How many Lutherans does it take to change a light bulb?

Change ?!?

Change can be a hard thing that is rarely welcomed.  This is especially true when it comes from the outside and it seems like we have little control over where things are heading.  Unfortunately, the reality is that we are living in a world that is constantly moving and changing.  Within churches (and St. James is not exempt) there is a real temptation to cling or return to the past, which seems to becomes more golden with each year.   And yet to do so is to close our hearts to the stirring of the Spirit which moves among us in new and exciting ways.

On Sunday we will celebrate a decidedly Lutheran festival - Reformation.  Always the last Sunday of October, this day commemorates the start of the protestant reformation in 1517 when a German monk by the name of Martin Luther issued a scholarly challenge to the church over the practice of indulgences.  This event, which ironically wasn't originally designed to lead to anything more than a debate, was the spark that ignited a radical re-forming or shaping of the Christianity and civilization.  October 31, 1517 is an important historical date which as a Lutheran I'm proud to celebrate.

That said, Sunday's Reformation worship is hardly historical.  What happened in Germany centuries ago is best understood as an illustration of what God continues to do, through the power of the Spirit, in our midst today.  It is an invitation to open our hearts and minds to see God's constant re-shaping and re-forming of Christ's church.  St. James is a part of this God's ongoing building project.

In the midst of changes in the church, how do we know which changes are good?  Which changes are of the Spirit's doing?  Which are not?  Certainly not all change is good, is it?

In Sunday's sermon, I will be looking to the first reading from Jeremiah 31:31-34 to find some answers to these questions.  Certainly change for changes' sake is not necessarily healthy or desirable.  Luther didn't nail his 95 theses on the church door simply to create a stir or because he wanted to shake things up a bit for novelty.  As Lutheran Christians, who live in a world that is ever changing, who are led by a Spirit that brings us to new places and realizations, we have some guidance in scripture.  We can look to major threads that run throughout the bible as we discern what change is of God and where the Spirit is leading us.  Does it reflect grace?  Does it bring restoration and reconciliation among people?  Does it reflect the life and ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ?  Does it glorify God or simply satisfy us?  

I hope that you are able to join your brothers and sisters at St. James for worship on Sunday.  In addition to our worship at 8:30 and 11:00, twenty of our young men and women will be affirming their baptisms at our Confirmation worship at 1:00 pm.   Come see what God is doing in our midst.  Come feel the renewing power of the Spirit.  Come be a part of God's work at St. James.

How many Lutherans does it take to change a light bulb?

Only one.   One who is brave and courageous enough to follow the Spirit's lead.

In Christ,

Pastor Walt