At the prodding of a couple of my friends who are hungry to learn more about Jesus and who are distinctly Lutheran in their self-understanding, I decided to say "yes" to an experiment of online study. I will choose a sermon of Martin Luther, scan the text into a jpeg file and post it here with some questions in the margins. It won't be fancy, that's for sure. But perhaps it will spark some conversation about the discipleship journey we are all on. The first one comes from a sermon of Luther's in 1518 on John 9- The Man Born Blind. Think of the context of this sermon as coming on the heels of that church changing event, the posting of the 95 theses by Luther on the Castle Church Door in Wittenberg, Germany, October 31, 1517. Read on and post some reflections for all of us to chew on. Pass on the link to your friends who might be interested. It will be once a week so we all have time to get to it! This is the first page of it which can be found in LW Volume 51. Email me if you want to full text. . . this is just a teaser.
Blessings!
amy
Our haughty wisdom is a stumbling block to a spiritual relationship with Christ. We deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us if we place our own wisdom above our Savior. I thank God for giving me eyes to see that I am a fool!
ReplyDeleteFor we are all blind and our light and our illumination comes solely from Christ, our good and faithful God!
ReplyDeleteWhen have you felt like you were blind to the Truth of what God was doing in your life, and then it was revealed to you in God's good time?
Wow...I wanted 'meat & potatoes' & certainly received a large helping with this bible study...still chewing on this meal.
ReplyDeleteWhat an powerful reminder that things are seldom as they appear. God turns our world's picture upside down. I was reminded of a 92 year old lady that I know that the world wouldn't lift up...but she is beautiful!
It's late, so I will hit this again tomorrow and hopefully add to the discussion.
This has helped my understanding of the Theology of the Cross. I looked up fool in the dictionary, " one with a marked fondness for something" & "harmlessly deranged." What an idea that Jesus is so markedly fond of us that he would empty himself of his God station, so to speak, and want to be with, near, equal to humans. Jesus was a fool for us first! He comes to earth, and from birth to death, is humiliated, argued with, and mocked. But all of this, what we "see" as bad God turned upside down! The love of God is indeed a mystery.
ReplyDeleteCan you say more about the last paragraph? Esp. "Ah you fool, when you feel what has been effected within you, then grace is already there; just go and follow".
Lord, give us eyes to see and ears to hear that we might be fools for you!
You're so onto it! Once we finally come to recognize this love God has for us, we realize what grace is, then we walk away from our nets and follow Jesus as foolish as that is!
ReplyDeleteGood morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteOn page 38 of Luther's sermon, he says that we must abase ourselves (first full paragraph) and lower ourselves, actually understand ourselves to be the lowest of the low. How do words like this crash right into the culture of self-esteem we live in ? In other words, we are taught to be confident, embrace our individuality, don't belittle ourselves and think poorly of ourselves (which are all good in many ways in a culture that seems to wrestle with true self worth). But how is the ultimate in self worth found in the lowliness of being a slave to Christ?
Second idea for today: reflect on what Luther says on page 39 at the top about how we have two sets of eyes, our own eyes and God's eyes and that both belong to God. What does that mean to you?
Good morning Amy,
ReplyDeleteIn today's "self esteem" culture we are encouraged to believe that the key to a "successful" life is to hold ourselves in high regard. Trophies, blue ribbons, and wealth will be ours if we just believe in ourselves. There is no need for accomplishments, we are esteemed beings and the world will follow.
When we see through God's eyes and see the world according to God's plan, our own eyes become subservient to our Lord's ideas concerning power, riches, culture, wisdom, piety... When we claim ownership of our own lives and see the world as ours to exploit, God will abandon us. When we become slaves to Christ, His World is glorified and we become blind to a world of deceptive evil.
Ah yes Rob, that is very well said. Jesus' definition of "success" is far different than our culture's. We get sucked into believing that success is money, social standing, popularity and stuff. And as you said we exploit the world and I would add, others. Christ's love is so different than that! His love is all embracing and indescribably wonderful. Thanks for posting! :)
ReplyDeleteLuther said "The most precious thing God has is death and dying." What did he mean by that? How do we participate in Christ the living relic? What was the "cult of relics" in Luther's day? Does it still exist to day?
ReplyDeleteWe are called in life to love one another and become disciples of The Savior who suffered and died for all of humanity. Jesus death was the ultimate act of obedience to God. My grandfather taught me that learning is a lifelong responsibility and The Bible has every answer for our lives here and after. Grandpa Cleo referred to death as his final Graduation. Jesus is a living "relic" that we must seek with a spiritual living.
ReplyDeleteI think of Indian Jones movies and the relics that are sought after with extreme measures. The Holy Grail and the Crystal Skull have great powers. Many of us go to great lengths to kiss the Blarney Stone for the gift of eloquence and some carry an object for luck like a rabbits foot or a golden cross. Christ's suffering on The Cross is the true holy relic! Worship, prayer, reading God's Word, communion, responding to God's Word and serving our brothers and sisters are ways we participate in Christ the living relic.
ReplyDeleteDeath & Dying...life and salvation. Is that what he is saying? The most precious gift is eternal life with God in Heaven. Christ the living relic...indwelling, soul saturating, loving Savior changes our hearts and leads us to be more Christlike. The cross is the only relic that matters. I liked how Luther basically says - go ahead, Catholic Church, keep your relics bc they are great for infant(sucklings) Christians but the only relic that deserves our awe is the suffering and cross of Christ. I'd say we participate in the Christ the living relic by living lives in obedience to the will of God. That we freely imitate our Savior, and call upon him to save us from anything satan tries to throw at us. Cult of Relics...is he talking about the tombs of the saints, idols/images within Catholic Church?
ReplyDeleteYes Susan and Rob! Great stuff you are pondering. Here's a thought for today (Friday, 8/16/13):
ReplyDeleteThe blind man did not expect to be able to see. Why not? Why was that not even a possibility for him to even think about?
What happens to us when we try to nail down what God will do for us, rather than simply saying, "God, let it be your will, you can work this out according to your divine favor and plan." ?
The blind man was born with his condition of blindness and and 32"Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind." The man was born into sin and thus is inflicted with blindness for life.
ReplyDeleteWhen we try to "guide" God to orchestrate our life using the notes we see fit to amplify, the sounds are always hollow and dissonant.