Standing for Faith

Sermon Romans 3:19-28 October 30, 2016 Reformation Sunday

Standing for Faith

After I submitted this title for my sermon a few months ago, I was fairly certain about my sermon focus. But, as the nation seems to be in turmoil about values, as neighbors are stealing candidate signs out of each other’s yards, as name calling has crossed the line on social media and even among respected reporters, I find myself wondering, what does it really mean to stand for faith?

Today we remember the Reformation. We are known as Protestants-because of those who protested against the then current form of faith expression.

This Scripture from Romans was the power behind Martin Luther’s protest-

we are justified by faith in God given to us in Jesus Christ-

not but any rules of humanity,

not by any organized religious doctrine,

but by the power of the Word of God to transform us

from our human wickedness

into a Godly righteousness.

Paul was pointing to a moment of crisis for those who were listening.

It was a moment of crisis for those of faith

and it was a moment of crisis for the world in which they were living.

It was a moment of crisis for an understanding of faith expression.

For the Jews (of which Paul was one) the Temple had been destroyed.

For the Gentiles they were never accepted in any circle.

And for both groups, the Roman government had taken a violent turn

and placed an even more oppressive hand of rule over the people.

Which leads me to ask today:

What is our current form of faith expression?

What is it that brings our faith to a moment of crisis? Can you remember a time when your faith has been in crisis?

What brings our attention to the matters of the world?

What brings us to a place where we see the world in crisis?

And in this crisis of faith and world, where do we get our understanding of it and where does the possibility of realizing who we are in it come from?

Karl Barth, Jean Calvin, and Martin Luther point out that we return to the origins of our Maker who evokes within us a memory of our habitation with the Lord of Heaven and Earth. Let me repeat these long ago words- we return to the origins of our Maker who evokes within us a memory of our habitation with the Lord of Heaven and Earth. In other words, we are reminded of how we are connected.

We are able to recognize who we are, how the world is, through the power of God who shows us. God places within us the conviction of ourselves as beings who are not perfect; “Beings who look up to the heavens, who look to a time beyond time; who look to an impossible possibility.” (Karl Barth). God places us to where we are able to view the power of God for us for our salvation-for life in death and for eternity in time.

We are the expression of God’s love for the world and we are the expression of the impossible possibility through the power of God in Jesus Christ. 

That said we have a bit of work to do.

We are a people who have fallen and been broken and who have shown emotions to one another that are irreprehensible. We are guilty. We are a people who have sinned.

As you know I am not a fire and brimstone preacher. But we need the reminder of our sin and our brokenness to remember the power of God to re-form us. I am aware of our constant need to look in the mirror and tell ourselves we are a child of God. And with that face to face view in the mirror we also discover our need for reliance our dependence on God. God sees beyond the flaws and beyond the faults and sees the beauty of grace and the wonder of God’s righteousness in us.

That’s why Paul’s “But now” is so important. These two little words, “But now” are really important. “But now” is the hinge on which our faith exists.

It is the remarkable power of God to transform humanity and fling it into a world where faith expression can heal, make whole, restore and rebuild a suffering world and a suffering community and a suffering soul.

We are made whole through the love of God. We are God’s people. We are children of God. We are a broken people bound together as one through the Body of Christ. We are a community of faith united, sealed in the blood of Christ as grace is poured out on us. Our ability to stand for faith is not just our individual faith but the faith we have together as God calls us the Church.

These little words “but now” remind us that we have God’s promise for the impossible to be possible; and that is the great hope for the Church.

We stand in the tension of the now and the not yet.

We live in the tension of what is and what should and could be.

And these two little words “But now” remind us there is no small gesture and no tiny deed-all things are possible.

Years ago I was part of a mission group, an inter-generational group, who went to Russia. We worked together at an orphanage of 400 mentally challenged children; children who were unadoptable and unaccepted in the community. We worked hard for two weeks 

and at the end of our time our emotions had been tested. Our mission was a powerful experience and we were spiritually and emotionally exhausted.  As we waited in the airport of Moscow for our return trip I noticed a woman who was lying across the seats in the waiting area. She was a woman of Turkish descent, dark skin, clothing that defined her ethnicity, a scarf covering her head. She was sound asleep and it was clear she too was exhausted. My attention was drawn to her because a group of women speaking in Dutch surrounding her were calling her names and they were yelling at her to get out of their seats. Now this happened years ago. As I look back I realize my reaction was a knee jerk reaction. I realize I was not quite in control of my temper. But as I watched my heart ached. My gut wrenched. When the women started cursing and kicking this pour soul that could barely raise her head to respond, I lost it. I ran to her side and began to yell back in Dutch that this was a child of God, how dare they seek to harm someone who had a right to be there. I moved the woman from the seats and found her a safe place to rest. I was shaken. I was shocked that one person could be treated so badly in public. My flight home after this reaction was hard. That moment still catches me in a flood of emotion. I realize that this stand for this woman was a stand for faith.

Standing for faith is standing together. It is to protest that which we believe is against the things that tear us apart.

Standing for faith calls us to seek to live united. It calls us to be listeners.

Standing for faith means to get up and speak for those who have no voice.

Standing for faith requires us to see in another value greater than our own.

Standing for faith means to be willing, as Ghandi told his wife, to clean toilets with the untouchables, even when we struggle to bring ourselves to do it.

Standing for faith requires us to respect differences of opinion while at the same time seek justice.

Standing for faith calls us to see in the face of the one who we would deem our enemy-our brother.

This is the constant tension as we live and seek to live for Christ.

The reformers were not seeking to start a new religion. They like many before them were seeking new understanding.

They were seeking to be re-formed in faith.

Those days and hopefully many to come in the future were days when eyes were opened to see faith in a new way. It was the power of God to grant vision through newly cleaned lenses.

May we see the vision God has for us as we stand for faith together. Amen.