|
|
 |
 |
| A member congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America | ||
| ||||||
|
October 2005 In his Small Catechism, Martin Luther said something in his explanation of the Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed that one commentator says is “utterly shocking.” What Luther said was this:
I believe that I cannot by my own understanding or effort believe in Jesus Christ my Lord, or come to him. But the Holy Spirit has called me through the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, sanctified, and kept me in true faith. In the same way he calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it united with Jesus Christ in the one true faith
What Luther is saying is that we cannot believe on our own and the church is not our own idea or creation. Belief and the church are the work of the Spirit. That is what is utterly shocking. For people like us who like to think that we can take complete charge of our lives, control everything if we put our minds to it, and are masters of our own fates, such a notion doesn’t sit well. For many of us, belief is something we have come to on our own and a church is something we decide to start, develop, and maintain. The Bible --and Luther -- see things differently. It is God, through the Spirit, who calls us to belief through the Gospel and who gives us understanding and keeps us believing. And it is God through the Spirit who calls a church into existence, gathers people together and graces it with faith and strength. And that is the truth of it. When you think about it, we come to belief through others who first bring us to church and teach us; and belief grows through the hearing of the Word and the examples we see. And at those times when we’re not sure what we believe anymore, when our faith has been shattered, it is a power beyond us that keeps us hanging on, believing anyway; believing even when nothing much makes sense. And the church? When you think back over the history of a congregation -- our congregation or any congregation -- what you realize is that a power has been at work beyond the efforts of the members. A power has been present, forming and guiding it, bringing it through turmoil and confusion, gracing it with strength and hope, giving members the faith and energy to keep being the church. So, what does all this mean? It means this. As people, as a congregation, we are called to belief and gathered by God for a purpose: to be Christ in this place. Hence, we have a mission beyond our devising and deciding: God’s mission of healing and life. And so, to respond to a congregation’s mission is to; respond to God and God’s call to be a church where we are. What it also means is that on Dedication Sunday, which will be October 9th, when we bring to the altar our pledges of time, talent, and money, we are not simply responding to the needs of a congregation but to God and the mission God gives us. That is the decision we each must make: to offer ourselves to God, to respond to God’s call. I truly believe that God calls us to minister at our present location, that our mission is to proclaim God’s love and the hope we have in Christ to our surrounding community, to be Christ in this place. I also truly believe that God will continue to give us the faith and the energy we need to accomplish that mission open ourselves to the power of the Spirit. That is my prayer for Dedication Sunday: that in the power of the Spirit, we respond to God’s mission and commit ourselves to being a church in this place.
God be with you, Jeff
|