Reformation Day (October 25, 2009)
By Rev. Steve Bagnall

Maybe you don’t, but I love this time of year, because college football is my favorite. I love the pageantry that surrounds the game -- the smell of food grilling at tailgate parties – the crisp cool of fall in the air. Every team has its traditions. Parents pass down stories of the Big House -- Bo Schembechler, victories that still bring joy and losses that still bring pain. National Championships from years past become real in the hearts of each generation of fans – those are “our” championships – “our” teams.

And then come the big moment: The crowd chants in unison, “Let’s go Blue, Let’s go Blue!” The Wolverines come charging onto the field, leaping to touch the “Go Blue” banner.” The crowd roars its support and the band strikes up the fight song, “Hail to the victors valiant.” The air is electric and the heart of every true Michigan fan soars. College football -- there’s nothing like it.

But what if as soon as the teams streamed onto the field, they just ran back off? All the pageantry, all the celebration and tradition – but no game. What an unsatisfying and empty event. It’s like unwrapping a Milky Way only to find a rock inside.

Well, too often, for Lutherans Reformation becomes empty. We sing A Mighty Fortress with great gusto and we remember the great moments of Lutheran history – Luther nailing the 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenberg – his inspiring courage at Worms where he was willing to die rather than take back his teaching. We may even take the chance to engage in a little self-righteous gloating and finger pointing at those “other” churches.

Unfortunately, sometimes that’s as far as we get. We have all the pageantry, and a little sinful pride, but our celebration is empty! Because the real thing, the heart of the Reformation, the Word of God is missing.

The reformers chose as their motto Isaiah 40:8: “the Word of our God stands forever.” The voices of those men whom we remember today point us away from themselves. In fact, we need to hear the full message of Isaiah 40. God is sending His prophet to preach His Word. The prophet asks, “What shall I say?” And God answers:

“ All flesh is grass,
And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
Because the breath of the LORD blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the Word of our God stands forever.”

Humans come and, in time, they go. Don’t put your hope or trust in Martin Luther – or in the pope – or in the Missouri Synod. Pastors come and they go. Large attendance comes and goes. Money comes and goes. Health comes and goes. Sadly, sometimes even human love comes and goes. The Lutheran church may grow large or shrink, St. Luke will pass through hard times and good. All things fade, all things wither.

Friends, as human beings our earthly life is temporary. Don’t put your hope and trust in yourself and your works. Don’t be like the people in our Gospel who trusted in their descent from Abraham. Don’t put your trust in the fact that you’re a “Lutheran.” Because we are sinners, born to sinners, we will fade and we will die.

But the Word of our God stands forever. God’s Word of the Commandments: You shall have no other Gods, not misuse His name, remember the Sabbath and keep it holy, honor and obey parents and every authority, help and don’t hurt your neighbor, be sexually pure in thought and word and deed, don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t be greedy and resentful of what others have. As our Lord has said today, “whoever commits sin is a slave of sin, and a slave does not abide in the house forever.” This is an eternal truth. Those who are found guilty of sin will die eternally in hell.

This Word does stand, but it is not the greatest nor is it the final word of God. Listen again to Isaiah:

The word of our God stands forever.” . . .
Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”
10 Behold, the Lord GOD shall come with a strong hand,
And His arm shall rule for Him;
Behold, His reward is with Him,
And His work before Him.

Now that sounds scary, but listen to what comes next:

11 He will feed His flock like a shepherd;
He will gather the lambs with His arm,
And carry them in His bosom,
And gently lead those who are with young.

The final Word that stands forever, the Word that overcomes your sin and mine, the Word at the heart of the Reformation is Jesus. Jesus has come as God among us; Jesus has offered Himself for our sins – all of them and in His death the work of salvation is completed. The Word that abides is the Word of Life, spoken from the cross “It is finished.” The Word of God is “I forgive you.” That is the heart of the Reformation – the conviction, the certain assertion and the undying faith that Jesus has done it all, that His sinlessness and purity are given to us and they become ours through faith in His promising Word.

The Reformation Word, the Word of God that endures forever is this, “Jesus said, “If you abide in My Word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free . . . [and] if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”

Christ Jesus has paid for Your sins and He forgives you. Go. You are free. Keep that in mind when you sing our closing hymn, the great Reformation hymn – you might just sing a little louder. Amen.