To hear an audio version of this sermon click here.
October 27, 2024
Reformation Sunday
John 8:31-38
Rev. Karl-John N. Stone
In the gospel of John 8:31-32, we hear Jesus’ promise: “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” By giving us the gift of faith, Jesus helps us to know the truth. What is this truth that we know by faith? Here are four things that come to mind: 1) By faith, we can trust that Jesus was born into this world, with all its troubles and sinfulness, so that God will always be with us no matter what. 2) By faith, we can trust that Jesus went to the cross to bear our sins and the sins of the whole world, and to forgive us whenever we turn to him. 3) By faith, we can trust that Jesus was raised from the dead and opened the way to eternal life and salvation. 4) By faith, we can trust that the Spirit of his resurrection continues to give us new life, and therefore we can follow him and keep learning from his Word and his ways.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever—but the world keeps changing! Because of the truth that Jesus is still present among us, and still present in the world around us, therefore we are free in him to seek understanding about the real world, and to do this in the spirit of Martin Luther and the Reformation as we seek how God is continually renewing and re-forming the Church in every age.
What we’re going to do today for the sermon is take a deeper dive into some of ways the world has changed, and then—because we are free in Christ—we’ll begin exploring how Jesus might be calling us to follow him into this changing world. Our “HOP Outside the Box” team recently watched a video about this that they found really helpful and wanted everybody to have the chance to see it; it features several pastors from our synod, and takes about 17 minutes. We’ll watch it and then discuss in smaller groups.
You can watch the video on YouTube by clicking here or by going to milwaukeesynod.org/resources/for-congregations/resources-for-mission-renewal/ then scrolling down to “Video 1: How Things Have Changed”.
It’s best to watch with someone else so you can have a good discussion, but it’s still beneficial to watch and reflect on your own.
After watching, use these questions to guide your discussion:
1. What caught your attention in this video?
2. What did you hear that felt accurate to you?
3. What questions did this video create for you?
4. What do you think God might be nudging you, or your congregation, to do next now that you have watched this? What might one faithful next step be?
Thank you for offering your time and insights in this little experiment today. We pray that the Holy Spirit will use what we’ve offered and guide us in some ways that God is renewing the Church in this day. Amen.