Devotion - Tuesday, October 30

I wanted to continue with reflections on how The Reformation themes are relevant in today's context.  A second change which came upon the Church as a result of the events in the 16th century was decentralization.

The Church into which Luther was born was driven from the top down.  The reason Luther was condemned was in large part due to the way in which he challenged the authority of the Pope.   You cannot begin to compare the Popes in recent decades with the Pope of Luther's day.  The abuse of power which motivated Luther is no seen.  The decentralization has been complete - not only in the ranks of the Protestants  but also among those who consider themselves Roman Catholic.

 

This decentralization means that while the name(s) associated with the congregation matter, it is the local community of faith which matters to us.

When I move to a new town, I would probably start my search for a church home by attending the local ELCA congregation.  The name, the tags, the shared worship book - all of these familiar things would draw me there.  But I would only stay if that particular congregation was a good match for my spiritual journey.  It is the community of faith which matters, not the names associated with that community.

Those of us who stand in the tradition of Martin Luther remember him saying, "There is but one name by which we are to be known, and that is the name of Christ.  Who is Luther than any of God's children should be known by his name?" (paraphrased)  A hold over of the Reformation is our insistence that it does not matter what the name is, what matters is that the Gospel is preached and the sacraments rightly distributed.

Denominational loyalty is never demanded of ELCA folks.  Find the place where you can hear God's voice and commit yourself to serving along side those who gather in that place.

Just another way in which the Church which emerged from the Reformation is perfectly poised to speak to the spiritual quest of the current generation.