Reformation Sunday
with Rev. Laura Sherwood
October 27, 2024
Join us this Reformation Sunday for two meaningful services. At 9am experience the reforming power of God’s Spirit in music with special offerings by Compass Praise Band. At 10:30am two powerful sermon reflections explore the historical witness of the Church and our trust and reliance on God’s strength. We invite you to come and be renewed by the rich faith that unites us!
The Scripture
Romans 3:19-24
19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.
21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Psalm 46
1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved; God will help it when the morning dawns.
6 The nations are in an uproar; the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice; the earth melts.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord;
see what desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations; I am exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge.
Read the Full Text
A Confessing Church – Rev. Laura Sherwood, Interim Pastor
Grace and peace to you on this Reformation Sunday, a day when we remember the profound ways in which the Church has been reshaped by the grace of God and the courage of its people. Today, we reflect on the words from Romans that speak of the righteousness of God revealed apart from the law, a righteousness given to us by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. These words remind us that the Reformation itself was born out of this very conviction—that we are justified by grace alone, through faith alone, and not by our works or our own merits.
The Reformation sought to return the Church to its foundation: that we are all equal before God. Martin Luther and other reformers emphasized the “priesthood of all believers,” affirming that while we are all called to different roles within the Church, no one is more significant in God’s eyes than another. This principal echoes in our service today as we ordain, install, and commission new officers to serve this congregation. While each role—Elder, Deacon, and Trustee—carries specific responsibilities, the vows they take are nearly identical, save for one final question that reflects the particular role they will assume. In this way, we acknowledge both the diversity and unity within the body of Christ.
Finish reading
Among the vows all officers will take, there is one I want to focus on today: “Do you sincerely receive and adopt the essential tenets of the Reformed faith as expressed in the confessions of our church as authentic and reliable expositions of what Scripture leads us to believe and do, and will you be instructed and led by those confessions as you lead the people of God?” This is a significant question. It binds us not only to the authority of Scripture but also to the shared wisdom of the Church throughout the ages as expressed in our confessions.
In our recent New Officers orientation, we explored this vow in greater depth, reflecting on what it means to adopt the confessions of our Church. These confessions are not just historical documents; they are testimonies to moments when the gospel itself was at risk, and the Church had to take a stand.
There are currently 12 confessions in our tradition, each one born out of a particular crisis or challenge. The Barmen Declaration, for example, was written in response to the rise of Nazism, when the Church in Germany needed to declare unequivocally that allegiance to Christ comes before allegiance to any earthly power. More recently, we’ve heard from Craig Howard, the Executive Presbyter of the Presbytery of Chicago, who spoke about a new commission that is working on drafting a 13th confession—one that addresses issues in today’s society that threaten the gospel.
This is the heart of being a confessing church: we speak out when we see the gospel at risk in the world—whether through injustice, oppression, or anything that devalues the dignity of God’s people.
Each of our confessions represents a moment when believers, empowered by God’s grace, proclaimed that the Church could not remain silent.
And so, when we say that we are a confessing church, we are declaring that we will not stand by when the gospel is at risk. We commit to speaking out against the forces in our world—whether they are political, economic, or cultural, that harm others or promote injustice.
On this Reformation Sunday, may we all be reminded that the Church is always reforming, always being reshaped by God’s grace and by the voices of those who are called to serve. To our new officers – as we commission you to your roles, remember that you are part of a long tradition of believers who, in times of challenge, have stood firm for the sake of the gospel. May you do the same, knowing that it is by God’s grace that we are justified, and it is by God’s Spirit that we are all empowered to serve. Amen.
I Will, with God’s Help – Rev. Barbara Gorsky, Interim Associate Pastor
As Laura already reminded us, today is Reformation Sunday and it started with Martin Luther posting his 95 theses, rest assured I’m not going to review these with you this morning! My focus this morning is on our understanding of God and God’s movement in our lives that arises from the reformation. A common slogan we hear about the reformation is this,“the church reformed, always reforming.” What about you and me? Are we reformed and always reforming? That is a question I often ask myself, a question I take seriously in my life of faith. Am I growing and maturing in my faith? Maybe it’s easier to ask, am I taking risks and relying on God more and more?
The Psalmist helps us as this place of questioning our faith walk. Experiences of the earth trembling, the mountains shaking, they are real devastations, real occurrences in our lives, right but underneath, underneath the environmental trauma is the emotional reality of fear. Will I survive? Will I make it through this? The Psalmist touches us at this place of fear, assuring us that God is here, God is present, God is our refuge and strength. I’ve faced a lot of fear in my life, self-doubting, questioning my abilities. Fear has always been a quiet companion, lurking in the corners, particularly present at those times when I am facing a challenge. When I am trying something new, pushing myself beyond what I think I can do. You see it is at those places of pushing ourselves, facing the unknown, overcoming our doubts that we grow, we deepen, we trust more.
Seminary presented me with many opportunities to face my fears! I remember I first day of Hebrew, my insides were shaking. Could I really learn this daunting language? Again and again, I asked myself can I really do this? You know what the answer was each time? NO. I really could not complete successfully what was asked of me by myself. On my own accord, even with great energy and a strong will, the answer was always still no. The reforming of my very soul required that I realize over and over again that my “no” can only become a “yes” with God’s help.
We were never created to walk through life by ourselves, but rather being always aware of our need to rely on God’s very presence to work, God’s very presence to work in us God’s very purpose and plan. Yes, God is still at work in us, God is still reforming us as we continue to take on new challenges, try impossible things, overcome obstacles. Our part is to be willing to try, to say “yes”, to step forward in faith, trusting that God will help us every step of the way in our journey of becoming.
In the next few minutes, we will witness members of our congregation standing up and saying “yes”, they will each answer questions about their faith and down deep it is my prayer that each one will answer maybe with some fear, some doubts, some questions of abilities, each one stepping forward and taking a risk to answer yes, I will and finally at the end “I will with God’s help.” And we know, all along that we indeed always need God’s help! Amen
9:00am Message – Adam Hendrickson “Reformation, Man”