Reformation Day 500 year anniversary - Lutheran review in Brunswick Maine

St. Charles Borromeo Church, in Brunswick Maine, with (left) Jane Kresser (parishioner), Pastor Rebecca Wegner (Lutheran), Father Tom Murphy (Catholic) and Rector Rev. Carolyn Ecklund (Episcopalian)

We cannot be agents of healing and reconciliation alone, we must rely upon the care of our heavenly Father who grows the vine and removes what is unhealthy while nurturing what will bring life and joy to the creation God loves.~ Pastor Rebecca Wegner

Following is the sermon delivered at the October 29, 2017, Common Prayer joint liturgy to celebrate Reformation Day, a Lutheran-Catholic liturgy to celebrate our common Christian heritage.

Pastor Rebecca Wegner, the leader of the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, in Brunswick, Maine, presented this sermon during the service. I appreciate her giving me the permission to include it in my social media posts, describing the ecumenical program, conducted at St. Charles Borromeo Church, in Brunswick, Maine.

On behalf of Bishop Elizabeth Eaton of the Evangelical Luterhan Church in America and Bishop Jim Hazelwood, of the New England Synod of the ELCA, I bring you greetings on this historic day, when jointly we are commemorating the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation.

In case yo wondered, I can say with confidence that neither Father Tom Murphy nor I forgot which stole color to wear today.  Green is the color for this liturgical season. Most of you will associate red with days remembering saints and martyrs. Lutherans wear red for those days as well, but we also wear red for Reformation Day.

Let me be quick to say that we do not think of Martin Luther as a saint.  He was brilliant and fearless in defending the faith, but he was also a flawed human being; often stubborn, arrogant and bound by the prejudices of his day. 

In his old age, Luther grew increasingly anti-Semitic and those writings have been formally rejected by Lutherans. 

We are engaged in ongoing work with our Jewish brothers and sisters to apologize for old wrongs and to seek healing for our communities. So, not a saint. And, while Luther was condemned as a heretic and subject to arrest and execution by the church of his day, he was spared through the aid of powerful princes allied with him. So, not a martyr, which leaves us with the question of, "Why red?".

The color red prompts us to remember. Remember that the definition of martyr is literally "witness". One of the most treasured gifts of the Reformation was a renewed focus on words, the written word of scripture and the living word which is Jesus Christ. Scripture is filled with stories of people bearing witness to the saving power of our God. Some of them died for their witness; others lived and by their lives inspired people to renewed faith, hope and love.

The days of witnesses did not end with the last book of the Bible. Throughout history, there have been many, many witnesses to the saving acts of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. Some of these people died defending their faith, people like Jan Huss who believed that the word of God should be easily accessible to all people in their own language. 

Others, like Martin Luther, were spared the death sentence, but boldly continued to lift up the power of the word of God as the source of faith and life empowered by the Holy Spirit; so, we wear red to remind us not only of the deaths of witnesses to the Gospel, but also to the power of the Holy Spirit, to call, gather and enlighten the whole Christian church.

It can be hard for us Lutherans to explain why we observe Reformation Day each year. At its best, Reformation Day prompts us to remember, with thanksgiving, the costly gift of grace bestowed upon us by Jesus Christ and conveyed to us through the witness of faithful Christians throughout the ages.  At its worst, it can easily deteriorate into shallow triumphalism and divisive rhetoric. Yet, we continue to look to our Reformation roots, year after year, because looking back frees us to move forward.

The past reminds us that we are a branch of the one true vine, Jesus Christ. Looking back reminds us of all the pruning that has taken place on that vine, over the years thanks to the tender mercies of our God, so that it can be a healthier, more fruitful vine.

Looking back helps us appreciate the fruitfulness of our forebears so that we can find courage to go boldly into the future we share with those other fruitful branches of the vine.

We aren't alone; those other branches matter to us. Their fruitful witness matters to us. There abundant gifts and energy and witness matter to us. We cannot be healthy and productive branches if any of us are cut off from the true vine, Jesus Christ.  

We are living in days of division, of conflict, of using race, gender and religion as weapons to injure the other.

We cannot be agents of healing and reconciliation alone, we must rely upon the care of our heavenly Father who grows the vine and removes what is unhealthy while nurturing what will bring life and joy to the creation God loves.

Yes, we wear red to look back at witness of those who have gone before but we also wear red to celebrate the power of the Holy Spirit, unleashed upon us all as we move forward together in Jesus Christ.  Look around you and see the surprising gifts of the Holy Spirit; Lutherans and Catholics jointly worshiping our Heavenly Father. Lutherans and Catholics talking about those things we see in our neighborhoods or around the world which need our attention and our efforts.  Lutherans and Catholics acknowledging that change can be hard, but it can also be wonderfully life-giving.

So, I invite you to share joy with me today; look back to see how far we've come but look forward seeing the road ahead that we travel together.

Give thanks to God, that blessed vine grower and to Jesus Christ, the true vine, who gives renewed life to us all.

Thanks b to God, indeed!

Amen+ http://www.goodshepherdme.org/about-us/leadership/