Sermon for October 12th, 2025
Romans 5:1-11 (GNV)
1 Then being justified by faith, we have peace toward God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 By whom also through faith we have had this access into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice under the hope of the glory of God. 3 Neither that only, but also we rejoice in tribulations, knowing that tribulation bringeth forth patience. 4 And patience experience, and experience hope. 5 And hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the holy Ghost, which is given unto us.
6 For Christ, when we were yet of no strength, at his time died for the ungodly. 7 Doubtless one will scarce die for a righteous man: but yet for a good man it may be that one dare die. 8 But God out his love towards us, seeing that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10 For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life, 11 And not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
It’s the day of judgement and all the true believers are waiting in line to get into heaven. Saint Peter appears and says to them, “I want all the men here to separate into two lines – the first line is for men who were the true heads of their household. All those men who shared decisions with their wives should form the second line. As for all the women—go ahead. You may enter.”
After all the women had left, the men quickly sorted themselves into two lines. The line of those men who shared decisions with their wives stretched on for what seemed like eternity. The line for men who were the true heads of their household had only one man in it. Saint Peter seemed confused. He said, “Out of all you men, there is only one man here who was a true head of his household? Only one man who made all the decisions for his family all by himself?” Turning to the lone man in the first line, he said, “Tell me sir, how did you come to stand in this line?” The man, looking rather confused himself, shrugged and said, “I don’t know. Before she left, my wife told me to stand here.”
Today we are talking about Marguerite de Navarre—a 16th century wife and mother, the sister of the King of France, a reigning monarch in her own country, a talented writer and poet, a formidable diplomat, and a friend of both the Reformation and the Renaissance. Although she remained part of the Catholic Church until the end of her life, she corresponded with John Calvin, and protected him from persecution. Marguerite de Navarre raised her children as Calvinists, and her own daughter became the leader of the French Protestant movement. Her grandson would become the King of France who finally ended the wars of religion between the Protestants and Catholics.
Marguerite de Navarre does not appear on the Reformation Wall in Geneva, but—as with Guillaume Farel, the subject of last week’s sermon—there’s a very good chance that there wouldn’t be a Reformation Wall, or a John Calvin, or a John Knox, or a Presbyterian Church today, without her influence.
Among several contributions to 16th century literature, Marguerite is probably best known for a lengthy poem called The Mirror of the Sinful Soul. It’s written as a deeply personal prayer—raw, poetic, and theologically rich—where she uses the story of four biblical characters (three of them women) to explore the theme of human brokenness, and divine mercy. First, she moves through the story of Miriam (the sister of Moses); next the mother who is judged by Solomon in his court; third Gomer, the adulterous wife of the prophet Hosea; and finally the prodigal son in the parable of Jesus—but this last one she explores from the perspective of a prodigal daughter, reunited with a loving father. So basically, a sister, a mother, a wife, and a daughter. In each story, the woman is convicted of some kind of wrongdoing, but then experiences unexpected grace and forgiveness, and a complete restoration as a valued member of the community.
Fun fact about the Mirror of the Sinful Soul. Years after its publication in French, it fell into the hands of a very intelligent 11 year old girl in England, who translated it and presented it as a gift for her step-mother. The 11 year old girl’s name was Elizabeth, and she would go on to become Queen Elizabeth the first, defender of the Protestant faith and namesake of the Elizabethan age.
