The Reformation – it’s not finished!

The Reformation – it’s not finished!

When our Anglican/Lutheran friends visited Scotland some years ago they did some “religious sightseeing” – they went to John Knox house. Have any of you been there? My friends brought me two tokens from that visit – a key fob depicting John Knox in a stained-glass window – and a paper house icon for me to build. (What do you say when someone gives you John Knox iconography – thank you?) I wonder how Knox would have felt about such commemorations of his person and his life. My sense is that he would not have approved. My take on John Knox is that he didn’t approve of much! However, he is an important figure in the history of the Presbyterian Church and the person for whom so many churches are named.

Knox was something of a radical in his time. What rulers feared were Knox’s ideas more than Knox himself. He was a ruthless and successful revolutionary – changing the face of religion in his home of Scotland and having a great impact on the English Puritans. Despite his intolerance and dogmatism, Knox contributed to the struggle for human freedom as he taught that people had a duty to fight against governments and the status quo to bring about change. Work that we might say is ongoing even today as we look at LGBTQI2+ inclusion in our church, ongoing racism and efforts toward reconciliation with Indigenous peoples in Canada, and aggressive conflicts in many parts of the world. We still have a duty to enter with hope into the struggle for human freedom.

Knox built on the work and teaching of John Calvin in Geneva to develop Presbyterian polity. In that regard, Knox is considered the founder of our Presbyterian denomination whose members number millions worldwide. And he is in the company of many great leaders who began the Protestant Reformation in the 15^th and 16^th centuries – a reformation that continues through the centuries. We can be thankful for the Reformation we celebrate today. The reforms of the past and of the present are not universally good of course – much fragmentation and institutionalization of the gospel is a result of the reformation movement. Yet, even as we are aware of our own faults and failures – our own slow progress as believers – of how far short of the gospel ideal we fall – we can recall with hope an important dictum that emerged among Reformed communities: ecclesia reformata sed semper reformanda, "the church reformed, but always needing to be reformed."

Remembering the Reformation of the past is not intended to set it in stone – to make a paper model of it like my model of the John Knox house or encase an image in cheap plastic. We remember people like Martin Luther, John Calvin and John Knox, among others, in part because of their conviction. They were able to read the words recorded in the Psalms and the gospel and Hebrews as their own, saying with confidence: God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?" "Take heart; get up, he is calling you."

Today we respond, heeding the words from Hebrews: Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Martin Luther ignited the flame that was to become the Protestant Reformation when he nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of a church in Germany. It was the equivalent of a Facebook or Instagram post, a newspaper ad or TV commercial today – too long for Twitter, I think – very public – very risky. He challenged the church and authority of the day, questioning their teaching and their practice.

He was told to recant – to back down from the position he had taken. This is part of his response: My conscience is captive to the word of God. To go against conscience is neither right nor safe. I cannot, and I will not recant. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. [Martin Luther]

Luther argued that salvation could not be obtained by purchasing indulgences, through works of charity, by making a pilgrimage, or by performing other acts of piety and devotion. He argued that salvation was an act of God, given by grace through our faith in Jesus Christ. God has already provided for our salvation by the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus; and salvation is ours to accept through faith – not to achieve through works. He also affirmed the priesthood of all believers – that Christians do not need an intermediary between them and God. It is the right and duty of every Christians to enter into a personal relationship with God – to read the Bible and worship in their own language – to pray directly to God rather than through another's efforts.

John Calvin continued in this vein introducing new forms of church government and liturgy, despite the opposition of several powerful families in the city who tried to curb his authority. Calvin was tirelessly outspoken and generated much controversy. In addition to the Institutes, he wrote commentaries on most books of the Bible as well as theological essays and confessional documents, and he regularly gave sermons throughout the week in Geneva.

Calvin's writing and preaching provided the seeds for others such as John Knox. His thought exerted considerable influence, and some argue that his ideas have contributed to the rise of capitalism, individualism, and representative democracy.

Today we commemorate history, a story about people that lived many years ago – people who were compelled to live out their faith confidently believing that God would help them, so they need not live in fear despite the threats against them. They believed that no matter what happened, they had to speak the truth about Jesus – and that truth changed the church.

As we follow Jesus' life and teaching, we too are constantly changing, renewing, and rethinking our faith. Like the early reformers we call for dialog and discussion – we ask questions and seek answers from God through prayer and scripture – we listen to the living word of God, taking seriously the direction provided. By our faith and our action, hopefully we will continue to change the world and the church.

Reformation is part of what Jesus wants us to do. When we see that is wrong in our church – in our community – in our world today we too must be compelled to live out our faith confidently believing that… God is our refuge and strength…   What can anyone do to us? Take heart – get up, Jesus is calling…

When I traveled in Malawi, I saw a great deal of what is wrong in our world. Seeing is not quite the same as being aware of the statistics. Visiting a young woman dying of AIDS or spending time with little boys unable to go to school because they do not have proper clothes to wear is to see the wrong in the world up close – with your heart rather than your head.

What does the gospel tell us to do in the face of such injustice in our world? How do we as reformers react in a world where a young woman remains in agony because there is no money for her medication? Where a man lies dying of AIDS and there is no way to get him to the clinic? Where a 16-year-old looks like a 10-year-old because of malnutrition? Where orphans abound, and each day mothers and fathers die and die and die and one of the biggest industries in the country is coffin making?

The gospel says to take heart – get up – Jesus is calling. And with mission partners in Malawi our churches are supporting many programs through PWS&D and Presbyterians Sharing. There are no social services, no pensions for the old, no social safety nets to fall back upon in Malawi. These projects provide hope to those with very little in their lives. And they depend on us. Your donations have made a difference, and they will continue to do so. Maybe we are continuing to change the world – slowly.

There is hope in Malawi. In a land blighted by hunger, disease and poverty, we found hope in what the church is doing. We found hope in the generosity and grace of the people. That hope is in us because of the gospel, and we can see it being lived not only among the reformers of the distant past but those who lived and worked in more recent times.

We met Silas Ncozana – a Malawian minister who has studied internationally and taught at the theological college in Zomba. His ministry includes local church work, a retreat center, programs for street children in his town and much more. In 1992, Silas Ncozana was General Secretary of Blantyre Synod. Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda, Malawi’s “dictator for life”, had been in control for 30 years. Human rights abuses were festering – people disappeared in the night, were detained without trial, thrown to the crocodiles, tortured, killed. Seven Catholic bishops signed a letter to be read in churches, protesting the abuses. The Malawi Congress Party met in secret and decided these seven bishops must be killed. Silas found out and he and others decided they must go and personally confront Banda.

In Silas’ words: ‘It was not an easy task at all. It was life or death.’ They warned their families they might not return. They went to see Banda. They told the dictator that if he killed the Catholic bishops, he must kill them too. When the Muslim leader heard what Silas had done, he got in touch and said, ‘we will work with you too.’ Thus, the movement for political reform took off. By 1993, Banda was forced to hold a referendum. Probably to his dismay, the people voted for multi-party democracy which continues to this day as elections were held there in September.

This is a remarkable story of faith and courage – a remarkable story of reformation. It happened in Malawi. It happened in our lifetime. And it happed, in large part, because Silas and others like him believed that God called them to action.

The reformation of the past and the ongoing reformation of our lives is the continuing struggle for human freedom as expressed in the gospel. Our faith compels us, as it did our leaders in the past, to fight against that which oppresses to bring about change.

There is so much more reforming to do – so much more change is needed. Our environment – the eagles and heron I so admire on my walks at home are in danger. The women whose company I enjoy on rare weekends away are straight and gay and wonderful, but the church may not feel like a safe place for all of them and that feels like a tragedy to me. Wouldn’t it be something if my friends’ grandchild – born just two short months ago – never had to see Palestinians and Israelis in conflict – never saw starving people on the news?

The work and hope for change – genuine reformation, of the institutional church – an individual life – or the communities in which we live, is never finished. Nor is the Holy Spirit – who fulfills that hope – ever, ever deaf to the prayers of those who long for it. Amen