This Sunday, many churches around the world will observe the 500th Anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation. It will be done to commemorate the act leading to what is called the Reformation when on October 31, 1517, German Monk Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on the church door of All Saints Church in Wittenberg, Germany.
Luther took this action to protest the sale of indulgences by the Catholic Church. The act of selling indulgences was the church getting people to pay for forgiveness of their sins, sometimes even before one committed the sin. Seemed like a good deal; except God’s grace and forgiveness is free.
In 2017, the Christian Church has returned to the selling of indulgences. This time, the indulgences is not for forgiveness of sin to raise money to build a basilica as before. Instead, today, craving a thirst for power and favor with modern day pharaohs; the church is now selling the indulgences of cruelty by siding with the powerful and rich; turning a blind eye as politicians perpetrate disastrous and harmful polices that hurt the very ones Jesus, who they claim to follow, advocated the strongest for in His earthly ministry; “the least of these.”
In reading the assigned gospel from Matthew 22 for this week’s observance of Reformation Sunday, a familiar saying came to mind. It was the connotative definition of “insanity,” which is “doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result.” That’s what we see in yet another incident in which religious leaders try to match wits with Jesus. Just like last Sunday, the same group of religious leaders try twice, this time, to trap Jesus with questions! And Jesus ‘drops the mic’ on them again!
Join us for worship this Reformation Sunday. There will be no sale of indulgences; only a sermon about loving God and loving others; and where we will find, once again, that forgiveness is free. My sermon is “When Jesus ‘Dropped the Mic’ – Part 3,” based on “Matthew 22:24-46.”
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