October 29, 2023 – Reformation Sunday
“Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, ‘You will be made free’?” Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:31-36
Several years ago I was sitting in the parking lot of a bowling alley when I watched a drama unfold in front of me. A father and his two children were having an argument. It was ugly. I knew the family – so I knew some of the background. The father had left the mother for another woman, and the children were wounded. They were unburdening themselves of these wounds with their father. I watched it for a while, frozen in my car, not sure what to do. But I am embarrassed to say that when I came to a decision, I did what Martin Luther did when caught in a thunder storm, I fled as quickly as I could.
My point is there are many people who carry many wounds deep within them, for many years. If people are to unburden themselves of their wounded-ness, then it needs to begin on the inside. Jeremiah prophesied that a new day was coming, a day where G-d would reclaim G-d’s people, and they would know it deep within their hearts. A day would come where responding to G-d, showing our love for God would not come from “outward doing”, but from inward knowing and loving. Feeling G-d’s love for us, and expressing our love for G-d would no longer come from “Do this”, “Don’t do that”. It would come from a faith that, seeing the cross of Jesus and knowing how much G-d loves us, we will go and “Love the Lord with all our heart, and our neighbor as ourselves.” When we experience G-d’s all powerful, all encompassing love for each and every one of us, we begin the healing of our wounds, the ones deep inside us.
How do we experience G-d’s love? Paul says it all: “The redemption that is in Jesus Christ, whom G-d put forth as a sacrifice of atonement by the cross, effective through faith.” You see, our wounds make us feel “less than” – “less than” a child, “less than” a husband or wife, “less than” a parent, less than a “child of G-d”. But through the wounds of Jesus, G-d has given us all a great gift – we all have not “less”, but “More value” – through the cross of Jesus, G-d sees us as “More” not “Less” – G-d sees us as new creations. Imagine a garbage can full of junk, garbage, and the like. This can is us with all of the things of our lives – filled with the junk of bad decisions, hurts, all of our wounded-ness. Because of the cross of Jesus, effective through faith, G-d doesn’t see the garbage, but a clean, white cloth placed over that can – a white cloth we received in our baptism. So when G-d looks at us, inside and out, G-d sees, not junk, not people of “less value” – but G-d sees us as whole, clean, and new creations – and G-d loves us.
Pastor Dave
Lutheran Schreff 