Sermon Short for July 1st, 2018 – Reform – What’s it good for?
Isaiah 43:16-21, Luke 13:6-9
This week we will talk about the Reformation. An 
incredible sea-change in religious thought that moved the Christian faith another step along it’s maturing pilgrimage toward God. Five hundred years ago a disappointed priest challenged the church institution to reform its thinking and its practices to become less about saving the church and more about saving people. Martin Luther stressed that God’s love for humans is not earned by good deeds but is received only as the free gift of God’s grace.
It’s important to note that Luther, like Christ, was not intending to rend the religion in two. He just wanted the faith of the ages to be more true to itself. He called for dialogue by inviting church leaders and lay people into a conference to consider a radical new way of applying the Bible to everyday life.
Of course he met with opposition. But he also met with a lot of support. It wasn’t pretty.
What does that have to do with the church of today?