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For more ideas on Reformation Day activities, you can check out what happened last year at Calvary.
The story goes that in 1517 a Catholic Priest and Monk nailed 95 theses to the door of a church in Wittenburg, Germany, thus beginning the Protestant Reformation. This Reformation was a Protest in reaction the the institution of the church abusing people and taking advantage of those living in the most poverty. This year, at Lutheran Church of the Cross in Arlington Heights, IL, we decided to live out a couple of the themes of the Reformation. If you were to protest a thing a church does today, what would it be? Be sure to comment below.
access to the Bible
At the front of the church, near the pulpit, we placed a table with multiple Bibles of all versions, paraphrases, and pictures. People were invited to write and/or illustrate their favorite Bible verses and tape them onto the altar rail and pulpit. Before Martin Luther, the Bible was in Latin. He translated it into the language of his people, which was German. For the first time, everyday people could read the Word of God, instead of having to go through a priest. In the church today, we celebrate our direct access to the Bible. Sometimes, though, direct access can be dangerous to those in power. You can learn more about base communities and how their direct access changes things at this post.
Last time I was at the congregation, those Bible verses were still posted on the wall. Post-It Notes
Did you know they make huge post-it notes? We had bright orange ones, and invited people to write their statements of belief, their theses, on them. Then, they were stuck to the doors and windows that form the back of the sanctuary. A few of the statements were from Vacation Bible School even. What do you believe? What would you like the church to be discussing? Let us know in the comments!
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Preached on Mark 10:`13-21 at Lutheran Church of the Cross on October 14, 2018. Includes a story of letting go, a meditation, and some nuance around giving.
The Sermon
Preached on Genesis 2: 18-24 and Mark 10:2-16 at Lutheran Church of the Cross in Arlington Heights, IL. I explore if Adam, the first human, was intersex. I explore that Jesus wants justice for women, and that he wasn't talking about divorce in the way we understand it, he was talking about justice. Mostly, I talk about seeing each other as fully human, as coming from the ONE body of Adam that held all genders, and tie that to us being the Body of Christ. Recovering the these texts as being about God's love and creation of all humans, especially the most invisible ones, from the ways they were used to oppress in the past. There is HOPE! I am human, and so are you, we are part of one thing together, and can start to see one another that way. I include suggestions for your week for treating people as extra human, as well as holding onto hope of the resurrection.
References for More Reading
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AuthorPastor Jess loves preaching and wants church to be about Jesus. The end. (Or read the rest of the site for more.) Archives
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