Rev. George Miller
Oct 4, 2025
Psalm 46:1-3
“Lift up your voices and sing out your
praise; all your care will melt away!”
These are lyrics of “The Good News Worship
Polka” that we’re singing soon. First- let’s take a pause to enter this moment:
The Grace of God, “Die Gnade Gottes”, to
all.
Warmth.
Reflection. Dedication.
These are three things to celebrate as we
gather here tonight amidst polka music, beer, and good cheer.
Warmth, like how Germans are known for
valuing a gathering, be it at a local beer garden, or a “Stammtisch”, the table
people come together to share stories, laugh, and genuinely connect.
Reflection. The value of looking at
things, wondering, asking. The
cornerstone to learning, evolving; asking “is there something more?”.
What does it mean to say- “God is our
refuge and strength”, how does a group of people “not fear, though the earth
shall change”?
Dedication. Standing firm even “though the mountains
shake.” The importance of belonging, being faithful to your family, community,
and your God.
Warmth.
Reflection. Dedication.
Gemutlichkeit.
Nachdenken.
Hingabe.
Lift up your voices and sing your praise;
all your care will melt away.
The Scripture tonight is a favorite of
Martin Luther, that well-known reformer who unearthed the notion of grace and
shared it with all.
Martin wasn’t just a thoughtful theologian
or serious scholar. He knew how to embrace
the gifts of grace and the bounty of creation.
In good German fashion, he enjoyed food
and drink, especially the beer his wife brewed at home.
He loved music. He thought faith can be joyful, grounded in
the every-day, crafting songs that people could sing from their heart and feel
in their soul.
Born in 1483 in Eisleben, Germany, Luther
was raised in a working-class family.
After a fearful storm in 1505, he entered monastery and was ordained 2
years later.
He traveled to Rome in 1510, expecting to
find holiness, instead he saw corruption, making him hunger for authentic
faith.
Though he was a scholar and religious
leader, he carried around a great deal of guilt from the things he had done
throughout his life.
One night, while lecturing at Wittenberg,
he came across Paul’s letter to the Romans.
It said “They are now justified by God’s grace as a gift through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”
Those words unearthed something within his
heart; he began to let go of the shame and fear he carried.
Luther found boundless joy and wholeness
in knowing that he didn’t have to earn God’s love, all he had to do was to
receive it.
This motivated him to use his gifts of
reflection, embrace his Christ-based dedication.
In 1517, he posted his infamous 95 Theses,
standing in courage, bravely bringing to light the idea that the church could
do better.
There, in Saxony, this son of Germany, started
a reformation that forever changed the world- how we see God, how we relate to
Jesus, how we come together to worship in warmth, reflection, and dedication.
Luther stood before emperor and authorities,
translated scripture into the language of the people, created teaching tools
for children and adults.
He rooted faith and a Christ-lived life into
the mundane every-day, the practical and simple so that people could understand
and have a taste of how good heaven is.
He believed in humility before God and the
holiness of everyday life, be it family, kaffeeklatsch conversations, or
sharing a homebrewed beer at the table.
His heritage is everywhere and there is no
doubt that he would approve of us gathering in this Friendship Hall, in a
church made of limestone from the Sunset Hills earth, listening to polka,
sitting beside family, among friends.
For Luther, God is our rock; God is the
refuge we go to when the storms of life are great; when we have nowhere else to
turn.
For Luther, God is our rock, our steadfast
foundation we stand upon, empowering us to be brave and fearless, even as
things seem uncertain and people wage war.
A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark
never failing, our helper amid the flood or mortal life prevailing.
How wonderful to know that a life well
lived, a life of friends and food, drink and song, joy and dance, faith and friendliness
is a foundation to a life lived in Christ.
So let us lift our voices and sing out our
praise; for all our care will melt away.
“Die Gnade Gottes”, to all.
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment