Loving God, in your Word we encounter the truth of your grace and love in Christ.  Renew us in your love by the power of the Holy Spirit, that others might see Jesus in us, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

            In the gospel that we heard today, we find “the perennial search for human freedom” (sundaysandseasons.com), as well as the human capacity to erase certain things from our memories.  It is actually quite astonishing that descendants of Abraham, who were slaves in Egypt for 400 years and slaves in Babylon for 70 years, would declare that they “have never been slaves to anyone” (Jn. 8:33).  Still, Jesus tells them that the truth will make them free.  He also talks about being a slave to sin.

         Those of you who are familiar with Martin Luther’s story will understand why this is the gospel appointed for Reformation Day.  When Luther first became a monk, he was constantly terrified that he had not done enough to merit God’s favour.  He had nightmares about the devil, he was very aware of his own sinfulness, and he did every kind of penance possible to avoid the fires of hell.

         Because of this anxiety about his own sinfulness, it was sweet relief when he was reading Romans one day and discovered that it is faith in Jesus that makes us acceptable to God.  We are saved by grace, through faith.  It is God’s gift, and not something that we earn by how many good works we do.  For Luther, this discovery was so life-changing that he spent the rest of his days pointing to Christ, and pointing to the Word, and pointing to the truth.  For, as today’s gospel reminds us, it is the Son, and the Word, and the Truth who makes us free.

         These days, as you have probably noticed, we have continued to see the human quest for freedom.  People fight for freedom from oppression, freedom from racism, freedom from tyranny, and freedom from discrimination.  There are also people who seek the freedom to do whatever they want.  However, as many have pointed out, including C.S. Lewis, this is not the freedom that God gives us.  He writes:

There cannot be a common life without a regula.  The alternative to rule is not freedom but the unconstitutional (and often unconscious) tyranny of the most selfish member (C.S. Lewis, God in the Dock, in For All the Saints, III, p. 1273).

         That phrase has stuck with me ever since I first read it: the “tyranny of the most selfish member.”  This is the patient on a hospital ward who yells louder than anybody else at any time of night or day.  This is the person who knowingly spreads Covid (or any other disease) because nobody is going to tell them what to do.  This is the person who hijacks any meeting or conversation – because everything is all about them.  As in many movies or novels where all rule of law is gone, it is the tyranny of the most selfish member that takes over.

         In stark contrast to this misunderstanding of true freedom, Jesus sets us free to be obedient children of God.  While this may not sound like freedom at first, we begin to understand after delving a little deeper.  We tend to hear the word “obedient” and immediately think about having to keep a long list of rules and regulations.  However, this is not what Jesus taught.

         We forget so easily that Jesus pointed to loving God with our whole heart and soul and mind and loving our neighbours as ourselves.  Being obedient means living in love – knowing the depth of God’s love for us and responding in love for God and for others.  In this is true freedom – knowing that we are beloved children of God, and sharing that love in the world around us.  This is what it is like when the Son makes us free.

         At the same time, however, our freedom in Christ does not guarantee an absence of trials or turmoil in our lives.  Luther’s life was certainly not trouble-free after discovering the truth of the gospel.  In spite of his initial enthusiasm, those in positions of power in the church did not take kindly to his criticism of their money-making enterprises.  He witnessed the Peasants War, was declared a traitor against the state and was excommunicated from the church.  Still, he clung to Christ as his Saviour and Redeemer.

         For us, too, we can expect that there will be trials and suffering and challenges during our lives on this earth.  However, no matter what it is that we are facing, God continues to be our refuge and strength.  At the same time, because of all that Jesus experienced and suffered, he is not far away, but right here with us during our times of trial.  This is the gift of the Word made flesh who lived among us, full of grace and truth (Jn. 1:14).

         We live in a world where the tyranny of the most selfish member continues to show up.  However, Jesus has shown us a different way – the way of love.  May the Holy Spirit continue to re-form us and to re-form the church, that all might come to know the salvation that is ours through Christ.  Amen, may it be so.  Amen.

Reformation Sunday                       John 8:31-36

October 30, 2022                             Psalm 46

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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