Musings for Reformatio Sunday

Sunday, October 30, 2011
Reformation Sunday

Midweek Musings

Reflection by Judy Lazenby

INTRODUCTION
On this day we celebrate the heart of our faith: the gospel of Christ—the good news—that makes us free! We pray that the Holy Spirit would continue to unite the church today in its proclamation and witness to the world. In the waters of baptism we are made one body; we pray for the day that all Christians will also be one at the Lord's table.

PRAYER OF THE DAY (ELW)

Almighty God, gracious Lord, we thank you that your Holy Spirit renews the church in every age. Pour out your Holy Spirit on your faithful people. Keep them steadfast in your word, protect and comfort them in times of trial, defend them against all enemies of the gospel, and bestow on the church your saving peace, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

FIRST READING

Jeremiah 31:31–34

The renewed covenant will not be breakable, but like the old covenant it will expect the people to live upright lives. To know the Lord means that one will defend the cause of the poor and needy (Jer. 22:16). The renewed covenant is possible only because the Lord will forgive iniquity and not remember sin. Our hope lies in a God who forgets

³¹The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. ³²It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt — a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD. ³³But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ³⁴No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, "Know the LORD," for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.

PSALM (ELW)

Psalm 46

The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold. (Ps. 46:7)

¹God is our ref- ^| uge and strength,

a very present ^| help in trouble.

²Therefore we will not fear, though the ^| earth be moved,

and though the mountains shake in the depths ^| of the sea;

³though its waters ^| rage and foam,

and though the mountains tremble ^| with its tumult.

⁴There is a river whose streams make glad the cit- ^| y of God,

the holy habitation of ^| the Most High.

⁵God is in the midst of the city; it shall ^| not be shaken;

God shall help it at the ^| break of day.

⁶The nations rage, and the ^| kingdoms shake;

God speaks, and the earth ^| melts away. R

⁷The LORD of ^| hosts is with us;

the God of Jacob ^| is our stronghold.

⁸Come now, regard the works ^| of the LORD,

what desolations God has brought up- ^| on the earth;

⁹behold the one who makes war to cease in ^| all the world;

who breaks the bow, and shatters the spear,

and burns the ^| shields with fire.

¹⁰"Be still, then, and know that ^| I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations;

I will be exalted ^| in the earth."

¹¹The LORD of ^| hosts is with us;

the God of Jacob ^| is our stronghold. R

SECOND READING

Romans 3:19–28

Paul's words stand at the heart of the preaching of Martin Luther and the other Reformation leaders. No human beings make themselves right with God through works of the law. We are brought into a right relationship with God through the divine activity centered in Christ's death. This act is a gift of grace that liberates us from sin and empowers our faith in Jesus Christ.

¹⁹Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.²⁰For "no human being will be justified in his sight" by deeds prescribed by the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.
²¹But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, ²²the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, ²³since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; ²⁴they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. He did this to show his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; ²⁶it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies the one who has faith in Jesus.
²⁷Then what becomes of boasting? It is excluded. By what law? By that of works? No, but by the law of faith. ²⁸For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law.

GOSPEL

John 8:31–36

Jesus speaks of truth and freedom as spiritual realities known through his word. He reveals the truth that sets people free from sin.

³¹Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; ³²and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."³³They answered him, "We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, 'You will be made free'?"
³⁴Jesus answered them, "Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. ³⁵The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever. ³⁶So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

Reflections

I often think it is amazing how everyone has a different understanding of what is to be free. Certainly as parents we deal with this concept in bringing up children right from the cradle and far into adolencese. Hopefully by the time we send them off to college, they have a healthy understanding of freedom.

The countries and individuals involved in the Arab Spring have varied understandings of freedom. Only the next few years will tell if a working definition of freedom will bring peace to all those who seek it.

Jesus is telling his followers He is the way to true freedom. Being free from sin through Jesus’ presence in our lives is a wonderful gift of grace.

Quote

"If we follow Luther and understand "sin" as self-centeredness, then those who are doing self-centered things become slaves to themselves -- their own wants and desires. Often this is how people may understand freedom -- doing whatever I want to do. But that definition of freedom is actually slavery to one's self. Being set free means having our desires and centeredness turned away from ourselves." Brian P. Stoffregen at CrossMarks

Prayers

Let us pray for

Those who have no freedoms of any sort.

Those who need healing and the blessings of health.

Those children lacking love, food, and shelter.

Our LoL recipients, the residents at the Salvation Army Adult Rehab Center.

Pentecost 19

Sunday, October 23, 2011
Lectionary 30
Proper 25
Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Midweek Musings

Reflection by Ken Klassen

INTRODUCTION
Jesus' summary of the law in today's gospel echoes our first reading from Leviticus. We are called not only to love God with heart, soul, and mind, but also to love our neighbor as ourselves. It is out of such deep care that Paul shares the gospel with the Thessalonian community. In the confession of sins, we acknowledge that we have not loved God, neighbor, and self; yet we gather to hear the word of forgiveness and to be strengthened by word and meal to be signs of God's love and mercy in the world.

James of Jerusalem, martyr, died around 62
One of three early-church leaders named James, this man is identified in the New Testament and by a historian of the time as a brother of Jesus. Scholars are uncertain whether this means a blood brother. He was a leader of the church in Jerusalem.

PRAYER OF THE DAY (ELW)

O Lord God, you are the holy lawgiver, you are the salvation of your people. By your Spirit renew us in your covenant of love, and train us to care tenderly for all our neighbors, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

FIRST READING

Leviticus 19:1–2, 15–18

The holiness code in Leviticus urges people to be holy because God is holy. Holiness is lived out in partiality for and consideration of the poor and the weak. We are to love our neighbors as ourselves. God's people exercise justice and love in their dealings with one another.

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
²Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy. ¹⁵You shall not render an unjust judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbor. ¹⁶You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not profit by the blood of your neighbor: I am the LORD.
¹⁷You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin; you shall reprove your neighbor, or you will incur guilt yourself. ¹⁸You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.

PSALM (ELW)

Psalm 1

Their delight is in the law of the LORD. (Ps. 1:2)

¹Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel ^| of the wicked,

nor lingered in the way of sinners,

nor sat in the seats ^| of the scornful!

²Their delight is in the law ^| of the LORD,

and they meditate on God's teaching ^| day and night. R

³They are like trees planted by streams of water,

bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that ^| do not wither;

everything they ^| do shall prosper.

⁴It is not so ^| with the wicked;

they are like chaff which the wind ^| blows away.

⁵Therefore the wicked shall not stand upright when ^| judgment comes,

nor the sinner in the council ^| of the righteous.

⁶For the LORD knows the way ^| of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked shall ^| be destroyed. R

SECOND READING

1 Thessalonians 2:1–8

Paul uses maternal imagery to depict the caring and nurturing relationship he shares with the Thessalonian Christians. When he first came to their city it was not to benefit himself but to share the gospel with them, which was his responsibility as an apostle of Christ.

You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our coming to you was not in vain, ²but though we had already suffered and been shamefully mistreated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition. ³For our appeal does not spring from deceit or impure motives or trickery, ⁴but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts. ⁵As you know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed; ⁶nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others, ⁷though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. ⁸So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.

GOSPEL

Matthew 22:34–46

Put on the spot by the Pharisees, Jesus displays wisdom by summarizing the law of God in just two commandments and by demonstrating the Messiah must be more than the son of David.

³⁴When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, ³⁵and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. ³⁶Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest? ³⁷He said to him, " 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' ³⁸This is the greatest and first commandment. ³⁹And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' ⁴⁰On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
⁴¹Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: ⁴²What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he? They said to him, "The son of David." ⁴³He said to them, "How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying,
⁴⁴'The Lord said to my Lord,
"Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet" '?
⁴⁵If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?" ⁴⁶No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

Reflection

Prior to reading Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis, the verse in this week's Gospel reading, 'love your neighbor as yourself' was a stretch goal in my life. Lewis' viewpoint has been helpful for me and I'd like to share it with you. Here is my paraphrasing of his thoughts on 'love your neighbor as yourself'.

How exactly do I love myself? While I do love myself, I don't always feel affection for myself and I don't always enjoy being with myself. So apparently 'love your neighbor' does not mean 'have affection for him' or 'wanting to be with him'.

Do I think I am a good person? Well I am afraid that sometimes I do and this is the worst possible version of me. But that is not why I love myself. In fact it is the reverse; it is my self-love that makes me think that I am a good person. So loving my neighbor does not mean I must think that they are a good person either. That is an enormous relief; for some people believe that loving your neighbor means thinking that they are not so bad after all - when clearly they are. Go a step further. In my most clear-sighted moments not only do I think myself not a good person, but I know that I am a very mean one. I can look at some of the things I have done with disgust and hate. So apparently I am allowed to loathe some of the things my neighbors do.

Clearly Lewis is casting a dark shadow to emphasize his point. The 'love' that is being called for is not emotion; it is not 'liking' or 'getting along with'. The 'love' Jesus is talking about here is trust, loyalty, enduring devotion. You may actually hate your neighbor, but you will still be loving them in the Biblical sense if you continue to act for their well-being and refuse to cut off your relationship with them.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we pray for wisdom and the patience to understand your scriptures. Help use to make loving our neighbor more than a stretch goal in our lives. Give us tolerance for those who don't meet our expectations. And above all else, help us to listen to your voice.

We ask that your protecting hand will be on all of those who serve our country and work for peace. Teach us compassion for the sick, the suffering, and those in need.