I know I may be dating myself here, but when I was a little boy, cars were not legally required to have seat belts.
I remember many a family road trip when my brothers and I would be rolling around in the back of the station wagon as my father drove along the highway.
And, also when I was a little boy, parents were allowed to discipline their children with strap or a belt, and teachers were also allowed to hit or strike an unruly student.
Today, of course, those things are unacceptable. We now understand that not wearing a seatbelt is harmful, and that physical punishment of children is abusive.
As we as a people have grown in consciousness and understanding, we have made changes. Reforms.
If you look up the word “reform” in the dictionary, it says: “To make changes in order to improve.”
And, I share that with you this morning, because churches around the world today are celebrating “Reformation Sunday.”
We’re celebrating the day (back in 1517) when a German Catholic priest named Martin Luther nailed 95 Theses on a church door. He was calling out the many harms and abuses of the church, and he was calling upon the church to make reforms.
Among the many abuses he was calling out were the exorbitant wealth of the church; the money spent on ornate buildings and gold chalices; as well as the selling of indulgences, which meant that your sins would be forgiven if you gave more money to the church.
Now, Martin Luther was calling out the church not because he hated the church. It was just the opposite. Martin Luther was a priest. He loved the church so much that he wanted it to see reformed.
And, this led to what’s become known as the Protestant Reformation, or the birth of the Protestant church.
Our church, the United Church of Rowayton, is a Protestant church. We come from that tradition of reform.
In fact, we in the UCC say that we come we come from the reformed tradition, and we are always reforming.
That’s why our symbol is a COMMA, not a PERIOD. We continue to evolve in our understanding of faith and justice.
If you look at the word “Protestant,” you’ll see it has the word PROTEST in it, and over the decades, the Protestant church has continued to protest harms, abuses, and injustices…and has continued to work for change.
I’ve shared with before our denomination’s rich history of working to abolish slavery and supporting the Women’s Suffrage Moment.
And over the years, our denomination has protested and marched for Civil Rights, and Women’s Rights, and LGBTQ Rights, and has called for climate care and gun reform.
And like Martin Luther with the church, we weren’t protesting because we hate our country, but because we love it so much that we wanted to hold it to its ideals of “liberty and justice” for all.
You know, back in 1517, Martin Luther was seen by many as a courageous hero (a brave warrior for justice), but just as many people saw him as a heretic and a trouble-maker and agitator…so much so, that he was excommunicated from the Church.
But, as we heard in our “Words of Integration & Guidance” this morning, Martin Luther was simply following in the footsteps of Jesus.
If you read the Gospels, you’ll see that (over and over again) Jesus was calling out the harms and abuses of the religious and political authorities of his day. He called them ‘hypocrites’ to their faces, and he demanded reform.
As we just heard in today’s gospel reading for Reformation Sunday, we see that Jesus violently overturns tables, and he angrily brandishes a whip in the temple!
Jesus didn’t do this because he hated the church, but because he loved it so much that he wanted to “drive out” those who were causing so much harm.
Jesus was calling for reform…for what he called a “New Kingdom,” a new World Order)…one in which he said the “last would be first,” the “stranger would be welcome,” the “hungry would be fed,” the “sick would be healed” and the “least of these” would be given the most importance.
Those were his words, but those words would get Jesus in trouble.
Just like Martin Luther, many saw Jesus as a hero, but just as many saw him as an agitator.
If you remember when Jesus was arrested: half the crowd shouted to save him, but more people shouted to “Crucify Him!”
They didn’t like the reforms he was calling for, and so they needed to silence him.
So, where does that leave us, as followers of his Way?
Will we continue his work of advocating for justice and calling for reform, or will we stay silent about the things that mattered to him?
On this Reformation Sunday, may we join our Protestant siblings from around the world not in just celebration of the past, but as a renewal of our mission and ministry in the present and in the future.
As Martin Luther once said, “We are not yet what we shall be, but we are growing towards it. The process is not yet finished.”
And, so, my friends, on this Reformation Sunday, may we continue the process…may we continue to proceed in doing the good work of the Church: reforming our world and bringing about the Kingdom of Heaven here on Earth…a just world for all.
May it be so. Amen.
Questions for Reflection and Journal Writing:
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What injustices or harmful systems in our world today stir your spirit the way church abuses stirred Martin Luther’s—and how might God be calling you to respond?
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In what ways is your own faith still “reforming”—where are you currently being challenged to grow in understanding, compassion, or courage?
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If Jesus were to enter our community today as he entered the temple, what tables might he overturn—and how might we join him in that work of love-driven reform?