Well here we are with a sense of freedom. Still some restrictions in place but a sense that we are beginning to enjoy some of the freedoms we had with more on the horizon. However we know that there are some in our community who are made to feel as if they are not able to enjoy the freedoms that many are having.
A distinction is being made by society of the vaccinated and unvaccinated. A distinction that God would never make.
In order for us to reopen our churches we needed to comply with all the requirements and so we will be providing worship opportunities for all of our members that comply with the Government mandates. But it is important to state from the outset that there is no distinction in what is received at any worship service and that is the Grace of God.
This is one of the biggest challenges to face the church in modern times and we need to ensure that we have the same mind as Christ where there is no distinction – no male nor female, no Jew nor Greek, no slave nor free, no vaccinated or unvaccinated when it comes to the grace and mercy of God. If we could not offer the opportunity for all of our members and the visiting community to worship in some form and receive the sacrament then I would not be standing here before you today until we could.
Christ is not divided and neither should the church albeit for the time being in order to abide by the Government mandate for churches to open we have a variety of worship options for all to be able to worship.
Society is going to be divided and not able to offer that opportunity in many settings but the church must be able to do so and as much as many people have seen the Government as an enemy of the church because of the lockdowns, we are being given a freedom that most business and workplaces are not being given – to be able to provide worship for all of our members albeit in different settings.
But those different settings are different only in time and not in what is received. And that’s what Paul emphasizes in our Epistle reading when he says:
God’s righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
So please, pray that we may be one in this difficult period of time for the church and for every one of our members and those who are seeking Christ. Paul reminds us that there is only one class of people. He says – all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, This is the only class distinction and it captures every single one of us – we are all sinners needing God’s forgiveness.
And that means the Gospel unifies us. As St Paul says – all are justified freely by God’s grace. And this is what happens when Christ is at the centre of our teaching and is what Luther fought hard for during the Reformation. Because in Luther’s day there was a distinction made. That only those who could afford to purchase an indulgence could experience the comforting grace of God and thus those who could not were made to feel like 2nd class citizens – peasants.
Indulgences were what the Church of Luther’s day sold to the people to bring them comfort rather than the freely given Gospel.
The Gospel does not distinguish – for we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. And that’s what Luther fought so hard for even putting his very life on the line. The Gospel cannot be compromised which is what the Reformation stands for:
Saved by grace, through faith, for Christ’s sake.
Grace alone.
Faith alone.
Christ alone.
Scripture alone.
To the glory of God alone.
If we, as the Church, cannot show that then we are not the church of the Reformation. We are not the Church of Jesus Christ our Lord.
In the past couple weeks we have seen how Jesus breaks down any class distinction with the Gospel.
For James and John who wanted that high class distinction of being able to sit at Jesus’ left and right in his glory Jesus reminds them that the first shall be last and the greatest is to be a servant of all. And when the crowd tried to shut down blind Bartimaeus and keep him quiet Jesus draws him out of the crowd and to himself. The Jews today tried to point out their distinction – we are children of Abraham. The church needs to be open to all people and I am thankful that even though Government mandates require us to have 2 different services that they are different only by time. The church needs to be there for all people because God is our refuge and our strength. God is our ever present help in trouble.
I know a lot of people are afraid at present. They too are the body of Christ even though they are not present in the church building at present. Some are afraid to rejoin gatherings and we should also support them. No one should be made to feel less than what they are. And what they are – they are children of God who have been set free by Jesus.
We know what fear can do. We’ve seen it on the news – we seen it on social media. Fear can make us point the finger at others. Fear can make us put down others who are “not like us”. Fear can make class distinctions. But Jesus came to set us free from that. Luther fought the church of his day to bring the Gospel back to where it belonged – with the people – all people.
I hope and I pray that we too can be a refuge and strength for all people – a place where we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, because The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. And be comforted by the words of our Psalm from the Lord almighty – Be still, and know that I am God;
