Justified + Let There Be Peace On Earth And Let It Begin With Me
This is a version of my sermon text
for October 28, 2018, Reformation Sunday.
The text for my message was from Romans 3:19-28. This combines a couple of versions. Parts that were in my
initial draft that I cut for length when I realized I needed to speak about the
terrorist shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue will be in the serifed font.
On the CLOKC.church website there are audio versions from both Redeemer and St.
Mark because my journeys off script went in different directions, and so I
included both versions. + pBRC
May
God’s Grace through the Good News of Jesus Christ be at the center of your
lives forever. AMEN.
Before
I begin, I want to point out another place where the power of understanding
Scripture is in the hands of the translator. The English words
"righteousness" and "justify" actually translate the same
Greek term. The word δικαιοσύνης (dee KAI oo soo nay) can
be translated as righteousness, which we take as being morally correct, or
justify, which we take as proven or found to be right.
Also,
the English words "faith" and "believe" are the same word, πίστεως (PIS tis)
a term that really means
"trust."
So
our understanding of Paul’s understanding runs through whomever is making the
decisions on what words to use. Which is clearer to you: "we are justified
by grace through faith" or "we are made right with God by grace
through trust"?
This
text from Paul’s letter to the Romans is key to the understanding of our
relationship with God that led Martin Luther to raise his complaints with the
Roman church of 501 years ago. It is key to us understanding and being able to
explain to others why our understanding is different than what they may hear in
other churches.
But
first, we need to understand what Paul was trying to get the Romans to
understand.
Paul
always wanted to go to Rome and proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ in the
capital city of the empire. He eventually got there; he was under arrest for
two years before he was martyred. He wrote this letter to the house churches in
Rome to prepare them for what he hoped would be a visit.
The
churches of Rome were like many of the early churches, divided between Jews and
Gentiles, trying to decide what traditions to follow and which traditions to
abandon. What of the laws of the Jewish people must be followed? What
traditions of Gentiles could people still practice and which must be given up?
Paul
spends the first three chapters of his letter pointing out how everyone, both
Jew and Gentile, has sinned and has fallen short of God’s commands and demands.
He details how the Law as given in the Hebrew Bible is a measuring stick that
shows us how short we are of the goal. He details behaviors that are contrary
to God’s will. As he sums up in our lesson, “There is no distinction, since all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3.22-23)
He
tries to get them to understand that the Jews are not better for having been
God’s Chosen People, nor worse off for having failed to live up to that
blessing. Nor are Gentiles better off
for having believed once they heard the Good News, nor are they worse for
having ignored God up to this point. Everyone is the same.
Fortunately,
that is having been blessed by the Son of God. “They are now justified by his grace as a gift,
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3.24) The
only way to be made right with God is not through what you can, could or should
do, but because of what God did through Jesus Christ. The only way to have God’s love, grace, mercy &
forgiveness is because of and through the life, death & resurrection of
Jesus Christ. “We
hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the
law.” (Romans 3.28)
Just
over 500 years ago, Martin Luther lived in fear that he would die with
unforgiven sins. He believed the sins he confessed were forgiven, but he was
afraid he would be condemned for those sins not confessed, either because he
did not realize he had sinned, or they occurred before he could confess and
receive absolution.
He
was further troubled because the Roman church was selling forgiveness. People
could purchase an indulgence for themselves, or for a loved one, that would
reduce the time one’s soul spent in purgatory, which is where the Roman church
of his time taught one’s soul went to atone for unrepentant sins.
When
Luther read and studied Romans, especially this passage, he wondered why the
Roman church would withhold the gift of grace from the people. The idea of
selling this gift was especially troubling because the people of his
congregation choose to purchase time for their loved ones rather than food and
shelter for their living families.
So
on the day before the largest worship service of the year, All Saints’ Day,
Luther posted his arguments against the practice of selling indulgences on what
was the community bulletin board, the doors to his church. Included in his 95
Thesis is the following: “Why does not the
Pope empty purgatory, for the sake of holy love and of the dire need of the
souls that are there, if he redeems an infinite number of souls for the sake of
miserable money with which to build a Church?” (Luther’s 95 Thesis,
#82)
Luther wanted the Church to
freely give the gift given to all. Luther wanted all to hear the Good News of
grace given through Jesus Christ.
“They are now
justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus.” (Romans 3.24) The only way to be made right with God is not
through confessing and atoning for sins, and praying that your unforgiven sins
not be held against you, but trusting in what God did through the life, death & resurrection of Jesus Christ. “We hold that a
person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law.”
(Romans 3.28)
Today,
there are leaders of different churches and different traditions who believe
they know the will and judgment of God. They proclaim God will deny forgiveness
for people who have committed certain sins. They believe certain sins are
unforgivable, despite Jesus saying the only unforgivable sin is to put your own
limits on the actions of God’s Holy Spirit. But these modern-day Pharisees
proclaim a law from their selected reading of Scripture, and broadcast this
narrow legalistic view to people who take to heart what they hear.
Today,
political leaders insult those who hold opposite views from theirs and
blatantly lie, making up details and events that did not happen. They stir up
their followers, blaming those who are different for the problems of the
country. They create hate for those who are not like them.
Their
listeners feel empowered because they think they are on the right side without
ever thinking or studying on their own. People are separated by either
believing they are following God’s will, or they feel rejected because they
know that they have fallen short. Today, proclamations of politicians and our
brothers in Christ have put us in a situation not unlike that of the Roman
community to which Paul was writing.
“All have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God. They are now justified by his grace as a gift,
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” The only way to have God’s love, grace, mercy &
forgiveness is because of and through the life, death & resurrection of
Jesus Christ. “We
hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the
law.” (Romans 3.28)
But
what are we supposed to do if no one has got it right, and no one can get it
right? I read an article this week that quoted Maya Angelou.
“I’m working at trying to
be a Christian and that’s serious business. It’s not something where you think,
‘Oh, I’ve got it done. I did it all day—hot diggity.’ The truth is, all day
long you try to do it, try to be it. And then in the evening, if you’re honest
and have a little courage, you look at yourself and say, ‘Hmmm. I only blew it
86 times. Not bad.’ I’m trying to be a Christian.” (The Life Of Faith
Takes Practice – ChristianCentury.org)
Martin Luther had a response similar to Maya
Angelou’s when defending himself against the charges of the Roman church. “This life is not
righteous, but growth in righteousness; is not health, but healing; not being,
but becoming; not rest, but exercise; we are not yet what we shall be, but we
are growing toward it; the process is not yet finished, but it is going on;
this is not the end, but it is the road; all does not yet gleam in glory, but
all is being purified.” (Martin
Luther – Luther’s Works, Volume 3, An Argument in Defense … noted in The Life
Of Faith Takes Practice – ChristianCentury.org)
We
can try to get it right. We can do the right thing. We don’t do it to earn
God’s love, but in response to that love, in response to that gift of grace
God’s already given us. People fixate on a handful of passages they use to deny
or demonize the “other,” rather than listen to Christ’s repeated commands to
love everyone, to love our neighbor, to love the stranger, to love the
marginalized and the left behind. Social justice has become a derisive comment
for those who would advocate for compassion and care for those whom society
leaves behind or pushes away. Social justice is Christ’s command to love one
another.
Since
hearing about the shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, I’ve
had a song stuck in my head, on repeat, time after time. This time, it is a
good one.
Let there be peace on earth,
and let it begin with me.
Let There Be Peace on Earth, the peace that was meant to be.
Let There Be Peace on Earth, the peace that was meant to be.
With God as our Father,
Brothers all are we. Let me walk with my brother in perfect harmony.
Let peace begin with me. Let
this be the moment now. With ev'ry step I take, let this be my solemn vow: to
take each moment and live each moment in peace eternally.
Let there be peace on earth
and let it begin with me.
(Let There Be Peace On Earth
- Songwriters: Jill Jackson / Sy Miller)
Our
lives are an effort to do the right thing, even though sometimes we won’t, and
even though we will occasionally do the wrong thing. We are constantly trying
to get better, trying to be better. We are reformed, and always reforming.
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