THE FEAST OF THE LUTHERAN REFORMATION
Why Reformation Day Matters
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ!
Amen! Listen to what God says at the end of today’s Epistle.
“The law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but THE WORD OF THE
OATH, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect
forever.”
When God speaks about “the Word of [His] oath,” in this Epistle, He wants you
to know that His oath is a very powerful thing. When God speaks an oath,
nothing in the universe is more powerful and more binding. God has spoken an
oath to you.
Dear Christian friends,
I. Reformation Day Seems Arrogant
Today is Reformation Day. In the eyes of the world—perhaps even in the eyes of
our fellow Christians who come here as visitors and guests—Reformation Day
probably seems like an arrogant holiday. Compare Reformation Day to some of the
other holidays in the Church Year. For example:
• Christmas and Easter seem like good holidays for Christians to
celebrate together, Lutheran or otherwise. Christmas and Easter are plainly and
clearly all about Jesus. Christmas and Easter do not make us feel terribly
uncomfortable when we invite to church those friends and family who are not
Lutheran. Visiting family might not commune with us during their Christmas and
Easter visits, but at least we can sing the old hymns in warm unison and hear
the familiar Gospels together.
• Pentecost is another example. No one travels to visit family for
“Pentecost vacation,” but Pentecost is still a good, all-inclusive holiday.
Just as Easter and Christmas are all about Jesus, Pentecost is all really about
Jesus, too. Yes, we talk about the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, but the focus of
Pentecost is the Spirit’s work of pointing us to Jesus; the Spirit’s untiring
message us that Jesus forgives all our sins. Pentecost is about Jesus!
Compared to Christmas, Easter and Pentecost, Reformation Day can really bother
people—Lutheran or otherwise. On its surface, Reformation Day does not appear
to be all about Jesus, as the other feast days are. On its outside, Reformation
Day appears to be about Martin Luther and the Lutheran confession of faith and
how we Lutherans always think we are right. Because of this outside, surface
appearance, Reformation Day can irritate and offend people—especially visitors
who are members of another church body. The seeming arrogance of Reformation
Day might even feel a little embarrassing for you Lutherans.
II. Reformation Day is All About Jesus
Today’s Epistle will help you see that Reformation Day is not about Luther any
more than sauerkraut or lederhosen. Reformation Day is about Jesus and only
Jesus. The blessing and benefit of Reformation Day is summarized in today’s
Epistle with one phrase: “THE WORD OF THE OATH.” Listen again to what God says:
“The law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but THE WORD OF THE
OATH, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect
forever.”
Here is what God is telling you in today’s Epistle: Your heavenly Father chose
and designated Jesus to be the One and Only source of your forgiveness and
life. God the Father is so serious about Jesus being the One and Only source of
your forgiveness and life, that He swore an oath. When God sent His Son to die
for you, God swore to you, promising you on an oath, “This man Jesus is the One
and Only source of My salvation. I swear and promise to you that Jesus’ death
will be sufficient payment for your sins; I vow to you that Jesus’ resurrection
will become the opened door to your eternal life. There is no other place for
you to look (Mark 9:8); there is no other voice to which you must listen
(Hebrews 1:1-2); there is nothing at all that you must do (Ephesians 2:8-9). I,
Your God and Creator, I raise My right hand and I swear: Jesus is your One and
Only. If you have Jesus, then you also have all things in heaven and on earth,
even life and
salvation.”
“THE WORD OF THE OATH… appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.”
Here is the problem with the oath God has spoken to you—to all people—
concerning Jesus: Very few people believe that God’s oath is sufficient!
Throughout the history of the Church, the vast majority of Christianity has
insisted that there must be something more to your life and salvation than
Jesus your One and Only! When I mean is this:
• The struggle in the earliest days of the Reformation boiled down to the
Roman Catholic papacy. The papacy had begun to teach that you must look to
something more than Jesus for the assurance of your forgiveness and life. The
papacy was teaching—and still continues to teach—that you must also rely upon
what is called “the shrine of the pope’s heart.” All kinds of teachings have
spread through the Roman Church because some pope or another has dreamed up
some idea in his heart. For the assurance of salvation, for the certainty of
eternal life, you must not only listen to Jesus, but you must also rely upon
what the pope feels in his heart.
• After the struggle with the papacy became public, the Anabaptists
swarmed onto the scene. The various Anabaptists of the sixteenth century were
father or grandfather to many of today’s denominations. The Anabaptists
taught—and continue to teach—that you must look someplace other than the pope’s
heart: you must look into your own heart instead. All kinds of teachings have
spread through all sorts of church bodies because of this
look-into-your-own-heart idea. For the assurance of salvation, for the
certainty of eternal life, you must not only listen to Jesus, but you must also
rely upon what you feel in your heart—your sense of faith, your sense of
commitment to Jesus, your response to Jesus.
The Feast of the Reformation only seems like an arrogant, parochial holy day.
But Reformation Day is not about Luther, and it is not certainly about being
right. The main point of the Lutheran Reformation—the main point of Reformation
Day—is this:
• Nothing good can come from any human heart, papal otherwise! (Jeremiah
17:9, Romans 7:19, Matthew 15:19-20)
• Stated another way, the Feast of the Reformation is about Jesus and
Jesus only, who fully and completely forgives all your sins without any
contribution from you.
• Stated yet another way, the power and reliability of God’s oath
concerning Jesus. “THE WORD OF THE OATH… appoints a Son who has been made
perfect forever.”
God the Father is so serious about Jesus being the One and Only source of your
personal forgiveness and life, that He swore an oath to you. When God speaks an
oath, nothing in the universe is more powerful, nothing more binding, and
nothing needs to be added to it—not even the faith of your heart. TO THE
CONTRARY, God’s oath to you concerning Jesus will powerfully and miraculously
CREATE THE FAITH OF YOUR HEART. Do not concern yourself with what is inside
your heart. Nothing inside anyone’s heart—either yours or mine or the
pope’s—nothing there is worth noticing. Look instead at Jesus, only Jesus. God
the Father has promised and sworn to save you through Jesus only, in spite of
your heart. That is Reformation Day.
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