One, holy, catholic, Apostolic [Trinity Sunday]

LISTEN TO THE AUDIO HERE 

READINGS FROM HOLY SCRIPTURE:

• Isaiah 6:1-7

• Romans 11:33-36

• St. John 3:1-15

Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. (Titus 1:4)
 
Who speaks to you today, saying:

“Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’”

 
Thus far from God’s Word, included here to not get us to seek for some super hidden answer in a book because Jesus said, “You must be born again”. Yes, you must be, but there is no way you can birth yourself a second time, as Nicodemus teaches. Jesus wants to show that it is His Word that births us the first time and the second time in Holy Baptism, just as He said.
 
Of vital importance to your faith is history. Not only has God entered history, in Jesus Christ, but God has placed His Church in history. Thus, as Christians, we must gladly hear and learn our history, because the Holy Spirit has not stopped working. This helps us understand our faith, just as history helps us understand our families and where we come from. Without history, we are adrift and vulnerable to fads and heresies. In other words, other people’s histories. 
 
So on this Trinity Sunday, we will contemplate a bit of our own history, having heard the Trinity’s history from Isaiah, and acknowledging every Lutheran’s favorite word: “catholic”. If only because the Athanasian Creed forced you to say it four times today. Regardless, we do things by the book.
 
As the Reformation Polka proclaims: “Let’s raise our steins and Concord Books while gathered in this place, And spread the word that ‘catholic’ is spelled with lower case”. Meaning, we historically distinguish our use of the word catholic from its popular use. Capitalized, it is used with Roman Catholic, referring to the church under the Roman pope. Lower case, it means universal or whole.
 
As the book of Church history teaches, from St. Ignatius: 
“Let no one do anything of concern to the Church without the bishop. Let that be considered a valid Eucharist which is celebrated by the bishop or by one whom he ordains [i.e., a presbyter]. Wherever the bishop appears, let the people be there; just as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church” ( Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Smyrneans 8:2 [A.D. 110]).
 
And from St. Cyril of Jerusalem: 
“[The Church] is called catholic, then, because it extends over the whole world, from end to end of the earth, and because it teaches universally and infallibly each and every doctrine which must come to the knowledge of men, concerning things visible and invisible, heavenly and earthly, and because it brings every race of men into subjection to godliness, governors and governed, learned and unlearned, and because it universally treats and heals every class of sins, those committed with the soul and those with the body, and it possesses within itself every conceivable form of virtue, in deeds and in words and in the spiritual gifts of every description” (Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures 18:23 [A.D. 350]). 
 
So to be catholic means to be wholly with Jesus. Easy enough.
 
The name “Orthodox Church” may be more modern than you think, because the Eastern Orthodox Church continues officially to call itself "Catholic", for reasons of universality. It was sometime between the Council of Jerusalem in 1672 and the publication of The Longer Catechism of the Catholic, Orthodox, Eastern Church in 1839, that the church of Byzantine liturgy and communion with Constantinople began more often to describe itself as “Orthodox.”
 
These Modern divisions are simply for noting the difference between East and West. Our traditions coming from the West, or Latin church. However, while catholic and orthodox are certainly biblical, these names were taken for themselves. The bishops chose these labels. Of course, it was to teach the truth of Jesus, at first. And we can understand, having just learned that history.
 
An interesting fact from the book of church history, is that Lutherans didn’t choose their name. During the Reformation, we wanted to be Evangelicals, or “those of the Gospel”. It was our opponents, those that hated us, that called us Lutheran, implying that our pope was Martin Luther. We were stubborn enough to take that as a compliment and keep the name.
 
Dr. Luther comments:
In the first place, I ask that men make no reference to my name; let them call themselves Christians, not Lutherans. What is Luther? After all, the teaching is not mine [John 7:16]. Neither was I crucified for anyone [1 Cor. 1:13]. St. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 3,  would not allow the Christians to call themselves Pauline or Petrine, but Christian. How then should I—poor stinking maggot-fodder that I am—come to have men call the children of Christ by my wretched name? Not so, my dear friends; let us abolish all party names and call ourselves Christians, after him whose teaching we hold. The papists deservedly have a party name, because they are not content with the teaching and name of Christ, but want to be papist as well. Let them be papist then, since the pope is their master. I neither am nor want to be anyone’s master. I hold, together with the universal church, the one universal teaching of Christ, who is our only master [Matt. 23:8]. (LW 45:70-71)
 
So far, by the book, we should be St. John/Zion catholic orthodox evangelical Lutheran Church. But what is a book without its author? As Dr. Luther brought up, he was not crucified for anyone. Which leads us to this wonderful Bible verse, which I suggest you underline and write at the top of page at the beginning of every book in your Bible.
 
That is St. John 5:39, “You search the Scriptures [, the writings, the books] because you think that in them you have eternal life; but it is they that bear witness about me.” 
 
Now, we do not throw our writings away, especially when they agree with Holy Scripture, but we do not think or believe that any sort of man-made book holds codes and secrets to move us to enlightenment.
 
In fact, even though Jesus is talking about the Bible in that verse, He is talking about its abuse, not its use. You see, the Jews wanted to define their own selves. They didn't want God saying whatever He wanted, so they turned Scriptures into a weapon. A weapon that they wielded against their neighbor and against God in the flesh, Jesus. 
 
Repent. You also believe that if you know the right answers you will win all the arguments. You believe that if you can find just the right Bible passage, you can be Lord of everything. You think that God gave you the Bible to find your own private kingdom in there where you are right and everyone else is wrong. 
 
The true role of our book, the Scriptures, is to reveal Jesus. Yes you will find rules for life, morality, and history in there, but God’s purpose is to reveal Who God is and His gift of salvation in Christ. God’s truth about our Savior Jesus Christ is only made known in the Bible: that is the Old Testament books, which promise the coming Savior, and the New Testament books, which tell us of the Savior who has come.
 
“These things are written”, says Jesus, “that you all may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God” (Jn 20:31). The Holy Book is given for this purpose and in this way: the Holy Spirit gave to His chosen writers the thoughts they expressed and the words they wrote. Called “Verbal Inspiration”, the Bible is God’s own Word and Truth, without error.
 
But remember and believe that Jesus is the Word of God made flesh and He is God’s own Truth. He alone do we worship, not a book. We are people of the Word: Christ Crucified. We go to the Bible to find Jesus, for He is the heart, center, and key to the true meaning of all Scripture.
 
So when the books call Christ’s religion catholic (small c), it simply means there is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. It is wholly with Christ. He is Her life and being and all in all and there is only one Church for all people of all time and place: catholic.
 
And when the books name orthodoxy, it simply means that Jesus is the straight and only Way to the Father. Orthodontics means straight teeth. Orthopedics means straight children. Orthodoxy means straight, or aligned-with-God, teaching. 
 
When the books name evangelical, it means “of the Gospel”. Not gospel singers or gospel churches, but the true Gospel, that is the good news of our salvation in Jesus Christ alone, in Whom God gives forgiveness, faith, life, and the power to please Him with good works for free.
 
And that is the meaning of “Lutheran”: free. Also the good news; that we are freed from the guilt, the punishment, and the power of sin, and are saved eternally because of Christ’s keeping the Law and His suffering and death for us. Romans 10:4 says:
“Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”
 
The Bible is the book of Jesus, Who is one with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
The Scriptures testify of Him (John 5:39). 
He is the gift of the Father’s love (John 3:16).  
The Holy Spirit testifies to Him (John 14:26; John 16:7-15).  
The world was created through Him (Colossians 1:13-16; John 1:1-14).
The Holy Spirit was present as Moses led God’s people out of Egypt in the Exodus (1 Cor. 10:1-5).  And yet this One who is true God came among us as a true man to redeem us, to buy us back from sin, death, hell.
 
This is our confession today. God reveals Himself to us, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and we confess back to Him what He has said to us. It is a catholic confession, therefore it is a catholic faith. Not one ruled by a pope, but one ruled by Christ and His Word and sacraments. 
 
It is an orthodox confession, therefore it is an orthodox faith. That is that we do not deviate from His Apostle's teaching, the fellowship, the breaking of the bread, or the prayers. Christ has come to serve and we let Him do the work He wants to do, through men, through means.
 
It is an evangelical confession and faith, proclaiming the truth of the forgiveness of sins. It is a Lutheran confession and faith, believing, and therefore receiving, the freedom that only the Son can give, in His Church, from sin, death, and the power of the devil.
 
So when you use these words, like catholic, be sure you are not using them as the Pharisee would. Use them not to be right, but to point yourself and others to Christ. Use these words and the Word as God uses them, that is to show us our sin and the wrath of God; and to show us our Savior and the grace of God.