Lent is often referred to as the Lutheran Season. Often times this is a backhanded remark against Lutherans, meaning that they focus too much on sin and dread, and not enough on happy-happy joy-joy lollipops and bubbles. But I digress…
Lutherans are also put down as black and white thinkers, meaning we believe that there is a right and a wrong, especially of reading God’s Word, and thus are intolerant, factional extremists. Instead, we should just focus on Jesus and just give the people Jesus, they say.
Well, hey-ho let’s go! I’m all for that. I would say that’s what we do everyday, but just to prove it; let’s go get Jesus.
In the Gospel, heard, we see Jesus fasting. The first thing Jesus says is “when” you fast, not “if” or “perhaps” or “if you want”, but “when”. This means that you will do it. And you will do it in a way that no one else knows about. You will not announce it on Facebook. You will not tell all your friends when they ask about why you aren’t doing certain things anymore.
You will fast and you will hide it. Jesus draws a line here, between those who fast and those who do not. How intolerant and factional.
Jesus then talks about storing treasure in heaven. How much treasure have you put into heaven? Is there an ATM for that sort of thing? Do you even know how? If you don’t then I guess you don’t have treasure in heaven, do you?
The world also agrees with making demarcations and drawing lines in the sand. Our own government, which we elected, is all too quick to arrest those who refuse to comply with laws or taxes, no matter how ridiculous.
Islam draws a very bold line, murdering and beheading to prove their own god’s worth. China and communism invest everything in silencing any and all opposition.
The world draws lines and creates factions and you follow suit. Your favorite lines are political and religious. Your favorite factions are those who agree with you and make you feel comfortable and good about yourself and your life style choices, regardless of how destructive they are.
Everyone’s most favorite hard line to draw, today, is the line of no-line. It’s the line that says that there are no lines, no factions, and no labels. It is the intolerance towards those who believe in something and believe they are right. These are actually those who believe in everything and nothing all at the same time. What a life that must be.
Death draws the boldest line of all, with none crossing over from there to here. The ashes remind us of this and Ms. Bea allowed us a peek at it as we laid her to rest in the ground: “Ashes to ashes; dust to dust”. So if you really want to lambast and be angry at anyone for being factional, let’s just cut to the chase and point to death.
Death is the enemy, proper. Next is what to do about it. As Lutherans, this is where we draw lines, because in the face of death, nothing else matters be it labels or non-labels.
Jesus draws lines. Jesus creates two factions in the world: one of Grace and one of works. On one side are those that have died or live in the Faith and are saved by Grace. On the other are those who are working hard to earn redemption. On one side, there is Peace, mercy, and love. On the other side there is intolerance.
So often our enemies know us better than we know ourselves. Let ISIS be our preacher: "Your Lord is the Nazarene, and you are a people of the cross." Let the naysayers proclaim truth to you, “You Lutherans only give out a half-gospel, leaving out all the work you need to do after Jesus saved you.”
Our Lord is Jesus of Nazareth because He was born of a virgin and raised from the dead. Our Gospel is that only truth that Jesus preached: Him Crucified. If it is factionally extreme to believe that the Gospel is for me, so be it. If it is intolerant to believe that Christ died so that I may live, so be it.
Everyone can boast in labels and non-labels, but no one can boast in grace, because there is nothing to boast about. Christ forgives all your sins and defeats death. It is a free gift given out in Baptism and no amount of faction work is going to make it any less or more true.
Hearing the Gospel produces faith and gives eternal life. There are no lines that this Gospel of Jesus does not cross. There are no extremes that this Word can not reach, especially death.
The church’s line to draw is always at the Gospel. The Gospel that Jesus has died for the entire world, destroying sin, death, and hell forever. The Gospel that, though Jesus is the sole possessor of all things in heaven and on earth, He gives them to you without merit or worthiness.
It is not that Lutherans focus on sin and drear so much. It’s the simple, Biblical truth that if you are not a sinner, Jesus did not come for you. If you do not have Faith; if you are not separated from this world; if you have not love, you are nothing, for from dust you came and to dust you shall return.
Jesus went down into that dust and in Lent, this is the focus of the Church. That though all people will die and decay, Jesus has redeemed and sanctified this body we have. Our body and souls are gifts from God and Jesus keeps them.
And He still does. He keeps them in utero and He keeps them post mortem. For Jesus has come to forgive. We do not come, then, to Church so much in order to feel good about feeling bad. Rather, we come because we know that we will be forgiven. We confess in order to hear that blessed absolution from our Lord’s lips.
True faith believes Jesus’ Word. True faith is not merely about knowing; it is about living. Living after having been dead in sin; living after having been put into the grave. It is about living in Jesus; not that we have our own life, but that now Christ lives in us and grants us eternal salvation and forgiveness today, in His true Body.
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