Resolving to make it to church more in 2017? It’s
not unusual for Christians—and even Lutherans— to assume that attending worship, praying, reading the Bible and other good works will bring us closer to God or make us better Christians. Luther abso- lutely rejected this notion. Even the faith through which we are saved does not happen by our own “understanding or strength” but by the work of the Spirit, he asserted. For Luther, it’s clear that faith is “not something
we do but something we experience,” Wengert said. Understanding faith as an experience rather
than a product of our efforts can liberate our faith practices. Stjerna argues that Luther’s instructions in the catechism rest on his belief in “the absolute presence of God in my living … in the holiness of each life, each person, each location.” Whether it’s in worship, prayer or participation
in a church community, Stjerna invites Christians to focus on God’s presence inside us. “When you do that, God will speak to you,” she said. “It’s the mystical reality of God. We need a tool to be illumined and sensitized and really hear God talking to us.” It’s often said that we don’t go to church; we are
the church. Like a good tree planted to bear good fruit, God makes us holy, and “being made holy means living life, then, for others,” Wengert said.
Save the world Serve the world
I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father in eternity, and also a true human being, born of the virgin Mary, is my Lord. He has redeemed me, a lost and condemned human being. He has purchased and freed me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil, not with gold or silver but with his holy, precious blood and with his innocent suffering and death. He has done all this in order that I may belong to him, live under him in his kingdom, and serve him in eternal righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as he is risen from the dead and lives and rules eternally. This is most certainly true” (Luther’s explanation of the Apostles’ Creed). “Volunteer more” is one of the top resolutions
individuals make. And the ELCA’s tagline “God’s work. Our hands.” speaks of a church that takes seriously its identity and mission to be the body of Christ in the world—whether it’s through congregations volunteering in local communities, youth groups engaging in summer service projects or national and international church ministries. Our work as a church testifies to Luther’s belief
in the vocation of every baptized person. Wengert explained that in the catechism “Luther says,
18 JANUARY 2017
‘You’re all in holy orders … in the church, society, the household, all walks of life.’ ” Yet it’s crucial to remember that whatever our
vocation, none of us is called to save the world. We are not the Savior—Jesus is. This is the heart of the gospel and of Luther’s catechism: not what we do, but what God does for us and for the sake of the world. In Christ, God frees us not only from our sin, but even from unrealistic expectations of our calling that would curve us inward in pride or in panic. In God’s liberating grace, Westhelle said, “we turn outward, stretching into the world” toward our neighbors—not to save—to serve.
Conclusion: New Year’s reformations?
God’s liberating grace through Jesus Christ, which Luther experienced and passed on to us through the Small Catechism, can reform us as we face a new year. Grace frees us from indulgent self-focus, reminds us that it is God who makes us feel whole and invites us to turn outward in love to our neighbors. How do we live a Reformation life, in ways that
don’t just replace one to-do list with another, or turn us back inward to focus on ourselves? We live in the community of faith. Through the church, God renews, refreshes
and liberates us when we need it. Freed in Christ to serve our neighbors, we, as the church, can do more together than we could ever do alone—stand with the suffering, speak out against evil, help those in need and be continually reformed. In that hope, Philip offers a final reminder that
“living as one created in the image of God, with the freedom to image God and to live life to its full poten- tial [is] not a once-a-year or once-in-a-lifetime thing.” Rather, this freedom is intimately bound to “our baptismal understanding of daily dying and rising. It needs to happen every day—period,” she added. Just as the church is semper reformanda (always
reforming) so may we be freed from sin, curved out toward our neighbor and the world, bearing what Luther describes as “a living, daring confidence in God’s grace.”
Download a study guide by clicking on the “Spiritual practices & resources” tab at
LivingLutheran.org.
Meghan Johnston Aelabouni is an ELCA pastor studying full time for her doctorate. She and her family live in Fort Collins, Colo.
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