Presented on Reformation Sunday—October 25, 2020—by Rev. Jesse Larson
Based on Luke 18:9-14
With Election Day only 10 days away, and our nation is awash with political ads, polls, and high anxiety.
Even though Biden and Trump are very different men with opposing visions for America, regardless of who is elected on November 3, we’ll still have a host of problems to sort out. The most aged among us declare that they have never lived through such divisive times as these ones. One of the most critical issues we face as a nation is how do we become a united union one again. How will we find ways to compromise, reconcile, and reunite? Though I’m not sure I have the answers to these questions, I believe our faith tradition—the Reformed Tradition—offers a helpful voice to our nation and to the world as we seek to progress into the future together.
Today is Reformation Sunday—when we celebrate our faith and the unique approach we offer to the world. In today’s era of post-denominationalism and fewer and fewer people attending church, there’s a lot of confusion about what various denominations believe. Many people probably ask you, “What the heck is a Presbyterian” or “what makes Presbyterians different from Lutherans or Methodists?” (It’s also fun seeing people attempt to spell Presbyterian!)
Although I strongly support the spirit of ecumenism—of all Christians seeking our unity in Christ—theology does matter. And today we celebrate our Reformed theology. So, without further ado, here are beliefs that, we Presbyterians, hold near and dear.
First and foremost, Presbyterians believe God is really big, grand, and sovereign. Though it can be tough to wrap our heads around, God is all-knowing, all-loving, and all-powerful. Try as we may, we’ll never achieve a complete understanding of who God is or how God works. As the Psalmist proclaims, “such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high, I cannot attain it.” John Calvin thought this was the most important message of scripture, and the Presbyterian Church (USA) thinks so, too. God is God, and we are not. When you start here, you will not let yourself become inflexible and dogmatic, and you make room for a variety of viewpoints since no one person or church or doctrine can capture all of God.
Next, because God is so grand and mysterious, we have a lot to learn. We have ten PCUSA seminaries in the United States and 65 PCUSA-related colleges and universities in this country. That’s a lot of higher education institutions for a denomination our size. The fact that we value the education of clergy and laypeople enough to invest in these institutions is itself indicative of a very important denominational value: since we’ll never know all of God there is to know, our leaders should be life-long learners, who explore the depths of the tradition, and are trained to interpret not only scripture but the congregations we serve and the world in which we live. John Calvin said that Christians should never fear knowledge, no matter where it comes from, because any time we learn more of the truth about the world, we are learning more about God. You will rarely find a Presbyterian dismissing science or running from an insight because it might challenge her or his faith. We love to ask questions and seek answers.
The tagline of Presbyterianism is “reformed, always reforming.” What this means is that we have figured some things out, but we still have a lot more to figure out. In other words, we value our tradition and all the contributions of those who have gone before us, but we still know we are imperfect and far from understanding who God is and what God’s plans for the world are. So we strive to keep growing, adapting, and seeking out what the Holy Spirit is doing in the present moment. Remember, “reform” means to “change and improve.” Though it can be a challenge to put into practice, Presbyterians should embrace growth and change because we are forever evolving on our faith journey.
One important reason why Presbyterians are always wanting to grow and improve is because we believe that we are all broken, imperfect beings, and quite insignificant when compared to God. We like knowing that tomorrow is a new day to give it another shot. We get lost, we hurt others and ourselves, we sin. We recognize ourselves in the tax collector from today’s text who stood far off, ashamed to look up to heaven, beating his chest and begging God to have mercy on him. Most Sundays we offer a prayer of confession—we acknowledge how we have sinned, we ask for God’s forgiveness, and we recommit ourselves to God. Jesus teaches his followers that those who are humble, like the tax collector, will be exalted. Ultimately, there is nothing we can do to earn God’s grace, but we do give thanks to God whose love and mercy is eternal and for God’s son, Jesus, who saved us and gives us new life.
As we adapt to the world around us, we remain deeply committed to the Word of God. The Bible is our steering wheel as we navigate the ways God is working among us. Ever since the original reformers’ call to return to scripture, all of our theology, our worship, even our polity is scripturally-based. But he Bible, being the inspired Word of God, has many interpretations and so we call upon the Holy Spirit to help us understand the Word of God.
Now, because of our independent spirits and our passion for our beliefs, we can find ourselves in many arguments. Yes, we fight, but we fight fair. We spend a lot of time talking about what it means to follow Christ, and sometimes those conversations get heated. But we spend a comparable amount of time making sure all voices are heard and all perspectives are honored. Decision-making is therefore messy and slow. But we’ll take messy and slow if it means honoring all the people of God in our rich diversity.
Indeed, we think it is important to play well with others. In any town in America, you will find Presbyterian folk partnering with other Presbyterian denominations, Baptists, Episcopalians, Catholics, you name it. We welcome their members to take Communion at our tables and their ministers to preach from our pulpits. We see ourselves as a small part of a much larger family of faith, and we have much to learn from one another. We do not believe that the Presbyterian way is the only way because, again, God is just too big to be boxed into to any single tradition or way of thinking. Moreover, many of us, myself included, seek connections with people of other faiths so that we might promote peace and understanding for all the peoples of the earth. Often during the process of interfaith sharing, we make new friendships and are blessed with hope.
Truly, the world needs our witness. Jonathan Sacks says, “in America we no longer broadcast, we narrow-cast.” In this new era of social media and a plethora of news channels, it is possible to construct our world in such a way that we can go through our day never encountering an alternative point of view. Our two political tribes—Democrats and Republicans—fail to represent all of us. Denominations splinter into churches of the like-minded. People run from church to church looking for places that “fit” their own world view.
Our nation, our world, and the universal church need to see a group of people who know how to stay together even when they do not always agree, a group of people who believe at the core of their faith that they will never know all of God there is to know and who therefore refuse to narrow-cast.
Presbyterians do not do this perfectly, but we do try to be this kind of witness in a world that desperately needs it. So may we speak up, as our ancestors did, on behalf of a great diversity of voices, and seek to keep building bridges among all of God’s children.
May we all be life-long learners and reformers.
And, despite our differences, may we still find ways to understand one another and educate ourselves so that we can strive to make this world the loving creation God intended for all of its residents.
Happy Reformation Sunday! Amen.
