Sermon for Presentation of the Augsburg Confessions
Third Sunday after Pentecost, June 25, 2017, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Wallis, Tx
Sermon Texts: Luke 18:9-14 and Rom. 6:12-23
Sermon Theme: “500 Years of Salvation by Grace”
(Sources: Book of Concord, Online Website; Concordia Pulpit Resources, Vol. 27, Part 3, Series A; Reformation 2017, lutheranworld.org; Augsburg Confession Online; Wikipedia; original ideas; Luther’s Small Catechism; Online “What are the Five Solas?”)
Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
If you look at the Lutheran calendar in the Sacristy, you will notice that this Sunday is designated as “the Presentation of the Augsburg Confession.” Normally, we don’t celebrate that historical event as a major festival; in fact, many Lutheran today might even ask, “What is the Augsburg Confession?” However, since this year is the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, we need to observe, or at least, recognize the major documents and events that were part of the Reformation.
In fact, our Synod has sent out messages encouraging us to make 2017 a year to observe and celebrate the Reformation, culminating with a special celebration on Reformation Day Sunday. To be sure, Synods and Lutheran organizations world-wide have issued a call to celebrate the year of the Reformation, from planting a Luther-garden in Wittenberg to a year-long series of concerts presenting Lutheran music in other parts of Germany and the U.S.
Lutheran churches from all over the world were invited to sponsor one of the 500 trees to be planted in commemoration of the Anniversary. This method of celebrating was motivated by Luther’s famous statement, “Even if I knew that the world were to end tomorrow, I would still plant my apple tree today.”
The worldwide kickoff for the celebrations that now continue occurred on October 31, 2016, when the Lutheran World Federation and the Roman Catholic Church held a joint commemoration of the Reformation in Lund, Sweden. Pope Francis and Lutheran leaders conducted this prayer service, a rather astonishing event considering what the Reformation was all about. It was nice for the Pope to attend, but I don’t think there was any real progress toward reconciliation.
The cry of the Reformation consisted of the Five Solas, which were SOLA SCRIPTURA, SOLA FIDE, SOLA GRATIA, SOLUS CHRISTUS, and SOLI DEO GLORIA, — Scripture Alone, Faith Alone, Grace Alone, Christ Alone, and To God Alone Be the Glory.
Up until the Reformation, the confession of salvation by grace through faith alone was not preached, and preaching it and believing it changed everything.
The Reformation began when Martin Luther challenged the Roman Catholic church by nailing his 95 Theses on the Wittenberg church door.
Of course, that one piece of paper was not enough to explain the differences between Lutheran beliefs and Catholic doctrine, so the Augsburg Confession, probably the most important document of the Reformation, was written by Luther and Melanchthon in both German and Latin and was presented to the Diet of Augsburg on June 25, 1530, by a number of German rulers. Continue reading