Sermon 13th October 2024
Text Hebrews 4:12-16 – Holding to our confession
Last Saturday was not an easy day for our church. For
many on both sides of the question of ordination it felt like a “double edged
sword” split us apart. It feels like that sword of Solomon has come down and
divided that living baby we know as the LCA and created 2 dead halves. We
wonder why? Why can’t the other person accept my position on this issue?
We heard many arguments for inclusion, diversity,
acceptance – and none of them were dismissed because they were that person’s
confession and conviction. So why did this cause division?
We’ve changed other things in church. Some churches
have sold their buildings and moved to new locations. Some churches have had to
enter into parish arrangements which sees their pastor’s time divided. Some
churches have voted to close. We’ve sold the Australian Lutheran College – and
as much as that has caused anger and hurt it did not threaten to divide our
church.
But on this one issue which we have been debating for
decades – which we have voted on 6 times at Synods – this one decision has to
potential to cut our church in two.
Those who were at the Synod worship last Sunday or who
watched online would have heard the President of the Canadian Lutheran Church –
Timothy Teuscher – a guest of Synod along with the President of the Lutheran
Church of PNG, who was asked to bring a word of greeting from his church – a
church in which we have been in altar and pulpit fellowship for a very long
time – 30 years.
What he said left many, including Bishops with their
mouths gaping as he declared that that 2 edged sword had come down and severed
a long standing relationship between the LCA and LCC which are now no longer in
fellowship because of this decision. Why? Why this one decision?
Because, as we hear the writer to the Hebrews exhort
us today – “let us hold fast to our confession”.
So those who are upset, on both sides of the debate,
are upset – not because they didn’t get their way – or because they can’t
understand why they can’t see our hurts over this – but because they, we,
believe that this matter goes to the heart of our confession of faith.
Confession is what forms our beliefs.
That’s why we refer to our articles of faith in the
Augsburg Confession and the Book of Concord as “The Lutheran Confessions”. The
confession of ordination are for many people of our church no different to our
confession on Baptism, or Holy Communion or The Trinity – Confessions we would
NEVER consider debating or changing. In the Roman Catholic Church ordination is
one of their 7 sacraments.
Confessions of faith are not rules like sport or
businesses. People complain about the AFL always changing the rules and umpires
being inconsistent in applying the rules of the game. This is our confession of
faith and when the confession of your faith is challenged then it challenges
the very fabric of what you believe which is why the debate has been so robust.
Our confession of faith is not a tradition but a
confession of faith in which we receive the comfort and assurance of our
salvation. And that is why for many – this is an article of salvation – on both
sides of the debate.
We have heard people say that this is NOT a central
article of salvation but for many it is. Why? Because it goes to what they
confess as their faith.
When St Paul was explaining to the Corinthians about
their understanding of Holy Communion, he didn’t give them his opinion but what
the Lord Jesus had taught him. For I received from the Lord what I also passed
on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread – from this
we receive the teaching of The Lord’s Supper directly from Jesus himself.
From this we gain our liturgy for Holy Communion and
consecration. Words taken directly from St Paul who received them from Jesus.
Which is why we take reception of Holy Communion so serious. Paul says -
whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will
be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.
When explaining salvation he also teaches only what
Christ taught him: For what I received I passed on to you as of first
importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he
was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.
So, who can consecrate and preach the Gospel is
central to salvation – for both sides of the debate on ordination. And that’s
why this has been such a divisive issue.
So where do we go from here?
What we don’t do is “judge”. Because if we judge
another person’s position on this then we judge their faith – and no one has
the right to do that. No, as Hebrews says – we hold on to OUR confession. But
likewise we need to understand that some are going to find this extremely
difficult and we may not see them again. We might see people come to worship
but refuse to receive Holy Communion. Why? Because as St Paul says in First
Corinthians - Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation
in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in
the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body,
for we all share the one loaf. People see that Holy Communion states that we
have a communion of confession.
Some people might leave altogether as many have
already done because of the result of the previous 5 voting decisions. We
should not judge them but find ways to uphold and support them. Some were
critical of the new body – LM-A – Lutheran Mission Australia especially because
they did it before Synod. But we must not judge them because they are doing
this not like the new gym that just opened up in Ringwood – next to an existing
gym to be competition. No, they formed because rather than people leaving and
losing communion that they have somewhere to go for comfort and hope. So we
should not judge.
So what do we do in this time of hurt – this time of
upheaval – this time of discerning? We listen to the writer of Hebrews:
Since, then, we have a great high priest who has
passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our
confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with
our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are,
yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness,
so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Dear friends, this is a time of need – a time of
upheaval where our only hope is in Jesus, the Son of God. It has affected me
personally as I relinquish many of my roles other than serving you as your
shepherd – so I can serve you as Shepherd.
You are my first love so I have had to let go of anything that might
make me question that including my District appointments. I’m not doing that
because I’m spitting the dummy or taking my bat and ball and going home – but
because of my love for the sheep of which God has made me overseer – which is
my ordination and installation vow which includes my vow to uphold the teaching
and practice of the church. I take my vows seriously. I made a vow when I
married Sharon 38 years ago. A vow I/we have returned to many times when facing
difficulty. And my ordination and
installation vow I will uphold until you or the Bishop tells me I can no longer
do so.
But while I am serving you with Word and Sacrament you
can be assured that you are approaching the throne of grace with boldness, so
that you/we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. I hope
you can understand the hurt of many people in our Lutheran Church of Australia
just as we/they have understood the hurt in the past decisions of Synod as we
remain faithful to and uphold our confession of faith.
It may feel like a two edged sword has divided us but
like a surgeon’s scalpel cuts in order to bring healing so too we can find
healing as we come to the great physician, our Lord Jesus Christ, our Great
High Priest.