Glebe, Delton J.

English

Wilfrid Laurier University

ConsensusVolume 17Issue 2 Health and Wholeness Article 1111-1-1991From groans to graceDelton J. GlebeFollow this and additional works at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensusThis Sermons is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Consensus by anauthorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact scholarscommons@wlu.ca.Recommended CitationGlebe, Delton J. (1991) "From groans to grace," Consensus: Vol. 17 : Iss. 2 , Article 11.Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol17/iss2/11From Groans to GraceDelton J. GlebeProfessor of Pastoral Care and Counselling,Waterloo Lutheran SeminaryTexts: Romans 1:17; Ephesians 2:8; Romans 8:22 and23We are here because of two birthdays.We are celebrating today the One hundredthbirthday of St. John’s, Arnprior.But we are able to celebrate St. John’s birthday,because of a much earher birthday;the birth of a baby called Martin.Martin Luther was born 506 years agoon November 10, 1483.We are here for another reason.The reason is that this Martin grew up;and at age 34, 472 years agoon October 31, 1517,he nailed 95 statements, 95 theses,to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany.Because of those nails in that doorpastors and parishioners of the Ottawa VaUeyare gathered here to celebratethe Festival of the Reformation.Now we’re celebrating somethingthat happened almost 500 years ago.but to you and me it is still ahve and excitingbecause it touches the heart-beat of our faith and life.164 ConsensusMy theme for this reformation reflection is:From Groans to Grace.This young Martin became a very good student.By age 22 he was a gifted young law student.His father wanted him to become a lawyer.But at age 22, July 17, 1505quite unexpectedly he applied for admissionto a monastery, the Black Cloister in Erfurt.This was a monstrous shock to his family and friends.Thirty four years later at an evening mealLuther reminisced about that fateful decision.Fourteen days before his decision to enter a monasteryhe was on the road north of Erfurt.He was so frightened by a bolt of lightning and thunderthat in terror he shouted:“Help, dear Anne, I wiU become a monk!”He adds, “Afterwards I regretted my vow.My friends tried to persuade meagainst entering the monastery.My father was very angry about my vow.I, however, was determined to go through with it.In tears they led me away.”At the young age of 22Luther had come face to facewith the reahzation of his mortality.The Groan of anxiety about deathstarted his long search for a God of Grace.Luther says: “It never occurred to meto leave the monastery.I had died completely to the world until God’s proper time.And Junker Tetzel forced me to leave it.”At age 22 Luther had become an Augustinian monk.During the next seven years he becamealso a priest, a preacher and a professor.At the young age of 29 he became a Doctor of Theology.Groans to Grace 165Now Tetzel enters the picture.Tetzel was selling indulgences.Tetzel would stand behind the altar railwhile people lined up to buy certificateswhich would rescue their loved onesout of Purgatory and Hell into Heaven.Kings had to pay 335.00Counts 134.00Business Men 80.40Guild Members 13.40The Poor 6.70The wealthy had to pay four times the top price.To criticize the sale of these indulgences,Luther nailed 95 statementson the door of Wittenberg’s Castle church.If someone nailed anything to your church doorhe or she would be hauled into court.But in Luther’s daysit was a common way to protest.In those theses Luther inquired:“Why did the Pope not defiver poor souls from purgatoryfor the sake of holy love?Why did the penitent have to pay moneybefore they were forgiven?”Luther nailed those 95 theses to that doorbecause he was a pastor who cared for his people.His people were groaning for God’s forgiveness.His people were groaning for a gracious God.His people were groaning to fill the treasury of indulgences.But he wanted them to have free accessto the treasury of God’s Wonderful Grace]Luther wanted them to move from groans to grace.It’s a miracle that Luther survived.m His attack on the sale of indulgencesI was an attack on big business!B It caused an economic scare.B It caused a setback in business, banking, politicsB and the church.166 ConsensusSome predicted from their pulpits throughout Saxonythat within a month at mostLuther would be burned at the stake as a heretic.On his long journey on foot to Augsburghe more than once said to himself“Now you must die.”A friend Scdd to him“They will burn you at Augsburg.”But Luther said:“Let the Lord’s will be done.Even at Augsburg, yea in the midst of His enemiesJesus Christ rules.Let Christ live, let Martin die.”Luther had good reason to feelthat his days were numbered.After all, had they not burned John Huss at the stake?The Groan of the threat of burning at the stakewas only too real for Luther.But Luther’s bottom line was: We live by Grace.But it had not always been “Grace” for Martin.As a young monk he used to cry out,“My sins. Oh my sins!”His father, mother and teachers,like most parents and teachers those days,were strict and sometimes severe.He says: “My father once whipped meso that I ran away and felt angry toward him.”“My mother caned me until the blood camefor stealing a nut.”“I was caned in Latin school for speaking German.”Of course his father could be jovial.And his mother sang to the children.But parents and teachersdeahng with this strong-willed, sensitive childhelped to make his conscience sharp.Groans to Grace 167He saw God as an angry Godas a punishing God.The stained glass window in his home churchpictured Christ as a frowning Judge.At St. Peter’s church in Romehe went up the 28 steps on his hands and kneeskissing each step to win God’s favourfor his parents and for himself.He says: “I was a monk for 20 yearsand so plagued myself withprayers, fastings, waking and freezingthat I almost died of cold.”He says: “I was often frightened by the name of Christwhen I looked upon Him and the Cross.He seemed to me like a flash of lightning.When his name was mentionedI would rather have heard the devil mentioned,for I beheved that I must do good worksto make Christ gracious to me through them.I beheved Christ to be a stern and terriblejudge.”He saw God as an angry Judge sitting on a rainbow.He lamented: “Oh when will I become pious enoughand do enough to obtain a gracious God!”Then one day his thoughts focused on Romans 1:17,“The righteousness of God is revealed through faith.”The righteousness of God was repulsive to Luther.The righteousness of God meant punishing the sinner.But after a long struggle, he suddenly saw:The righteousness of God does not mean punishingthe sinner.The righteousness of God means forgiving the sinner.The righteous shall live by faith means:The righteous are the Forgiven.Forgiven because God forgives.168 ConsensusLuther says: “It was as if the very gates of paradiseopened up for me.”Suddenly the frowning Christ became a smiling Christand the gruesome God became a gracious God.With groans too deep for wordsLuther discovers the Grace of God,Through our Lord Jesus Christ!From Groans to Grace!St. Paul says:We ourselves groan inwardly.Luther’s groan was “My sins, Oh my sins”.The groan of sin and guilt.The groan of searching for forgiveness.Surely this is still the groan of many today.The groan of guilt and shame.But I must admit that these days,I do not hear many parishioners, pastors, professorsor seminarians groaning:“My sins. Oh my sins”!Karl Meninger wrote a book asking:Whatever Happened to Sin?I suspect that in our timeour sense of unworthiness gets expressedless in terms of sin and guiltand more in terms of:low self-esteem;identity crisis;I’m no good;nobody cares about me;nobody appreciates me.Today’s monstrous and massive changes;so unpredictable and uncontrollable,threaten our sense of worth as persons.A change in the world market can turna community into a ghost towna business into a bankruptcyGroans to Grace 169a factory into a morguea farm into a poorhousea church into a haunted housealmost overnight.Changes in world marketsworld pohticsmultinational corporationsArab oil pricesChanges in big businessbig inflationbig interest ratesbig competitioncan cost me my savingsmy jobmy businessmy homemy futureAnd often I as an individual alonecannot do a thing about it.AU this can make me feel like:a drop in the bucketa pebble on the beacha tiny cog in a big machineor just an unemploymentinsurance number.Young people wonder:After all these years at schoolwill there be a job for me?The middle-aged wonder:How long can I hang onto my job, my business, my home?The aged wonder:Does anyone really carewhether I’m dead or ahve?No wonder we lose our sense of worth as persons.170 ConsensusCharlie Brown is a comic strip,now celebrating its 40th anniversary,written by a Lutheran called Schulz.In one of his comic stripsCharhe Brown complains to Linusabout his disappointing love life.Charhe says to his friend Linus:“I can’t talk to that httle red haired girlbecause she’s something and I’m nothing.If she were something and I were somethingThen I could talk to her.Or if she were nothing and I were somethingThen I could talk to her.But she’s something and I’m nothingso I can’t talk to her.”In pure amazement Linus replies:“For a nothing Charhe Brown,you’re reaUy something!” 1How often we feel,or we’re made to feel,or we make ourselves feellike a nothing!The great preacher Edmund Steimletold the story of a httle girlwho played the piano before the great Paderewski.She played weU until she came to a final arpeggio,when she missed her aimand made the piano soundas if it had been wired with bedsprings.Whereupon the great Paderewskibent down and kissed her on the forehead.Think of the difference Paderewski’s kissmade to that httle girl.Had he not given her the kissshe would have walked out with her head bent low.Because he gave her his kissshe could walk out with her held held highlGroans to Grace 171Not because of her brilliant playingbut because of his kiss.In holy baptismGod has bent down and kissed you and me on the forehead.Luther says:“This blessed sacrament of Baptism helped mebecause in it God allies Himself with meand becomes one with mein a gracious covenant of comfort.”Sealed in my baptism isGod’s acceptance of the unacceptable me.Furthermore, sealed in my Baptismis my God-given identity!my identity as a son or daughter of God!my identity as a brother or sister of Jesus Christ!my identity as a person of worth in His eyes!I need no longer walk with my head hung low;I can walk now with my head held high.From Groans to Grace!Some evangehstic preachers would tell youfrom now on under Grace it will be all sunshine and roses—without a cloud in the sky anymore.So simple, so easy to be a Christian.But St. Paul says:“We know that the whole creation has been groaning;and not only the creation but we ourselvesgroan inwardly as we wait.”“But,” adds Paul, “God’s Spirit intercedes for uswith sighs too deep for words!”To live by Grace is no escape from groans.But to live by Graceis to have God’s own Spirit groan on our behalfwith groans too deep for words!When God groans on my behalf:“He allies Himself with me.172 Consensus“He becomes one with me,in His gracious covenant of comfort.”Furthermore we not only live by GRACEwe also LIVE by Grace.Have we LutheransHave we Grace Christiansmade enough of our Livingfor one anotherand for others?Paul Holmer a Lutheran and Professor at Yale Universitysaid at a conference some years ago:“We Lutherans should stop condemning good works,because there aren’t enough good works left in theLutheran church to condemn.”He Wcis being facetious. !But he made a point.;If we live by GRACE,We will LIVE by grace.We will share and spread this grace,with the 20 million refugees in this world,not only through World Hunger and Lutheran World Rehef,not only through “band aid” help,but also through helping improve their styleand standard of living,helping improve their quantityand quahty of lifehelping the hungry, thirsty, bleeding,and crying.IWe will share and spread this grace: (by proclaiming to every people, tongue and nation,jthat God in whom they live and movejis love.jWe wiU tell how he stooped to save his lost creation,jand died on earth thatwe might live above.Groans to Grace 173We will publish glad tidings, tidings of peace,tidings of Jesus, redemption and relea-se!Lutherans with Luthernot only live by GRACE^but also LIVE by GRACE.“For by grace you have been saved through faithand this is not your own doing it is the gift of God”!Note1 Robert L. Short, The Gospel According To Peanuts (Richmond, VA:John Knox Press, 1964), 100.

From groans to grace

https://scholars.wlu.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1893&amp;context=consensus

From groans to grace

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Wilfrid Laurier University