Reformation Sunday 2024- Romans 3:28; John 8:36

This Sunday, Reformation Sunday, we commemorate Luther's publication of the Ninety-Five Theses on October 31, 1517. By proposing certain issues for discussion, the young Bible professor unexpectedly set the Protestant Reformation in motion. The epistle reading for the day includes a Scripture verse important for Luther and the Reformation. In Romans 3:28 (ESV), the apostle Paul writes, "For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law." Justification by faith in Christ is a great principle of the Reformation, and indeed, of all Christian belief and practice. Although God's commandments are important, we fallen and sinful creatures can never follow them perfectly. We can only be set right with God through the redemptive life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The principle of justification by faith is related to our Gospel from John 8. In John 8:32, Jesus tells the crowd, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." After mentioning bondage to sin, our Lord is more specific in John 8:36, "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." The Gospel of Christ is the truth; Jesus Himself, God the Son, is the truth incarnate. He is the one, the only one, who brings true freedom to fallen human beings. Through faith in Him, we are set right with God. This is the Gospel, the good news, which Luther rediscovered and emphasized. It is the divine truth that frees us from bondage to sin and produces good fruit in our lives!

Pentecost 21 (year B proper 23)- Mark 10:17-22

 The Gospel from Mark 10:17-22 is about a rich man seeking guidance from Jesus. This Gospel emphasizes the great commandments of the Law and the importance of loving and faithful actions toward God and neighbor. For many believers, the difficulty has been to be both believing and obedient. How do we start?

In reality, loving God and our neighbors is not easy. The big complication is the fact that human nature is fallen and corrupt. On our own, we are sinners who have lost the capacity to love and obey as we should. We are selfish and tied to the things of this world. We seek to avoid taking up the cross and following Jesus.

However, God in Christ calls us to repentance and faith. Because of the fallen human condition, loving obedience is not our first step. Our response to divine love must begin with repenting our lack of love and obedience. Then we must proceed to faith in God's love revealed in Jesus Christ. Without such faith, we are not really open to love. Then with faith in God's loving grace, we can take up our crosses. Through this dynamic, God can begin to transform us by creating living faith in Him. Christian Faith then opens our hearts to love and obey God in return. And as we begin to love God, we also begin to love our neighbors created by God.

Pentecost 20 (year B, proper 22)- Mark 10:2-16

The Gospel from Mark 10: 2-16 presents some of Christ's teachings about marriage and about children. In Mark 10:2-12, Jesus discusses divorce and emphasizes that it is contrary to God's intention for marriage. Although there are real and practical human problems that can lead to divorce, sin is involved. Even if one party is more guilty, neither side is usually totally innocent. While people can discuss the numberless details, the central point is that believers need to take the divine intention of marriage seriously from the beginning. In some cases, the initial sin may be marrying unwisely. People often marry without proper understandings, expectations, attitudes, or commitments. In other cases, people forget their original intentions, stray from divine grace, or develop hardened hearts toward one another. Regardless of the circumstances, every divorce should lead to appropriate repentance and a desire for renewal through divine grace.

In Mark 10: 13-16, Jesus emphasizes the special value of little children. Although affected by human sin from birth, little children are relatively innocent and trusting. At a tender age, they are good soil for planting God's Word. They can believe implicitly and belong to God, and so adults need to nourish rather than hinder children in their spiritual and moral growth. Although all of us must grow up and become more mature in certain ways, we also need to learn to be more humble and trusting like little children.