"What was the hardest part?" I asked
him. "What was the hardest part about being a prisoner?"
"The key to surviving," he explained to me, "was
your attitude. The person who wants too much goes crazy -but
the person who celebrates what little he has-he survives."
"What do you mean," I asked? "Well," he said,
"at first I felt trapped-trapped in the prison that I was
in. But then I realized that I was free to walk anywhere I wanted
in my cell. I was not chained to the wall or my bed like some
prisoners -And I was free to eat as little or as much of the food
I was offered as I wanted -I was free to eat it in whatever order
I chose -I was free to sing and pray in my cell -I was free to
read anything I could find to read in my cell -After a while I
was almost amazed at the amount of freedom I had discovered for
myself." Recently a reporter asked an official of the Afghanistan
Taliban how they could be so oppressive and abusive to their women
-The Taliban official looked puzzled for a moment and then proudly
proclaimed that there was nothing abusive or oppressive about
the religious laws for women -"The law," he said, "protects
the women and frees them from the terrible trials and temptations
that western women must deal with." He went on to explain
how the Taliban requirement that women only go outdoors when
their body is covered from head to toe by a formless mass of fabric
and then accompanied by a male relative -and how the closing
of all schools for girls and the banning of women from work and
the destruction of all televisions, photographs and art had freed
women from the temptations and demands of western societies -freed
women from the pressures of daily life by letting them know exactly
what they were and were not to do each day. It has been several
decades now since the behavioral psychologist B.F. Skinner wrote
the book Beyond Freedom and Dignity in which he carefully
articulated his contention that freedom is a construct created
by our human need to believe that we are in control of our world
-an exercise in convincing ourselves that we have a free will
and live independent of other outside determining forces. It
was Skinner's position that in the truest definition of the word-freedom-was
an illusion. There has been a lot of talk in the media since
September 11 about the challenges to our freedom as American
citizens -The on-going debate in many circles is over the extent
to which a society can be free when faced with terrorist acts.
Safety seems to come at some price to freedoms that we otherwise
have taken for granted -the limits to our rights to privacy have
now been redefined with terrorist investigative legislation -the
freedom of commerce through the public mail is now seriously questioned
-and the freedom to travel when and where we want is being tested
by security systems, delays and procedures. There are some who
would say that the greatest threat to our freedom has never been
enemies outside our borders as much as the threat we are to ourselves
when the routine order and priorities of our days become something
we take completely for granted. The too ordinary and familiar
simply can become so comfortable that we fail to discern anything
of value or importance in all that we do and are. This is nothing
new to the human condition -we can come to see the world and even
the events of history through eyes that have lost their ability
to discern the good-the just -the true and right. We even lose
sight of what true freedom is all about. It was this attitude
that Jesus encountered in our Gospel lesson for today. By the
time of Christ the people of Israel had been under the rule of
Phoenicians, Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks,
and Romans -just to name a few of the nations that had collected
their taxes and defined their rulers and laws -Yet the Pharisee
who hears Jesus speak in our lesson for today takes exception
to Christ's promise of freedom arguing that the descendants of
Abraham have never been slaves to anyone. In actual fact the
religious figure in conversation with Jesus is not so unlike each
of us. It is not that he did not know the history of his faith
or the social and cultural realities of his day. It is just
that in the day to day ordinariness of life there is often very
little of the greater world that has all that much impact on
our daily lives. My sister wrote recently from Minnesota expressing
her concern that the terrible events of the past few weeks must
really be a struggle for me and the members of this parish living
here in the Chicago area -but for her in rural Minnesota, she
noted, such things were still far removed and her letter turned
to the busy schedule of her children's music lessons, school
activities, 4-H, church and other family obligations. We may
not claim to be descendants of Abraham but we certainly claim
to be Americans and in so doing assure ourselves that there is
little in the world that really need bother the majority of us
in living out our lives the way we want to live them. We live
in worlds of routines and patterns that become so familiar-maybe
too familiar. Jesus said, "If you continue in my word,
you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and
the truth will make you free." But we are Americans-we
have never been slaves to anyone -at least the majority of us
haven't-certainly the majority of this congregation. But Jesus
answered, "Very truly I tell you, everyone who commits
sin is a slave to sin." As we try to live our comfortable
happy lives we find that that is the problem. After the attack
on our nation of September 11 -the suggestion quickly was voiced
that we return to living our normal lives -What was interesting
about this proposal for normalcy was that it was couched in terms
of our normal spending patterns -our normal recreationally absorbed
life styles -our too often environmentally wasteful and often
globally irresponsible priorities. It sounds too medieval and
archaic today -but Jesus knew the world was enslaved to sin. -This
is not a word that we use easily today yet it is a fitting word
for this Reformation Sunday because this simple three letter
word lies at the heart of the reformation. What to do about
sin? Five hundred years ago this was a critical question because
everyone took God and God's judgment of sins very seriously -so
seriously that people had demanded the church develop rather
sophisticated systems for keeping track of sins -classifying them
by types as to which were most serious -and finding ways for the
faithful to be relieved of their guilt and judgment against their
sins. Every student of the reformation knows the teachings about
purgatory and the use of indulgences to comfort those who feared
God's judgment -about how there developed a belief that we could
even provide credit with God against future sins we might commit
-a kind of sin insurance-a kind of get into heaven pass. Sin
binds us as much today as it ever has-sin still enslaves -we just
develop more creative ways to avoid having to take responsibility
for it -we are more sophisticated-not so superstitious -yet the
toll on our lives is the same in fears and anxieties, doubts and
questions. -Sin is still anything that would separate us from
God, self and others-sin. There are major populations of the
world today who do not like us Americans very much -we are separated
from them by the sins of previous generations -exploitive corporations-oppressive
rulers -Whether we admit it or not -sin has come between us and
the world is a scarier place because of it -the shadow of evil
threatens to overwhelm us. We have had thousands of years to
find a way to live together on this planet earth -to find a way
to get right with God and others -but the guilt is still there
along with the wars, conflicts and strife. St. Paul reminds
us in our second lesson for today that the answer lies not with
our good intentions or deeds but rather with God's grace and
the gift of faith. We struggle to live in harmony and peace with
others -We struggle to live lives that are meaningful and purpose
filled -we would like to believe that we can make it better but
the encounters with people who believe in things so different
from us will not be solved by our will or might. Today is Reformation
Sunday in the Lutheran Church --It is a day that recalls a moment
in history 484 years ago --All Hallows Eve, October 31, 1517 when
a young Roman Catholic monk nailed 95 theses or topics for discussion
to the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church in Germany. The priest,
Martin Luther, knew that literally everyone in town would be required
to pass through those church doors the next day to attend All
Saint's Day services on November 1st -This was a day of obligation
in the Roman Catholic church to pray for those who had died -to
pray that they be set free from their sin and welcomed by God
to heaven. If you had an announcement that you wanted brought
to the attention of the whole community --what better way to do
it then to post it on the doors that literally everyone in town
would see the next day. So Luther posted his objections in the
form of 95 points of objection --95 theses for discussion and
debate --he intended them for consideration by the clergy and
scholars who could read the Latin script they were written in
-he didn't anticipate what would happen next when a local printer
using the recently developed movable type Took the theses--translated
them into German and then printed them for consideration by the
local populace Within two weeks copies had been spread across
all of Germany --the reformation had begun There are some moments
in history that leave a lasting mark on how we think and what
we are. Political, social and religious factors converge on that
moment in 1517 that suddenly becomes a focal point for all history
or at least for this millennium When the television cable History
Channel counted down the 100 most influential figures of this
millennium the third most significant was Martin Luther and
number one was the printer Gutenberg whose movable type allowed
copies of the 95 Theses to spread across Germany The Gutenberg
Bible and free flow of publications were able to propel the
world and history out of the medieval "dark ages" and
signal the dawning of the age of enlightenment-freedom of inquiry
-public education and scientific discovery that begins a flow
of history down to our modern day. What Luther had actually
rediscovered buried in the too familiar words of scripture was
that we are justified before God by grace alone -that we are free
from sin not by our good works or deeds but by God's grace.. Grace
changes the way we look at the world Jesus died for your sins--Why?
Because God loves you it is a free gift of grace--no strings
attached Grace opens us to the wonder of God's power Faith is
not measured by our good intentions or deeds of good works --believe--it
is enough--and yet once embraced by God's grace we are caught
up in the vision of a world that knows too little grace The questions
have been repeated for centuries Tell me what I have to do to
be right with God? What does God want from me? I've led a good
life, that's what matters, right? These were the questions that
were asked of Jesus They are the questions the apostle Paul struggles
with in our lesson for today They are the questions that lie at
the heart of Luther's struggles And ultimately our struggles
also. The answer is too simple--even when we hear it we do not
embrace it easily "Justified by grace alone" Set free
by the Son-Not just an illusion -Not just a comfortable political
moment -true freedom to know that all we say and do is not why
God loves us and blesses us -all that we have and are is a gift
from God-by grace -a very special gift for those of us who live
where we do -a gift of grace that invites us to share that gift
with others. Look around-freely see a miracle of grace in the
joy and freedom we share. This past week Pastor Chris and I attended
a conference for Jewish and Christian Clergy -There were representatives
there from the Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Episcopal and
Lutheran traditions as well as many Rabbis from Reform, Conservative
and Reconstructionist Jewish communities. Wednesday evening
after a long day of lectures and discussions, prayer and conversation
one of the Rabbis turned to me and said, "You know, it
is so good you Lutherans are here. The rest of us tend to focus
on the things that make us different from each other but you always
find that little something that is Lutheran in each of us -even
us Jews." That little something that's Lutheran in each
of us -I thought about that for a few minutes and realized that
what he was talking about had really nothing to do with Luther--it
was God's grace -what we Lutherans are expected to see and live
is that which can open us to others -allow us to embrace others-because
it is God's grace -the love of God with no strings attached -calling
us to be free to give and receive without preconceived limits
-rules-expectations. This day we are reminded once more that
Christ came to set us free -and thanks to the Holy Spirit's indwelling
in each of us -thanks to the welcome we receive at God's table
of grace -thanks to the truth revealed through God's word -we
no longer need live in fear -for we have been set free -and
if the son sets you free you are free indeed.
Amen.