take place and what the sequence of events will entail.  The interesting picture we are left with today is God as the final and ultimate judge of reality.  Perhaps we get a bit squimish at the picture of the courtroom but I find this symbol speaking to the injustice we perceive in our world around us.  When I hear the reports of the many innocents slaughtered in the path of war or when I get the adds about medical research for the many suffering with disease, my heart aches.  Our world struggles under the curse of sin.  That does not even include our own sense of injustice with the problems of our personal lives. 

         I find it a comfort that God is not asleep or blind and that one day there will be justice.   Many things we just do not have enough perspective to understand the event and so the insults of the moment hurt.  But other happenings are just wrong.  Wrongs challenge our faith that God is all powerful.  When I think of God as the ultimate judge, I think of a being who sees the whole picture of life and who knows just exactly how to repay evil and the right timing.  Yup, it takes time and patience.  “¹⁹ Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ (Romans 12:19)”

         Let us pray for the many suffering today in unfair circumstances and that leaders in power will rule justly!

³ The Lord is a warrior;
    the Lord is his name.

⁴ ‘Pharaoh’s chariots and his army he cast into the sea;
    his picked officers were sunk in the Red Sea.

Exodus 15:3-4

         Moses, a refugee from Egypt, wanted for murder, was told by God to return to Egypt and lead the people of Israel to a promised land.  Hollywood has made multiple movies that have caught the imagination of generations.  In the confrontation that follows, Pharaoh finally relents and “lets my people go!”  They start marching out but run into a huge roadblock, the Red Sea.  The people dispair in there new found freedom and Moses’ leadership ability.  Modern cynics doubt the depth of the water or the color of the sea.  It is so easy to be armchair critics from our modern setting of freedom and democracy.  But for the people of Israel, it was a huge challenge, perhaps equivalent to Covid or one of our modern wars.

         God led the people through this crisis by parting the water so the people could pass and then bringing the water back together over the chariots of Pharaoh chasing them.  Moses led the people in singing the above verse.  He describes God as a warrior.  Most of us have never walked through the Red Sea but we have faced challenges that seemed impossible.  Perhaps it was a test we felt doomed to fail.  Perhaps it was a bill we were sure we could not pay.  Hopefully it was not a medical diagnosis with little chance of recovery.  Standing by the bedside of a loved one fighting for life is like facing the Red Sea.  Life looks impossible.  For me it has been facing the Red Sea of the death of my husband and overwhelmed at what life might look like.  You know your challenge.

         Moses says that God can be described as a warrior.  God fights for us against the forces of evil.  Moses does not deny the existence of evil nor does he deny the horrible challenge of the battle with the devasting results, death of soldiers.  But the verse reminds us that we are not alone and the power of God is fighting with us.  God does not remove the evil, not yet anyway, and journies with us, maing us stronger.  He knows our fears and he knows how the enemy will be defeated.  Let’s praise his name today and pray for the many “war zones” in our world as the Spirit lays it on our heart.