Bishop Munib Younan's Reformation Day Sermon 2015

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.

Sermon preached for Reformation Day, 31 October 2015

Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Jerusalem

Bishop Dr. Munib Younan

Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land

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Matthew 5:1-12 (The Beatitudes)

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:  ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

 ‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

 ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

 ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

 ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

 ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

 ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 ‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

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Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

First of all, a hearty welcome and thank you to the esteemed patriarchs, bishops, priests, pastors, and representatives from various churches and institutions, and to all visitors from around the world who have come to be with us for this feast of the Reformation.  It is a blessing to have our brothers and sisters of many different traditions here as we celebrate our heritage of Reformation and look to the future of the church.

In two years’ time, we will celebrate five hundred years of the Reformation, and therefore we must really consider why we are still celebrating Reformation today. Some would honor Reformation Day in a spirit of triumphalism, or some would claim that the Reformation brought divisions to the church, but this is neither the spirit of Reformation nor the spirit in which we gather today. This is a day for reflection and humility. On this day we give thanks for the way the Holy Spirit is always at work in the church. 

We honor the reformers of every age who have kept the freshness of the Gospel for new generations. We do not believe that the Reformation ended when Martin Luther died. Through the power of the Holy Spirit the Reformation continues to take place in every congregation, in every church tradition, in every country, and in the heart of every believer. This is what is meant when we say, “Ecclesia semper reformanda est” – the church is always to be reformed.

This spirit of ongoing reformation for the sake of the Gospel is what inspires us to celebrate this day ecumenically, with our sisters and brothers in Christ from many traditions. The spirit of ongoing reformation is what inspired Lutherans and Catholics in recent years to sign a joint document on Reformation called “From Conflict to Communion”, which emphasizes not our divisions but the ways in which we are joined together in baptism. Through baptism we are engrafted into the Church of God -- Lutherans and Catholics and Orthodox and evangelicals and so many others – one bread, one body, one baptism, one church, one faith, working together for the sake of God’s kingdom in spite of our differences in tradition or theology.

The spirit of the Reformation as an ongoing process, not a one-time event, is what has inspired the Lutheran World Federation to lift up ten thousand “Young Reformers” across the world until this moment. In preparation for the 500^th Anniversary of the Reformation, the church is empowering young men and women to engage in all aspects of church life through the Global Young Reformers Network. These ten thousand young reformers are bringing new inspiration and energy to the church of God, which still has so much work to do in this broken world. We ask all young people of our congregations who are with us in this service, to join this network of Young Reformers.

Martin Luther was not the last reformer, and we know very well he was not the first. Our Lord Jesus himself was our greatest reformer. His life reformed the way we view outsiders and sinners. His crucifixion reformed the way we understand power, sacrifice, and love. His resurrection has reformed the way we view life, death, and the hope of humanity. And in today’s reading from the fifth chapter of Matthew, we heard a portion of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, which invites us to radically reform our understanding of what it means to live a life that is makarios, touba, or “blessed”.

Even though these verses are very familiar, each time I read the Beatitudes I am stunned. I am stunned, as the great Indian peacemaker Gandhi was when he read the Sermon on the Mount. Gandhi is even reported to have said, “I very much like your Christ and his teachings, even if I don’t like Christianity.” It is indeed stunning that Jesus says “Blessed are the poor. Blessed are the meek. Blessed are those who mourn. Blessed are the peacemakers, the hungry, and the persecuted.” Each time I read this, I ask myself, “Who is he talking about?” Here in Jerusalem we do not have to look very far to find those who are poor, mournful, hungry, persecuted, or peacemakers. Not many would choose these circumstances. Not many would consider themselves “blessed.”

And still, Jesus says “Blessed are the poor in spirit, the mournful, the persecuted, and the peacemakers.” In a world where extravagant homes, excessive spending, extraordinary wealth and polarization between rich and poor are considered the ultimate blessings, Jesus declares the opposite. In a world which promotes extremism, Jesus is teaching us to go the second mile, extreme only in our commitment to mercy, forgiveness, and love.

Through these teachings we call the Beatitudes, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus invites us to reform our thinking about what it means for the church to be blessed –and to be a blessing – in Jerusalem, in the Holy Land, and in the whole world today.  

At a festival such as this one, we are blessed to have so many gathered in one place who are a blessing to the church today. We are honored to see patriarchs, bishops, pastors and priests who pray and work diligently for the sake of the Gospel in this city. As the clergy of Jerusalem, many know our names, and the names of our churches, and the impact our schools and ministries have had in this city and in the whole country.  

But my dear brothers and sisters, we know very well that sitting among us are also many forgotten saints. I’m not speaking of the saints who are abiding in heaven, but rather those who are abiding in our congregations and communities. These are the faithful men and women who, through their steadfastness, love, prayers, and faithfulness, are keeping the freshness of the Gospel in Jerusalem today. These are the living stones of the church, the ones we read about in 1 Peter chapter 2, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9)

In the Beatitudes, Jesus says these are the ones who are blessed. In Lutheran theology, we would say that these living stones are the “priesthood of all believers.” We will not hear about them in the mass media. We will not see them sitting in the front rows. But we cannot overlook the power and influence of the grassroots in the church today. Without these blessed ones in our congregations, at the same time sinners and saints, there would not be a living church.

We know very well that it is not easy to remain in this land as indigenous Christians today. It is not easy to stay steadfast when your families are emigrating. It is not easy to proclaim the Gospel of love when all around us we see hatred, violence, division and occupation. It is not easy to commit to prayer and acts of mercy when no one shows us mercy. And yet, the living stones of the Holy Land are still here, standing firm in faith and hope, a blessing to the global church and a blessing to this city. They have stayed steadfast in their faith for two thousand years in the Holy Land, and they want to remain here as witnesses for another two thousand years. 

On this Reformation Day, therefore, we honor not only Martin Luther, not only Calvin, not only Zwingli, Melanchthon, Knox, and the others whose names have become synonymous with the Reformation. We honor those whom Jesus has called blessed –The quiet. The steadfast. The prayerful. The persecuted. The peacemakers. We honor you -- the faithful ones of Jerusalem. We honor you as blessed reformers of the church, who by the power of the Holy Spirit are living witnesses to the Gospel of love in this time and in this place.

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ, dear blessed ones, the church needs you today. You may feel small. You may feel you are a minority. You may wonder if you can stay. You may wonder if you can change the tide. But let me assure you that you are a blessing to the church, to this city and to the world. As the Lord said to the Apostle Paul: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) In the strength of this power, we need you to remain here and to be a blessing, because the church of Jesus Christ is facing great challenges. What is Jerusalem, without the local, indigenous Christians?

First, we are facing a challenge from those who see Jerusalem as the center of their own apocalyptic vision. These influences from outside (and sometimes from within) are using religion to perpetuate their own worldviews. They manipulate theology to serve their own interests, and Jerusalem suffers the consequences. We are seeing that there is no religion that is immune. There is no faith tradition which is innocent of extremism—whether Jewish, Christian, or Muslim. But when we allow extremists to flourish, then they make all of us and our country hostages to their ideas.

In the spirit of Martin Luther, we must stand firm, steadfast in the Word of God and against these sick ideologies. With Luther, we must say “Here we stand, we can do no other.” Extremism is a perversion of religion, and those who promote it are using Holy Scripture for their own political agendas and their own economic gains. The true religion is not only loving God, but through the love of God loving your neighbor, and even your enemies. For this reason, extremists who claim to love God but hate their neighbors are the enemy of the church and the enemy of the Gospel!  We must be strong in faith and boldly proclaim that these are not the ones who will build the church or the Jerusalem of the future.

Secondly, many people are asking today “What really is the future of Christianity in this city?” In a way, I am afraid. I am afraid because I see so many families emigrating because of the unsettled political reality in the Holy Land and the region. I am afraid because I see so many forced to make tough decisions for economic reasons. I am afraid because of policies and restrictions which cause hardships for our churches and their members.

It’s true, there are many reasons to fear for Christianity today, but not only in Jerusalem, and not only in the Middle East. In fact, both the Pew Research Group and the Vatican have recently issued reports revealing that Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world today. In Syria, in Nigeria, in Pakistan, in Indonesia, Iraq, Iran, and in many other places, our Christian brothers and sisters face tremendous challenges to life, liberty, and freedom of religion.

When I visit these sisters and brothers, I feel their grief and their struggle deeply. At the same time, in a way I envy them. I envy them, because for them, Christianity is not a luxury. Faith is not a hobby. The suffering of the cross cannot be theoretical for them, but it is in fact their reality. By necessity, Christ and His church are the center of their lives.

For this reason, I believe these persecuted faithful are the saints of the 21^st Century. When I read the Beatitudes today, I think of the Pakistani Christians, the Nigerian Christians, the Iranian Christians, the Syrian, the Iraqi and the Coptic Christians, among so many others. These are the ones of whom Jesus speaks when he says “Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are the meek. Blessed are the persecuted.” We have much to learn from them about what it means to stand firm in the face of violence, danger, and death. 

Lord, if we have taken our faith lightly, forgive us. 

Lord, if we did not carry your cross with joy, forgive us.

Many of us feel today disempowered because of the current situation in Jerusalem and in this country. But we can learn from these persecuted sisters and brothers in other places that our strength is not in numbers but in our steadfastness. Our strength is not in prosperity but in faithfulness to the Gospel. Our hope for the future is not found in any kind of extremism and is not affected by a failed political process.

God alone is our refuge and strength. In Christ alone we find our hope. We will not fear, for Jesus has said, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32) The Gospel of love will not be silenced by any wave of hatred, frustration, or violence. As Psalm 46 proclaims, “God is in the city. Therefore we will not fear.”

This ecumenical gathering itself is a powerful sign that God is indeed in the city of Jerusalem. Not only that, but one of the early church fathers once said that every time we celebrate Holy Communion, all Christians are together in Jerusalem. Wherever the bread and wine are shared across the world, the heart of the Christian church is united here in this city, the city of the resurrection.

Therefore, we gather today in Jerusalem not as the meek, not as the persecuted, not as a religious minority, but as ones who are blessed.

We are blessed by the presence of Christ in this city.

We are blessed by the grassroots faith of the indigenous local Christians of Jerusalem.

We are blessed by our shared commitment to the Gospel, in spite of our differences in theology and tradition.

Therefore, on this day when we celebrate the reforming work of the Holy Spirit in the church, we who are so blessed are challenged to consider:

Will we allow the Holy Spirit to change us, to mold us, and to reform us, so that we will be a blessing to God’s mission, God’s world, and God’s city?

Last week, in response to the current political situation, I called for the whole church to commit to the resistance of prayer. I believe that the faithful response to this wave of violence and hatred is to pray for the Holy Spirit to cleanse our hearts, to renew our spirits, and to reform this country. In humility, we should be offering our whole hearts in prayer, that God will reform animosity into acceptance, will reform fear into trust, and will reform the systemic denial of human rights into the honoring of God’s image in every human being.

As Patriarch Emeritus of Jerusalem Michel Sabbah said recently in a speech in Beir Ouna, “We need to pray. As we meet behind the wall, we Palestinians ask that Israelis on the other side of the wall will pray with us for justice and peace.”

Dear sisters and brothers, how then shall we pray? In these days when all around us are voices of hatred, of racism, and of war, our best prayer may be silence. To join hands and hearts in holy silence, creating a web of prayer across this city and this country, and to listen with open hearts to God’s plan for peace with justice and human rights for all, is my invitation to you today.

I pray we will have the courage to answer when the Holy Spirit calls the church to pray and act as one – from the corners of Jerusalem to the corners of the world. Then will we be the “blessed ones” of whom Jesus has spoken. Then we will be a blessing to the world.

May the peace of God which passes all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.