Since I've become a Lutheran pastor, I've slowly begun to accumulate Lutheran memorabilia. I brought a couple things with me today. I'm wearing my "Here I Stand" socks. I have my "You Know You Are a Lutheran If" book. And I'm drinking out of my "I'm a Lutheran" coffee mug. Maybe you'll get a kick out of the saying on my mug as I do.

(Read "I'm a Lutheran" coffee mug quote by Garrison Keillor.)


     There are a lot of stereotypes of what being a Lutheran is. For example, a gathering of Lutherans without coffee being served is a sacrilege. Potlucks always mean Jell-o (usually with some kind of fruit or vegetable chilled in it) and several hotdish choices. The truth is, however, that it's tough to put us all in a single category. Some of us prefer Diet Coke or tea to coffee. We'd take sushi over jello any day. We come from different cultural backgrounds and economic brackets. We enjoy a variety of music and prayer stances. We fall at each end and every point in between on a political continuum.
      So, as Lutherans, who are we? There are hundreds of ways to answer that question. Martin Luther used a three-point Latin phrase back in the early 1500's as he sought reform for the church of his day. Sola Fide, Sola Gratia, Sola Scriptura. Now, the Latin doesn't mean much to us in the 21st Century United States. And even when we translate it into English - Faith alone. Grace alone. Scripture alone - we still might be wondering what exactly Martin Luther meant.
     This sermon is my attempt at helping us understand these basic tenents of our Lutheran understanding of God, faith and theology.
     Sola fide. Faith alone. This was really the driving force for Martin Luther and it all had to do with the concept of justification - how we are declared right or free of blame by God. The Church of Luther's Day was selling indulgences. They were selling justification. Just like our malls sell tickets to sit on Santa's lap at Christmas time so we can tell him how good we've been and ask him for what we want this year, the church was selling tickets to sit on the lap of God. So, if you had enough money, you could buy God's listening ear. You could buy God's pardon. You could buy yourself into alignment with God.
     Martin Luther, to say it mildly, was opposed to the selling of indulgences. He held tightly to Scripture that we heard today in the reading from Romans, "For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law." In other words, justification comes by faith, not by works. Justification come by what God does, not by what we do.
     We use the language of journeying a lot regarding our faith. I think it's an appropriate way to speak of faith because faith is not a stagnant thing. It is something that is always changing. Ideally, it is always growing. Let me make an important distinction here, though. Our faith is not growing because we are getting holier. Justification is not a process, folks. We don't work towards justification like we work towards a high school diploma, a Ph.D or building up enough money for retirement.
     Justification comes to us through an act taken by Jesus Christ on the cross. Justification come to us through a declaration that we are made right with God because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. This promise is given to us in the waters of our baptism and said again and again in the course of our lives as we continually need the forgiveness that God offers us through Jesus Christ. Martin Luther held on very tightly to belief that each one of us is at the very same time a sinner and a saint. Our growth in faith is not about us getting holier. It is about us receiving the free gift of justification offered to us by Jesus. Receiving it and believing it. Trusting it. Depending on it fully.
     Grace alone - sola gratia - is the second part of our Reformation phrase. Faith alone has to do with how we receive justification and grace alone has to do with how we receive salvation. A couple months ago, I received a card in the mail telling me that I could get up to 10 magazines sent to me at no cost for three months. The big print said that after three months, I could cancel with no cancellation fee. I got pretty excited! I don't want to pay for 10 extra magazines for a whole year, but there are several that I would have loved to try for a couple months for free. I started filling out the card and then it hit me that it seemed like it was almost too good to be true. So, I took a look at the smaller print and it was there that I found the catch. I could cancel after three months with no cancellation fee, but I would be billed for the months I had received at that time. At that point, I ripped up the card and threw it away.
     The pastor who taught me confirmation taught me about grace using the letters of the word as an acronym. GRACE is God's Riches at Christ's Expense. It's a concept that can be pretty difficult for us to wrap our human heads and hearts around. Some days it just seems too good to be true, so we look for the spiritual fine print. We think we just MUST have some part in our salvation somewhere. Something MUST be required of us, surely. We don't have a tricky God, though. We don't have a God who wants to pull something over on us. We don't have a God who writes in fine print the truth about our salvation. Our God gives us treats, not trickes. Our God is a God of plain truth. Our God speaks clearly to us in Scripture like in Galatians 2:8, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God."
     Finally, there is Sola Scriptura. Scripture alone. As Lutherans, we believe that the Bible is the only inspired and authoritative word of God. We hold tightly to the law/gospel distinction and the importance of both. We believe that law is necessary. Like traffic laws guide our driving practices today, Biblical law guides the way we live together physically, emotionally and spiritually. Biblical law also forces us back to trust in Christ. As we fail day after day to follow the law perfectly, our need for Christ becomes clear. And we are pointed towards the Gospel where the promises of Christ are laid out for us. Promises of justification by faith and salvation by grace. Alone. With no help needed from us.
     Sola Fide, Sola Gratia and Sola Scriptura. Faith Alone, Grace Alone and Scripture Alone. Today, as we celebrate and embrace our Lutheran heritage, may these tenents help us understand and continue to live out our journeys of faith in Christ Jesus.


Is anyone here going trick or treating this week? What are you dressing up as for Halloween? What are you hoping to get as you go around from door to door this week? What's your favorite kind of candy to receive? It's a fun day in the year isn't it? Just like you'll get treats from your neighbors this week, did you know God also gives us treats? Not just once a year, but every single day of our lives. It's not in the form of candy bars, but other really important things. God treats us with love, forgiveness, and grace. He's given us the Bible as a treat filled with his promises, poetry and stories of miracles. He's given us each other to share love and friendship as we live our lives. I hope you have fun getting all your treats at Halloween. As you do, I hope you remember the treats you receive from God every day.