One of the delights of teaching Confirmation is the opportunity to revisit some of the basics of our faith. A couple Sundays ago we were going over early Lutheran theology, some of the points on which Martin Luther and company rested their faith and by which they defined the church. One of the most interesting was his three-part affirmation of the foundation of our belief in God: Word Alone, Grace Alone, Faith Alone. These affirmations spoke again basing faith on self-interest or human power, centering it in God and his relationship with us expressed through Word, Grace, and Faith. Over the next few weeks let's take a look at these words and what they mean to our lives.
Click through for a look at how "Word Alone" describes our relationship with God!
Stop for a minute and think how God comes to you. How do you know about him? How do you know who he is? Where did you learn and how was your faith incubated? Very few people throughout history have had the privilege of unmistakable voices from the sky and divine taps on the shoulder complete with personal instructions. For the vast majority of us God comes through words!
The words of Scripture are central to our faith. They tell us everything we know about God. Those words are shared in worship, sermons, Sunday School, around tables at home...told and re-told until they're woven into the fabric of our lives and consciousness. Our God was spoken to us. As they entered our eyes, ears, and hearts our relationship with him flowered. Without those words we would not know God.
God has done an amazing thing here. He chose a way of being with us that's accessible to anyone, anytime, anywhere. Words don't discriminate between rich and poor. Words can be translated into any language. Words cross races and creeds, ages and cultures. Along with water, food, and the basic things needed to sustain life words are the common denominator in all of our civilizations. Everybody has them.
But God's words are no ordinary words! In fact scripture is different than any other words you'll ever hear. All the other books we read tell about things. A book on World War II tells you about the war. It doesn't bring the war to you physically. A book on car repair tells you how to fix the car. It doesn't fix it just by reading. But the Bible--God's chosen way of coming to us--doesn't just talk about God, it brings God to us. This is why we stand, for instance, when reading the gospel in church. We show respect to God entering our lives and dwelling among (and in) us through these words. If the Bible were just about God he'd still be removed from us, an object the the war or the car. Since the Bible brings God to us we know that he is with us, not an object that we're reading about but a savior dwelling with us, riding these sounds and syllables right into our hearts.
It's no accident that the first verses of the Gospel of John say, "The word was made flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth." God was first conveyed through the spoken word: the words he spoke to the prophets and ancestors like Abraham and Moses and then from their lips to into the lives of his people. Then, in Jesus, the word became flesh, a human that we could see. Through his death on the cross Jesus became one of us, brother to all, united with humanity in a death like ours so we could be united with him in resurrection. At that moment word and flesh were united, but not just his flesh anymore, rather all of ours. Now when God comes to us in the word it's as good as if he came in person, in the flesh. That word is real, every bit as much as we are real. Word and flesh are married now, never to be put asunder.
See also what the word does when it hits God's creation. How was creation formed in the first place? God spoke and it was so. Words created the universe. Words also bless us, forgive us, clean us, make us new and whole. Every time we read the words of scripture this happens again. God's voice creates us anew, blesses us, forgives us, cleans us, makes us into different people than we were before, gives us new life. Did you ever think of that? You are being born anew, re-created each time you hear scripture. That's how powerful it is.
And that's why the fathers of the Reformation made one of their pillars "Word Alone". There's nothing like it. No other words can replace what scripture does for us. We can get good ideas, instructions, historical truth, and inspiration from any number of words in any number of places. But those are all internal, working only in ways our minds and hearts can understand and accept. Only one kind of Word goes beyond the limitations of our minds and hearts and brings the limitless God to us, creating a new being and new life in us. That's the Word we celebrate and gather around each Sunday.
Remember not to take God's Word for granted when you hear it. Understand that this is him talking to you, coming to be with you in a most incredible way. Also, in honor of him, consider the power of your own words and how you use them every day. Make yours reflect his and your life will blossom with a faith you never knew you had.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
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