Sermon for October 4th, 2015

Hebrews 3:1-6

1Therefore, brothers and sisters, holy partners in a heavenly calling, consider that Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, 2was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house. 3Yet Jesus is worthy of more glory than Moses, just as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. 4(For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) 5Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that would be spoken later. 6Christ, however, was faithful over God’s house as a son, and we are his house if we hold firm the confidence and the pride that belong to hope. (Hebrews 3:1-6)

Ecclesia Reformata, Semper Reformanda

For the month of October, we are celebrating our Reformed Presbyterian heritage, and taking a closer look at three historic mottoes or rallying cries that have shaped us as a denomination and as a church. We'll be looking at the mottoes as well as the doctrines and scriptures that inspired them. And because Presbyterians have always been a little bit nerdy, all three mottoes are in Latin, of course.

Today we begin with the longest one of the three: Ecclesia reformata, semper reformanda secundum verbum Dei. I'll translate that for you in just a little while, but for now, suffice it to say that this motto has to do with change. And change is hard.

I'm reminded of the story about a taxi-cab driver who was taking a passenger across town, when the passenger reached up and tapped the driver on the shoulder to ask him a question. The driver screamed, lost control of the car, nearly hit a bus, went up on the sidewalk, and stopped just inches from a shop window. For a second everything went quiet in the cab, then the driver said, "Look buddy, don’t ever do that again. You scared the daylights out of me!" The passenger apologized and said, "I didn’t realize that a little tap would scare you so much." The driver replied, "I'm Sorry, it’s not really your fault. Today is my first day as a taxi-cab driver--for the last 25 years I've been driving a funeral hearse."

Change is hard. Especially when you're trying to change something that's been part of your identity for many years, or even many generations.

Our scripture passage today is from the Epistle to the Hebrews. As its name suggests, this letter was written to a Hebrew, or Jewish audience sometime during the last decades of the first century. It's a letter making a case for change. The opening of the letter reads: "Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son,whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds."

It's easy to think that somehow when Jesus showed up on the scene, Christianity sprang fully formed into the world and everyone who heard the message immediately embraced it, because it just made so much sense. But of course, that isn't true. If you've been following the teachings of Moses your whole life, and your parents followed the teachings of Moses, and your grandparents and great grandparents as far back as you can remember...and then someone comes along and tells you "Jesus is worthy of more glory than Moses" -- well, that's a bit of a tough sell. Jesus who? Greater than Moses? Right...

Change is hard. The author of Hebrews knew that, I suspect, and had his work cut out for him (or her).

But fast forward about 1,500 years and the Jesus movement actually took off nicely, becoming the dominant religious belief system throughout the Mediterranean and most of Europe. In fact, some might say it took off too well. What began as a peaceful movement among some simple, uneducated fishermen now belonged to kings, emperors, and pontiffs. It became the impetus for wars and crusades, it became just another way to exploit and control the poor and the weak.

And into this context stepped our 16th century heroes: Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox, William Tyndale and others. They said that the church needed to be re-formed for the good of the common person, not the powerful elites (that's why we call them reformers, and their movement the Reformation). For their troubles, they were excommunicated, hunted, imprisoned, and some (like Tyndale) were killed. Change is hard.

But when these Reformers finally began to see their changes take hold, they recognized the danger that if they were successful, too successful, in another few generations their ideas, their reforms might become the new tyrrany, the new tool of the powerful elite. And so they enshrined a principle in their teaching. John Knox (the founder of the Presbyterian church) put it this way, in the Scots confession:

"Not that we think any policy or order of ceremonies can be appointed for all ages, times, and places; for as ceremonies which men have devised are but temporal, so they may, and ought to be, changed, when they foster superstition rather than edify the Kirk."

Change is hard, but change is necessary. Not just once, but continually. From this, a motto emerged: Eccelsia reformata, semper reformanda secundum verbum Dei. It means "The church reformed, and always being reformed according to the Word of God.

Reformation: The change from Catholicism to Protestantism?

Reformed and always reforming

Modern Presbyterian: Things are changing for us too! What to keep, what to let go?

Use Scots confession here

Who Built the House? The house is always changing, but the builder is not.