Taken By Hand

I suppose that it’s human nature to believe that what we do and say is always the correct thing to say and do in life; that in most situations we are right and others are wrong. Yet we often are wrong, and based on those wrong beliefs, make assumptions and act wrongly. Our lessons for today show us that this isn’t just a modern issue. This attitude - that we are right - goes back beyond the curtain of history. There are times when we are reminded of this and are called to change our beliefs and lives. The Reformation is an example of one of those times. We must remember that Luther did not want to form a new church. He wanted to right what he saw as the wrongs of the church. That is what his 95 theses was about. They were written to bring about a discussion and, hopefully, change to the church. Luther only formed a new church after he was excommunicated. He also did not name the church after himself. His name was the Evangelical church. 

This same spirit of reformation is what Jeremiah tried to instill in the Israelites. They had forgotten God and what God had done for them and turned to other nations for help. In the midst of the threat from the Babylonians God was promising a reformation. A great change – a new covenant – because they had forgotten the old covenant. We see the same thing in Jesus’ discussion in John when those whom Jesus is talking to claim to have never been in slavery. What about the Egyptians, the Babylonians, the Greeks, and the Romans? They had not always been their own people. Instead of seeing new possibilities they rested on a false remembering of history.

That is our nature. We also rest our lives on false remembering of the past. Lately I have been hearing much about the “good old-times,” and how we need to return to them. But they only seem good because God is merciful. God allows us to forget the bad things that happen and remember the good things. That is why the past seems better than the present. We have forgotten the struggles and pains of those times. What we need is to look forward to a change in our lives – we need a reformation. We need to realize that we are part of the problem of these times while, at the same time, are being called to be part of the solution. That is what reformation is.

Luther calls us to a life of reformation. He reminds us that as we wake up each morning to make the sign of the cross, thank God for protecting us through the night, and to ask God for guidance through the day so that we do those things that are pleasing to God and reject those that are not. You  are called to share the love of God that you have received with others. Let your mouth speak the words of comfort and hope, and your hands the touch of love and compassion. Let God use you to reform the world around you each and every day, one small step at a time.