Does being Lutheran still matter?

Revelation 14:6 Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth-- to every nation, tribe, language and people. ⁷ He said in a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water."

A few years ago I took Ryan and Krystal through our church’s adult confirmation course. They didn’t have much religious background when they started the classes. They didn’t even realize that the little numbers in the Bible were for chapters and verses of books. From those humble beginnings, after four months of regular worship and summer classes, Ryan and Krystal became members of our congregation. I affectionately called them my “baby Lutherans,” because they had come so far, so quickly. In fact, shortly after becoming Lutherans, they were invited to a different Lutheran church for a baptism. They noticed that there were things “not quite right” in the preaching and teaching of that Lutheran church, which was not Wisconsin Synod, like Epiphany is.

They politely informed their friends what they had learned in our Bible classes and worship services, and what their children learned here at Wisconsin Lutheran School and in our Sunday School. They told their friends that what they heard in church that day was not Lutheran. And I was so proud of my “baby Lutherans.” Ryan and Krystal stood up for the truth of God’s Word, so they could then share the truth of God’s Word.

Today, as we celebrate the 495^th anniversary of the Reformation, we ask ourselves, “Does being Lutheran still matter?” As we examine this morning’s Scripture lessons, the lessons of history and our own confessions of faith, we will discover that being Lutheran definitely does matter!

Being Lutheran can be summed up in two phrases – Standing up for the truth of God’s Word. Then sharing that truth of God’s Word.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had been carried off into captivity in Babylon, along with all of the other Jews in Judah. These three men were commanded to bow down and worship the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar’s 90 foot gold statue. They refused to do so. They confessed, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” They stood up for the truth in the face of a blazing furnace. That gave them the opportunity to share that truth about the one true God, whether they lived or died in that blazing furnace. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were Lutherans.

Jesus taught His disciples: “You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.” Jesus’ inner circle of disciples had been Peter, James and John. Eventually, Peter was crucified upside down in Rome. James became the first Christian martyr when King Herod put him to death by the sword. And John was exiled on the island of Patmos, where he penned the Revelation of Jesus Christ. They stood up for the truth of Jesus Christ in the face of religious persecution. But that gave them the opportunity to become witnesses of that truth in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Peter, James and John, along with Christ’s other disciples, were Lutherans.

John wrote in Revelation: “Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth-- to every nation, tribe, language and people. He said in a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.’” This was the sermon text for Martin Luther’s funeral. Many theologians have identified Dr. Luther as the angel flying in midair carrying the eternal gospel to those who live on the earth. He was enabled by God to speak the gospel at a time when the power of the Antichrist had so firm a grip on the world, that every nation and language on earth seemed to be hearing only the propaganda of the papal beast. But God used Luther and the other reformers to shine the light of His gospel through the darkness. God saw to it that the “good news” went out to the world in a clear language, using Luther and others to preach courageously and even to translate the Bible into the language of the common people. They stood up for the truth in the face of the devil, the pope, the emperor, church councils and papal bulls. Because they stood for the truth, God’s truth was preserved so they could then share that truth in Germany, then Europe, then to every nation in the world. Martin Luther and the other reformers were Lutherans.

I know it sounds strange to call the three men in the fiery furnace, the disciples and Martin Luther, “Lutherans.” Yet, as long as there has been the true (orthodox) Christian Church on earth, there has been a Lutheran Church. It sounds odd, but it’s true, the Lutheran Church is as old as the world; for we proclaim the same truth that the patriarchs, the prophets and the apostles proclaimed. Though the name “Lutheran” did not come into existence until 400 years ago, the doctrine of the Lutheran Church is as old as the Bible. For the Lutheran Church is nothing other than a Church that holds to the truth of Jesus Christ and His Holy Word, that will not surrender that salvation comes through faith alone in Christ, and who makes this Word of God its final refuge in the hour of death.

Lutherans from the beginning of time have been ready to give their lives for the eternal gospel. Today, however, we live in a world where it is unacceptable to say that one religion is right and others are wrong. People will challenge us, “How dare you say that Lutheranism is actually the true teaching of God’s Word! How can you think you have the truth? We’re all the same, just different.” We live in a time when we hear people say, “Truth is relative. I have my truth. You have your truth. As long as we respect our differences, that’s all that matters.” It seems today that the most important “truth” for many people is their profound doubt that there is such as thing as absolute truth.

So, our great temptation as Lutherans is to be proud and arrogant that God has blessed us with the truth. Our other great temptation is to become apologetic of our great heritage. But both pride and apology silence the truth.

Being Lutheran means that we walk the narrow middle road between pride and apology. We walk where Christ has walked – the way of truth and life. In our age, there is a great falling away, many are being deceived, the majority are following paths of enticement and ease. Many turn aside from the cross of bitterness that Jesus invites us to carry because the other paths seem sweeter, more culturally acceptable and “tolerant.” Yet, they are lifeless. They are damnable. Lutherans, having learned that biblical truth is often a paradox, know that the path of glory leads to sorrow and the path of the cross leads to joy.

To be a Lutheran means that you understand and feel your sin deeply. You feel your sinful nature pulling you away from God, despair driving a wedge between you and your Lord, pain calling for you to curse God, poverty begging you to blame God, the world attracting you with baubles and trinkets and the devil constantly accusing you of not loving the Lord enough.

But being a Lutheran also means that we understand and appreciate our Savior even more deeply. That Jesus has entered our world to suffer for our sins, drive away our despair, heal our pains, replace our poverty of wealth with the richness of His grace, exchange the treasures of this world for the treasures He has stored for us in heaven, and to crush the devil’s head under His foot. Being a Lutheran means that we confess that Jesus Christ is the only Way, Truth and Life. He alone is true God and true man who was born of the Virgin Mary to carry our sins to the cross of Calvary and die for them. To be Lutheran is to believe, teach, confess and declare to the nations of the world that the God who was killed on the cross and rose again is the only true God and Savior. To be Lutheran is to place all your confidence and hopes in Jesus, who has rescued us from sin, death and the devil, who has redeemed us from the curse of the Law and the judgment of God.

To be Lutheran is to trust in Jesus who has given us forgiveness of sins, life and salvation in His blood. It is to come to the font to be washed of our sins and made children of God in His baptismal waters. It is to come to the communion rail to be fed with the precious body and blood of the Son of God. It is to have our casket put in the same place where we have been baptized, confirmed, communed and married – with the confidence that though our body is here, our soul is with Christ who lived, died, rose and ascended for us.

Every other religion teaches that we must do something – works, obedience, improved behavior, sincerity – to cause God to love and forgive us. The result is either pride or despair. But Lutherans call out, “No! Salvation is a totally undeserved gift from start to finish! God gives even the faith to believe and accept it!” This is why we say that being and remaining Lutheran does matter. We Lutherans have no choice but to keep standing up, and calling for true, orthodox, confessional Lutheranism. We want no poor imitations, but the real thing.

Being Lutheran means that we are not a “Christian” school that teaches some of God’s truths, but we support a Lutheran school that instills all the truths of God’s Word in our children. Being Lutheran means that we see more young people and families joining our congregation because they want authenticity, substance and meaning for their lives. The Lutheran Church offers them that because it only offers them what God has to offer – His Word Sacraments, sin and grace, Law and Gospel. Being Lutheran means that we may worship with old hymns and ancient liturgies accompanied by a piano or pipe organ, but it also means we worship with new songs with fresh melodies accompanied by guitar and percussion. Being Lutheran means that we follow in the paths of our forefathers – faithfulness to Scripture so that we may faithfully do outreach and mission work with that same Scripture. Because we don’t only want to preserve what we have graciously been given. We want to share the precious saving truths that have been entrusted to us.

God continues to use you and me as His “angel messengers” to carry out His gospel into the world. At our Synod’s Seminary, our pastor and teacher training college, in our Lutheran high schools and prep schools, in our Lutheran grade schools and certainly our churches, we preserve the truth of God’s Word. God prepares His pastors, teachers, missionaries, lay people and students to know the eternal good news of Jesus Christ, so that we can then share that good news of Christ in a world wandering hopelessly through Satan’s maze of spiritual darkness. God assures us that His gospel will not be silenced. He has overcome Satan. One little word from God’s Word can fell him.

Being and remaining truly Lutheran takes courage and determination. It isn’t easy. Faithfulness to the Word of God is never easy or convenient or popular. Sharing the Word of God will always be accompanied by criticism, condemnation and persecution. But Lutheranism still matters. Because Lutheranism is always and only about Jesus Christ and His truth. And Christ always matters! Preserve the truth. Share the truth. Whether you are new or you’ve been around a long time, whether from the Old Testament, New Testament, Middle Ages or 21^st century, dare to be Lutheran. Amen.