Sermon 2023.10.29
Happy Reformation Sunday! I took this opportunity to re-read Justo Gonzalez’ chapters on Martin Luther and the Reformation which helped give background to this sermon. A little over 500 years ago before he wrote the 95 theses Martin Luther was an unknown Augustinian monk. Even though he tried his hardest to be a good monk, he found that he feared and even had feelings of hatred toward God. Why? Because he feared that God would throw him into hell for not being good enough. Becoming a monk was supposed to relieve Luther of his fear of hell, but it did not. Nothing Luther did could relieve him of his fear and anger toward God.
Apparently the relationship we have with our parents has an effect on our relationship with God. Luther had a complicated relationship with his father and his school masters. Luther as a boy was beaten severely by both. Partly as a result of this Luther struggled with depression and feelings of inadequacy.
Do you ever have complicated feelings toward God? Sometimes I feel very angry toward God too. Leviticus 19 says, “For I the Lord your God am holy.” How could a holy God allow war to happen in their name? How can we even go on believing in God in the face of such horrors as are happening in the Holy Land? I shake my fist and yell at God for their complete and total lack of holiness. War in the name of God. When will it stop? Why won’t God demand a ceasefire?
Jesus probably had a complicated relationship with his parents too. We know that Mary was a very strong figure and influence on his life. We don’t hear so much about Joseph after the birth narrative and the time when Jesus was left in Jerusalem accidentally for a few days. That couldn’t have been traumatic at all, could it? Some people wonder if Joseph died when Jesus was very young. And how exactly did Jesus’ relationship with Joseph work, anyway? Was it ever awkward with Joseph being more of a step-father or adopted father?
We get a slight indication of this complicated relationship in the gospel reading from Matthew 22. What happened? Jesus asked the Pharisees how is it that David called the messiah, “Lord” when that messiah was supposed to be a descendent of David? Chapter one of Matthew gives a very detailed account of how Jesus is a descendant of David. The expectation was for children to honor their parents, and to hold them in high regard. For David, the greatest King in Jewish history to call one of his descendants, “Lord” was a puzzle indeed.
One solution to this puzzle is to say that Jesus was not a descendent of David, since he was born of the virgin Mary and Joseph was not a biological father. However, I don’t buy this explanation. Joseph was a true father to Jesus, and there is no reason to think otherwise.
Another explanation is David would call his descendent Jesus, Lord, because Jesus was a superior king to David and therefore deserving of greater honor and admiration. However, I don’t buy this either because Jesus’ kingship was utter foolishness by most standards of kings. His throne was a cross, and his crown was thorns, and he died the same day he was named king, and his coronation was a mockery on every level.
So why then would David call Jesus, Lord? Because if Grace is true then every human being is our Lord. We are subject to care for the wellbeing of all people, especially our enemies. Luther said, “A Christian man is the most free lord of all, and subject to none; a Christian man is the most dutiful servant of all, and subject to everyone.”
Martin Luther didn’t go on hating God forever. He had a breakthrough. He realized that we are saved by grace through faith, and not by works. God would not throw him into hell for a lack of faith. Rather, God went to hell, to get everyone out. Jesus died on the cross who was innocent, so that we would know that suffering is not a punishment from God. The pain and evil of this world are things we have to deal with. Grace gives us strength to deal with these earthly problems.
The Christian church once again is in need of reformation. It seeks political power and wealth at the cost of losing the message of Jesus Christ. Today Christian churches deceive people into thinking that if they have wealth and power, then they have God’s favor. The Christian Church also abuses people by claiming that illness and hardship are the consequences of not being a good person. We need a reformation. People are desperate for good news.
The other day I was visiting with a dear member of the church. They had recently lost a loved one. They were frustrated that this family member didn’t want any kind of funeral, and questioned faith. So we talked about Grace: the assurance of God’s mercy even and especially when our faith is lacking. After we talked some more this dear member of the church had a moment of clarity and resolve. They said they would write a letter about their late brother and send it to his surviving family. I agreed that this was a capital idea.
But do you see the irony? When we are troubled about eternal spiritual things it affects present physical things. When our dear member remembered the unconditional love of God and the everlasting promise of grace and forgiveness, what did they do? They took action and wrote a physical letter to living human beings in this world. This is God’s forever home; and our concern should be for the living: here and now.
Jesus taught us this through his words and actions. When he was asked what is the most important law he said that it was to love God and neighbor. We do this because of Grace. Grace makes our neighbor worthy of love and respect. Grace encourages us to love and not hate God. I love God, even though sometimes I do feel angry at God. I count on God to love me, even though I no doubt have given God reasons to be angry with me. It is only by God’s grace that any of us can be counted among the living. Surely we are saved by Grace.
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