Sermon for March 1st

As the blue fairy said in Pinocchio, you should all be good boys and girls and always let your conscience be your guide. Your conscience, you know, that part of you that tells you what you should do and what you shouldn’t do. The part that knows right from wrong. Your conscience is that instinct in you that makes you feel bad if you are going to do something wrong, but gives you the go ahead sign if you’re about to do something right.

The Greek word that is translated as conscience in English is suneidasis and it shows up thirty times in the Bible, mostly in the letters of Paul, but several times in other books of the Bible as well. But the term “conscience” is most well-known, at least in Lutheran circles, not because of its use in the Bible but because it was famously used by none other than Martin Luther himself at the Diet of Worms where he was being tried as a heretic early in his career as a reformer.

On April 15th, 1521, Luther was put on trial and told to recant for what he had written against the Roman Catholic church, its theology and practices. Luther argued that while there were some things he had written which might be in error he could not recant all of his works. John Eck, in charge of the prosecution made his case against Luther, “Martin, how can you assume that you are the only one to understand the sense of Scripture? Would you put your judgment above that of so many famous men and claim that you know more than they all? You have no right to call into question the most holy orthodox faith, instituted by Christ the perfect lawgiver, proclaimed throughout the world by the apostles, sealed by the red blood of the martyrs, confirmed by the sacred councils, defined by the Church in which all our fathers believed until death and gave to us as an inheritance, and which now we are forbidden by the pope and the emperor to discuss lest there be no end of debate. I ask you Martin . . .do you or do you not repudiate your books and the errors which they contain?” (Bainton, 144)

Luther responded with this famous statement, “I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other—my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen.” (Bainton, 144)

Is the blue fairy from Pinocchio talking about conscience in the same way that the Bible talks about it? The same way Martin Luther spoke of it? What do you understand conscience to mean?

I believe that when we hear the word “conscience” used in the Bible or by Martin Luther, we think of the blue fairy, Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket. We think of that little voice inside of us that is trying to tell us right from wrong. The little angel or the little devil on our shoulder fighting for control over our actions.

After 9/11, when terrorists attacked the twin towers, America eventually went to war first with Afghanistan and then with Iraq. Some people made the argument back then, that to not retaliate, after having Americans killed in cold blood, would be unconscionable. It would go against their belief in freedom and justice. It would not be patriotic to just sit back and do nothing. On the other hand, some people argued that it went against their conscience to have their country be at war. No matter how many people died in the towers, they argued that we didn’t have the right to kill other people. Here we have two different responses, both of them based on conscience.

That’s the problem with making choices based on your conscience. It is very subjective. What is right for one person might not be right for another. Some people do not eat meat because they feel bad for eating a poor defenseless cow. Others see no problem with it and like to chow down on Bessie. Who is to say what is right and wrong? We all have different experiences and therefore different feelings on different issues. When we “let our conscience be our guide” as Pinocchio was told to do, we all come up with different opinions about what should be done.

Martin Luther had a different view of what conscience meant in the context of his confession at the Diet of Worms. He wasn’t just trying to be a good boy. He was confessing his faith in Jesus Christ. His preferences, his feelings, his knowledge and his experiences were captive to “the Word of God” as he put it. It was not good for him to go against his conscience because his conscience was informed by Scripture and to go against Scripture was neither good nor safe.

In the second reading today, Peter talks about conscience in relationship to baptism. He refers to baptism as “an appeal to God for a good conscience.” What is baptism? It is water, but not water only. Water with a promise from God to wash you clean of every spot or blemish in God’s sight. In baptism, you receive salvation and the forgiveness of your sins. A good conscience, in this passage, isn’t talking about “feeling good” about what you are doing. A good conscience might be another way to say that you are in a “good relationship” with God. Instead of being located outside of God’s favor, you are in harmony with God and his Word. To have a good or a pure conscience in the Bible, doesn’t just mean that you “feel good” about what you are doing. It means that God feels good about what you are doing.

A good conscience is bound to nothing less than God’s Word. Sometimes having a good conscience, according to God’s Word, might not feel so great, we might not like what we are being called to do. In his first letter to the Corinthians Paul says this, “I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.” Just because your conscience tells you that you are right, doesn’t mean you necessarily are. God gets the final say. That’s why we look to the Bible, and not to ourselves, to determine what is right and wrong. That’s why we cannot just trust what feels right or looks right in our eyes.

Later in Corinthians, Paul talks about those with “weak consciences”. A person with a weak conscience might assume something is wrong when it is neither commanded nor forbidden in the Bible. They might think they have sinned when, in fact, they are free to make a personal choice. Paul refers to people who believe that they are not free to eat meat sacrificed to idols. He says that a Christian is free to eat this meat or not. But, he explains, if someone hasn’t been taught about this freedom, he understands that they might feel guilty. Eventually, once they know the freedom of Christ, they might not worry about it, but since this might take some time, in order to protect their consciences, he encourages Christians around these people to also refrain from eating this kind of meat. Since eating meat sacrificed to idols is neither commanded nor forbidden in the Bible, they were free to do whatever needed to be done for the sake of their neighbor.

But there is an important difference between having a “weak” conscience and a bad or guilty conscience. Someone with a weak conscience might assume something is wrong when it is simply a matter of preference, something neither forbidden nor commanded in the Bible. On the other hand, a bad or guilty conscience is out of line with God’s Word. When God forbids us or commands us to do something, to claim that it goes against our conscience is simply another way of saying that we don’t feel like following the rules. Just because a murderer no longer feels bad or feels remorse for killing doesn’t mean he is acting with a pure conscience in God’s eyes. Conscience is based on God’s Word and NOT on personal preferences. It is finally God who will judge.

God wants you to have a good conscience. He wants you to be a good relationship with him and to live in harmony with his Word. That’s why we take the time to learn, read and discuss God’s laws and expectations for us.

God gives you his promise of eternal salvation, but he doesn’t just stop there. He gives you his words in scripture to study, preaching to hear and the sacraments to receive, so that you will learn to live in harmony with God and His words. So that you and others will learn right from wrong, not in your own eyes, but in God’s eyes. This is what it means to have a good conscience despite what Jiminy Cricket and the blue fairy say. When struggling with temptation, don’t just hope that you’ll know instinctively what is right and wrong; instead look to God for help and guidance. Read your Bible, see what it says on the topic, and pray for wisdom from God when you are making difficult decisions.

Finally, however, your salvation is not based on the strength of your conscience or your ability to follow it and be a good boy or girl. You are GIVEN a good conscience through faith in Jesus Christ. You are put in a right relationship with God every time you hear your sins forgiven not through your efforts but through God’s proclamation. And God will continue working in your life to strengthen you and help you work in harmony with his Word. Jesus died on the cross for you, so that you might be free. Free enough to follow God’s laws not because you feel like it’s the right thing to do, but because you mind, your heart, your feelings and even your conscience are bound to God’s Word. Amen.

Sermon for April 27th

Not too long ago there were many questions about what direction this church, Saint Peters, should go in the future. Should there be a part-time pastor or a shared ministry with another church or denomination? What kind of leader did you all want or need? Was there enough people coming to church here to make this a viable ministry? Should you follow the advice and suggestions of your synod leadership or follow a different path? Many of you wrestled with these options and decisions a lot during those long twenty months.

God had some amazing plans for both Saint Peters Lutheran Church and you, the people who worship here. Instead of losing your identity, God gave you a new sense of your hope even as you dealt with various kinds of suffering, fear and anxiety. It appears that God gave you all some strong convictions, the council, the call committee, and the congregation. A very specific sense of hope. But what was this hope and how did you get it?

We often think that hope comes through positive thinking or something like this. Or maybe by coming up with fancy new vision statements that talk about how glorious we would like our church, our community or ourselves to look. We hope in ourselves and our abilities to make things happen. But, despite many popular beliefs, hope isn’t kindled by getting excited enough to start a fire in your soul. Hope comes out of suffering, out of despair and even out of death. As Samuel points out, “The Lord kills and then he makes alive. He brings down to the grave and then he raises up.”

What was your hope and how did you get it? Hope, for Saint Peters, came out of twenty months with no full-time pastor, lots of soul searching and many hard decisions. What was your hope? I’m not sure how you would put it in words, but this is what I have been hearing. God’s Word was needed here. There was ministry to be done here. Here at Saint Peters Evangelical Lutheran, a little church out in the country, in Cornwall Village.

What was your hope? There was hope that God’s Word was needed not only for the people of Saint Peters, the adults, the children, the high school youth, the families, but also for the community. There was hope that God’s Word could be shared with people who lived in and around Cornwall who had never heard or believed in Jesus Christ. There was hope that God’s Word could be shared with the surrounding communities: Kent, Sharon, Falls Village, Canaan, Lakeville, Salisbury, Torrington, Warren, New Preston, Bantam, Litchfield and Goshen.

You called out as a congregation to God and lived through a difficult twenty month journey full of both hope and suffering. During that time, from what I have heard, you often had to do what your namesake, the original Saint Peter, talks about in the second reading today, you had to “make your defense before others to account for the hope that was in you.” It would probably have been easy to just let someone else make decisions for you, but God gave you a different kind of hope. Sometimes you had to defend your hope in front of others who disagreed with you. And if this hope had been created in some committee meeting, as a way to make yourselves look better, you wouldn’t have had much to stand on, but this hope was forged in the fires of suffering. This was more than a hope for survival but a hope to serve.

God gave you hope once in the midst of suffering. A hope that there was ministry here to do in Cornwall and all of Northwest Connecticut. What are God’s hopes now for Saint Peters?

How can we know, you might say? Maybe this all sounds very wishy washy to you and you want something more concrete. How can you know? Well, I’m glad you asked. God doesn’t want you to speculate about what he thinks, or make something up that sounds good—God has revealed his promises for you, his hopes and dreams. But in order for you to listen, you need to know how God speaks. Where can you find God’s Word? How can you know what he has revealed?

First of all, God’s Word is present in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus points out your sin, since he was crucified for your sake, and he points out your final hope, the resurrection of you when you die one day. Our hopes and dreams usually look quite wonderful and flashy—something glorious. God’s hopes and dreams often look different. They are hidden in suffering. God sent Jesus to die for you to give you faith. Jesus was glorified in crucifixion. Faith. Crucifixion. Not fancy for hopes and dreams. Jesus makes it clear that it’s not up to you, or Saint Peters church, or any church to save anyone. We are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves. God does the faith making. God gets the glory, not us. You don’t have to hope in yourselves or your own ideas and abilities. You may hope in God.

God also speaks to you in another way. Through the Bible. You can listen to God by reading the Bible or having it read to you. You can hear God’s hopes and dreams, his promises revealed, throughout the pages of the Bible. For instance, he said to Abraham, “You shall be the Father of many nations.” He said to Adam and Eve, “Be fruitful and multiply.” Reading the Bible, God’s Word, helps you to be able to understand how God speaks. Knowing the stories of the Bible makes it easier to discern God’s hopes and dreams and differentiate them from your own. God may or may not do what we dream, but he has bound himself to keep the promises he has made and revealed. However, not every promise and demand is for you, so you must learn to distinguish when you are being spoken to.

This is why God also speaks through the spoken word. As Paul says in the book of Romans, “Faith comes through hearing.” God has called me to be your pastor and speaks to you using me, even with all my faults and sins. It is my call to study God’s Word proclaimed in the past, and speak it again for you today. Reading that Jesus forgave sinners in Galilee is one thing, but I am now applying that promise to you. Today, you can be assured that you have been made right with God on account of Jesus. God’s promises aren’t stuck in the past, they are present tense. And when you hear me speak those words of promise, you can trust that those words are God’s words and not my own.

Listening to the sermon, and the children’s sermon, are ways to hear God’s hopes and dreams for you. Listening to the hymns sung and the liturgy is another way to hear God’s promises. I pray that you will come to worship as often as you can to hear God speak to you. So that you can hear God’s hopes for you and this church’s ministry.

Another way God speaks is through people other than preachers and pastors. Martin Luther called this, the care and consolation of the saints. “For wherever two or three are gathered in my name, “Jesus says, “I am there with them.” When you are gathered together in your homes or at the park or at a council meeting, take a moment to pray for Saint Peters and to discuss where God may be leading your church’s ministry. What are God’s hopes and dreams for Saint Peters? What has he revealed in his Word?

This does not mean that just because you have a very religious dream one night that everyone needs to jump on board your one particular idea. We are listening for God’s hopes and dreams, not our own. We are listening for God’s promises. Then we will hold him to those promises! God may indeed be pulling you in a particular direction, but if that is the case. Pray continually about it. Ask others to pray about it. It might take some time. Test your ideas with the Bible in front of you during a daily devotion. Test your ideas when you listen to a sermon or a sing a hymn.

Here at Saint Peters, there are opportunities for you to get comfortable hearing God’s Word. Tuesday nights, starting in May, you can come and learn God’s Word in the Bible. Sunday mornings you can come and hear God’s Word sung and preached. After church you can come and have fellowship with others. Between services, at Lutheran 101, you can come and learn to hear the difference between what God does for you and what he demands from you. Thursday afternoons you can come and pray to God for hope during a group prayer time. These programs are available to strengthen your faith and knowledge of what God’s hopes and dreams are for you and your ministry here at Saint Peters. God does not expect you to have hope, he gives you hope.

God has blessed this congregation with hope before and he will do it again. But we aren’t hoping for our own glory. We aren’t hoping for our church’s glory. You don’t need to hope in yourselves, you may hope in God. And since he was glorified by dying on a cross, we shouldn’t expect to get too far into the future without a great deal of suffering as well.

Martin Luther said that suffering was one of the marks of the church. But, as Paul says in Romans. “We even boast in our sufferings knowing the suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope and hope does not disappoint us because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” This is how God works. Always finds a way to create life out of death.

The Israelites constantly reminded each other about how God had brought them out of Egypt and carried them through the forty years in the Wilderness. I want to constantly remind you that God has indeed seen you through these last twenty months and is still working. God says in the book of Jeremiah, “I know the plans I have for you, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” God does not expect you to have hope already or to know exactly where this ministry should go from here, he has revealed his promises to give you hope. You don’t need to hope in yourselves, you may hope in God.

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth says the Lord; it shall not return empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”