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The Gospel of Matthew Bible Studies
The Gospel of Mark Bible Studies
The Book of Acts Bible Studies
January 2009
February 2009
March 2009
April 2009
May 2009
June 2009
July 2009
August 2009
September 2009
October 2009
November 2009
December 2009
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Reformation Sunday (Sung) “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it the gift of God. Salvation…salvation…salvation…salvation; it is the gift of God. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” (Eph. 2:8) This a song that we have used in our confirmation program here at Pella, and to me this is the very heart and soul of what Reformation Sunday is all about. The song is nothing more than a very special verse in scripture – Ephesians 2:8. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” For my sermon this morning, I would like to briefly explore what this verse means for us. “For by grace you have been saved…” We are God’s people – not because of anything that we have done, but simply because of grace – his undeserved love. Through baptism, God has made us his own forever. Through water and the Spirit God has promised to forgive us all our sins and thereby remove all of the barriers that keep us from having a new and wonderful relationship with him and with each other. This grace is especially attested to when infants are baptized, as most of us have been. Even though a child may not understand what is happening, God by his grace alone promises that he or she will be with him forever. And the same is true even if we are baptized as older children or adults – because by grace God loves us just as we are and offers us a new kind of life with him and with each other. “For by grace you have been saved through faith.” We Lutherans really emphasize the importance of faith, especially on days like this Reformation Sunday. But “faith” has often been misunderstood. It does not mean “making a decision” for Christ or deciding to do something. “Faith” simply means trusting God’s promises made in baptism that we are his people forever and that our sins are forgiven. It means trusting that God will bring us through whatever difficulties we may face – even if we don’t understand how. I have been reflecting upon this a lot lately. The importance of “faith” for us as individuals in our relationship with God is obvious (and we will be especially recognizing this as fourteen of our young people affirm their faith as they are confirmed today). But at least equally important, “faith” in God’s promises defines our life together as a church. Especially when going through challenging times, as our ELCA is going through right now, we need to remember that by grace we all are still God’s people – and that he still loves us and forgives us – even when we may strongly disagree with each other on issues like sexuality. Through faith I hope, I believe, and I trust that God will bring us through this – and help us to love and forgive each other. Through faith I hope, I believe, and I trust that any “barriers” which may separate us from those whom we disagree will be overcome – not because of what we do, but because of what God is doing among us and for us through Jesus Christ. Through faith I hope, I believe, and I trust that we will continue to show God’s forgiveness and love in our life together. Sometimes I don’t know how that will be, but I believe it. I absolutely believe it – because God by his grace will make it possible. The message of the Reformation which we celebrate today is this: It is not what we do but what God does that gives us salvation – a new life with him and with each other. And this we know – that by grace God loves us forever; by grace God has brought us together to be his people forever; by grace God forgives us all our sins each and every day; by grace God helps us to love and forgive each other; by grace God promises to always be with us even during hard and difficult times that we may face – both individually and as a community; and by grace God will bring us to eternal life. All of these things are GIFTS of salvation that God gives to us entirely by grace, which we receive through our FAITH in Jesus Christ. Today as the conclusion of this message, I would like to invite you to join me in singing the song which I sang at the beginning – Ephesians 2:8. But this time, let us say “we” have been saved… Join with me… “For by grace we have been saved through faith, and this is not our own doing; it is the gift of God. For by grace we have been saved through faith, and this is not our own doing; it is the gift of God. Salvation…salvation…salvation… salvation… it is the gift of God. For by grace we have been saved through faith, and this is not our own doing; it is the gift of God.” Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord – and happy Reformation Sunday, everyone! Amen! -------------------- Pastor George Karres 418 W. Main St. Sidney, MT 59270
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