In the book "The Day the Revolution Began" scholar and author N.T.Wright addresses the commonly held belief that Jesus death on the cross was not only to absolve us of our sins but actually was the beginning of a commissioning of Christians to a new vocation as a royal priesthood reconciling all creation. Too often, contemporary Christians have seen the cross in a reduced way simply in terms of an angry God punishing Jesus for our sins. It has been my view as interpreted by scripture and the historic church teaching, that this is misconstrued. The idea of "penal substitution" came out of the reformation but as a misunderstanding of the traditional view of the death of Christ. In NT Wrights book he expands the idea saying that the reformation understanding is limited and also did not go far enough. This is an important work that encourages Christians to enter into a fuller understanding of the mystery of Jesus' death on the cross.
This month,
Christians will be commemorating an important anniversary. It is one
that has a controversial legacy, and shook the very foundations of
church and society. Five hundred years ago, John Tetzle came into a
German town selling indulgences. People could pay to secure
forgiveness for certain sins. The indulgences were needed to pay
back a loan to a bank in Austria for a high church official, ironically, to purchase an important seat as archbishop. The indulgences sales were then split between Rome and the outstanding loan. Martin
Luther, a monk and priest, was troubled that these indulgences were
being sold to the people that could least afford it. It also went
against his belief that any Christian who truly repented could
receive forgiveness. The church door was often used as a public
notice board, and so on Oct 31, 1517, Martin Luther posted
ninety-five points of debate on the door of the Castle Church in
Wittenberg and mailed his objections to the archbishop who then sent them on to Rome. This
probably went unnoticed at the time and would likely have stayed that
way, if it had not been for the invention of the printing press. The
press was used to reproduce Luther's ninety-five theses and helped to
start a pamphlet war between Luther and Tetzel. By the time that
Luther was called before an imperial diet or court, to defend his
writing, scores of Luther's works had gained him a popular following.
The court demanded that he recant everything that he had written.
Luther, anguish over the situation he faced, responded with his
famous speech, “unless I am convinced by the testimony of the
Scriptures or by clear reason...I am bound by the Scriptures I have
quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and
will not retract anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go
against conscience. I cannot do otherwise; here I stand, may God help
me.” Probably without realizing it, Luther had just set western
civilization on a new course. That course would not run smooth.
The enthusiasm of Luther's followers began to take a life of its own.
Other much more radical reformers began to challenge both church and
civil authorities. One of them, Thomas Münster, encouraged a social
revolt of the peasant class. In 1525, peasants revolted and were
crushed in a bloodbath, their leaders executed and thousands
perished. Disagreement in politics and religion caused serious
divisions that led to religious persecution, social unrest, and
religious wars. One hundred years later, a group of religious
dissenters would leave for the new world seeking religious freedom on
the now famous Mayflower. While the legacy of the reformation
resulted in people doing many un-christian things to each other, and
introduced a whole new series of problems that the church is still
grappling with, it also gave us a new respect for individual
conscience, the power of a free press, and limits to the power of the
church over civil society. In the church, it resulted in a new wave
of theological ideas, the Bible in the language of the people, a
renewal in hymns and worship, and just within the last hundred years,
a seeking of forgiveness and reconciliation between Roman Catholics, and Protestants, and different
Christian denominations. First Presbyterian Church of Umatilla will
feature a special emphasis this month reflecting on the legacy of the
reformation at our regular Sunday morning worship service at 11:00am. This sermon series will focus on the "Five Sola's"; Sola Scripture, Sola Fide, Sola Gratia, Solus Christus, and Soli Deo Gloria." Often these summations of the Reformed faith have been misunderstood and misinterpreted. The church today still faces the task of reforming itself in the light of God's word, perhaps the greatest reformation tradition. Omar Gonzalez
(Article submitted for press Oct 2017)
Religion and Ethics Weekly The Protestant Reformation
The Prayers of the People have been a part of Christian worship since ancient times. The earliest example comes from Justin Martyr who in the year 150, mentions the prayers. For centuries they have been part of the Daily Office and the eucharistic liturgy. In most Christian worship today, the Prayers of the People follow after the sermon, or are said during the service of the Eucharist along with the Lord's Prayer. In this video, a group called "The Brilliance" from their album, "Brother", sing the prayers of the people set to instrumentation. It is a moving and meditative version of the Prayers. The lyrics below have been slightly modified in order to be used as a prayer in any service of Christian worship regardless of the local context.
Lyrics:
You hear us calling, You hear us calling, Abba Father.
You hear us calling, You hear us calling, Abba Father.
Lord have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
You hear us calling, you hear us calling, Abba Father.
You hear us calling, you hear us calling, Abba Father.
Lord have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Prayers of the People
For the church of Christ around the globe,
that we may learn to be one,
as you, along with the Father and Holy Spirit are One,
For the church of Christ in ____________,
that we would grow in our unity with one another,
seeking to understand more than to be understood,
for your church scattered across the neighborhoods of our great city,
that our lives of love and service may bear witness of an alternative story,
Lord hear our Prayer.
For all of us that continue to live in the tension of power and race in America,
that we would in humility discover our cultural biases,
and seek understanding from those that are different than us,
guide us to become advocates for justice and equality,
for President________ and Governor ____________,
that they would be granted grace to lead with civility, justice and peace,
that you would protect their families as they face the challenges attending
these offices.
Lord, hear our prayer.
For those who teach, tutor, and provide care for our children,
for those you clean, and repair our homes and offices,
for those who prepare and serve our meals,
may they find dignity and solidarity in you,
O Christ, who having all power, did not come to be served but to serve,
and in this knowledge, may we who benefit from such service,
receive it gratefully, employ it justly and hold them in highest esteem.
Lord, hear our prayer.
For the victims of mass slaughter in ___________________
and those who have to live with the tragic consequences,
we pray for your mercy and comfort,
we pray that these violent acts would be brought to an end,
for all who are vulnerable to the influence of violent extremist groups,
we pray for protection and merciful care
to short circuit these cycles of poverty and violence,
We pray for your way of peace to take root in people's hearts and lives.
Lord, hear our prayer.
For those who live on our streets, we pray for relief and comfort,
that we, your people, may humanize our engagement with our
sisters and brothers, and know the grace of serving you as we serve them,
Father Thomas Reeves, priest at Church of St. Peter and Paul is a published author, and he has much to say and doesn't mince words! I HIGHLY recommend this book, it challenges main stream Christianity in the light of the Sermon on the Mount, dealing with our modern tendency to reject authority, confessions and creeds, and to give ourselves over to political authorities (both on the left and right) instead of Christ. A very timely volume especially in the light of the divisive political times we live in. Here is a brief introduction of the book:
"There are many who use Jesus as an excuse for multiple contradictory beliefs and actions. How do we decide who is right, and who is wrong? How do we discern if our approaches to Jesus and his Church are reflective of his living and teaching regarding the Gospel and the Kingdom of God? Whose interpretation of Holy Scripture is the correct one?
For many Americans, personal feelings, perceived needs, and religious experiences are the new authorities that trump all others…past or present. Neither the Holy Scriptures nor the Historic Christian Church (who gathered the Scriptures from the Apostles) have been completely cast aside, but both have largely become “suggestive” sources that carry little real weight. In the end, most Protestant groups (Conservative and Liberal alike) continually give themselves over to authorities that promise visible, measurable, and comfortable options in regard to a particular brand of Jesus and his ways. Of course, God is on their team’s side, so victory and success are assured.
The suggestion of this book is that the above approach to church (of any particular team) only brings a fleeting happiness and a buyer’s remorse. Only the real Jesus can give real life, love, joy, and hope. His vehicle for redemption and transformation is the fallible, holy, messy, and faithful Church of Jesus Christ. But it is HIS church. He is the Lord, and only he decides what faithfulness is or is not."
