Faith vs Religion

August 26, 2007 13th Sunday After Pentecost

Hebrews 12:29 For indeed our God is a consuming fire.

Fire raining down from heaven is a fire of terror and awe. Last week we talked about Jesus' fire is kindled here on earth and that we see at Pentecost how the kindled fire works in us. Jesus fire is the fire of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. God is not a terrorist, although there is a lot of confusion among Christians and Islams a like that God is indeed a terrorist. These are only our own internal feelings of fear and hatred being reflected onto God. Jesus is revealed as the one who gives us peace and love, not fear and hatred. So, here again in Hebrews is the fire connected to God. "God is a consuming fire." What God consumes is the darkness and deadwood that lies within us, that is our sin, and what is left is purified. God's consuming fire is a purifying fire.

Luke 13: 10-17

Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, "Woman, you are set free from your ailment." When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, "There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day." But the Lord answered him and said, "You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?" When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.

God appeared and acted at the Synagogue that day and the Synagogue leader tried to throw him out. In fact, it appears that he was trying to drive everyone away. He is angered by what God had done that day saying over and over again that there are six days on which work was t0 be done. In other words, religion is happening here at the Synagogue not God.

The reason we have the religion that we do as Lutherans, that is, the liturgy and music is not to get more Lutherans just like us to worship with us. If we only reach out to Lutherans just like us we won't grow. What we do here we do for God and for God's people. Jesus is acting right here and right now among us. God did not rest; He is still at work. The Living Lord Jesus Christ is present. He was present at the Synagogue two thousand years ago and He is present here among us at His Table.

We gather together every Sunday because Jesus is here. The crippled woman came to the Synagogue that day because Jesus/God was there.

Our message to the community around us ought to be, "O come and see and taste and hear! Jesus is here.