In April of 1521, Martin Luther was called to Worms, Germany, to answer for posting his 95 Theses on the door in Wittenberg. This was one way to begin a public conversation in Luther’s day; please don’t nail anything to the church doors today ~ they are made of glass. One of the main reasons he was summoned before the religious authorities was to defend, or more accurately denounce, his objection to the selling of indulgences. This was money you paid the church to free a loved one’s soul from purgatory ~ this was where your soul went after death ~ a waiting room between heaven and hell. Before we chuckle, I caution us to consider that some of the practices we cling to in the church might not look good to future generations either. We don’t know what will stand the test of time. We don’t control how future generations evaluate our lives; we only pray for grace and understanding. At that trial, Luther would not take back what he wrote. Instead, he said, “Here I stand, I can do no other, so help me God. Amen.” This moment sparked and lit the fire of the Reformation. There were other faithful people who wanted to reform the church prior to 1521. Luther was not the first, nor would he be the last. We are a reformed and reforming church. The work of God in the church is never finished. Over the last few weeks, we have played with and pondered prayerfully Creeds/Statements of Faith. I pray you have discovered new insights and have new ideas about who God is/what God is up to in the world. Who Jesus is and the ways Jesus still impacts/inspires our lives. Who the Spirit is (what Proverbs refers to as Sophia/Holy Wisdom), as She dances, weaves, and works to open us to the holiness of every day. This week, in honor of Reformation, I invite you to think about your own creed/statement of faith/ideas about who God, Christ, the Spirit, humanity, the church, and our work in the world today. I know this is a big invitation. Maybe you’d rather talk about Halloween on Saturday. I could talk about how we all wear masks to fit in and how we all live with unholy ghosts of the past that haunt our lives. Wait.
Did you realize that previous sentence was
a creed/statement of faith about humanity and community? Saying we all wear masks unveils a thought I
have about humanity. Writing about
unholy ghosts that haunt our lives from memories that still have power in the
present is an idea about the world as I experience it. Theology is not some separate, special task
of people with degrees on the wall. We
are all theologians. We say
things about God, hold tightly to beliefs about others, and direct our
energy/attention toward certain things.
Our lives are a living statement of faith, if we listen. Remember, your theology is impacted by your
autobiography; your past religious experience shapes your present beliefs.
Today, I invite you to find a piece of paper or
open the notes app on your phone. Jot
down, fill in the blanks, to the following invitations:
God is…
Jesus is…
Spirit is…
Humans are…
I am…
The church is…
Salvation means…
Missing the mark/Brokenness/Sin is…
A few things about this exercise. It is never one and done. Our theology is being influenced and impacted
by our experiences and encounters each day.
We may make sense of God one way today that tomorrow seems antiquated
and out-of-date. Secondly, notice if
there is any thread woven through your statements. For example, I could say God is unconditional
love, Jesus is God’s love in flesh/breath/bone, and the Spirit enlivens each of
us to live God’s love. The theme is
love. I could talk about how humans
choose fame/fortunate/followers online rather than love ~ because we trust more
in the gospels of the world. Play with your
sentences, not just today, but in the week and days to come. You are a theologian; you hold and are held
by beliefs. You have a recipe of faith
you feast from and serve to others each day ~ let’s listen to that this week.
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