Monday 5 January 2009

On the last day of the Christmas season we will start with a new source for devotional reflections. it will be from the writings of Robert Bertram in "A Time for Confessing."

Some of the most constructive moments in recent history have been those times, ironically, when Christians have had to disobey secular authority, including the church's own, in order to testify that for the one church of Jesus Christ his one gospel-and-sacraments is authority enough. Such moments for Christian disobedience, fateful times of last resort, are what the Formula of Concord called "a time for confessing," which at that "time" (1577) had already begun a half-century earlier with the "confessing" at Augsburg (1530). This Augsburg "time of confessing," from 1530 onwards, is one more reminder of how the church from its origin - for example, up against the authorities in its own native Judaism who opposed it - had to be, over and over, a confessing movement.

I was drawn to use Bertram's work not because I am deeply involved in the confessional documents of our church, rather I was drawn by his introduction of the term and the life behind a "time of confessing." I'm not a confessional scholar - not even a scholar, but something is ringing a strong note here about how we are church and how we are or are not living within the expansiveness of the grace of our Lord, Jesus, Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit." More and more I find that it is not acceptable for us to be a church that is willing to be directed by what I will say is adiaphora - human sexuality. We are living within a realm of fear and yet we will not admit to it. We are once again able to survive because we have a scapegoat that can create a rallying point for the sake of keeping the system in place and immovable. It appears to me that a confessing movement has come into existence when the ruling order mandates that some may be left out of the full participation in the life of the community of Christ - or that the Church may take part in action that is quite contrary to being a living witness to the our Lord, Jesus. Therefore, on behalf of the Jews and in the name of our Lord, a small confessing movement said "No" to how the German authorities were acting as a civil rule and also using the Church to place it seal on what was being done - even though it was contrary to the gospel. I pray you stick with me in these next weeks of reflection.

Connection: Yes we can be more than we are....more expansive and more abounding in grace than we ever thought possible. Today that can already be our future within the church.

Lord of the Good News that breaks open this day with new life, remind us of how that news breaks open the day and how you have shaped us within the power of the gospel to continue to reform that which can become quite contrary to this news that is so good...it changes the world and all that is. Amen.