The Good Gift

INTRODUCTION

Today is Reformation Sunday. This is a Sunday when we celebrate the work and lives of Martin Luther and other reformers—saints of the Church. It is also a time when we celebrate the reforming work of the Holy Spirit in the Church and in our lives. The Holy Spirit is constantly moving. Last week we talked about how the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin and the error of our ways. Through confession, repentance and forgiveness, the Spirit transforms our lives and changes the Church.

The Church had lost its way. In the Reformation, the Church regained its focus on proclaiming that we are saved by grace through faith and that this is a gift of God and not the result of our hard work.

In today’s lesson about Solomon, we see another truth displayed that was uncovered during the Reformation. The truth is that we are at the same time both sinners and saints.

GOOD KING BAD KING

Solomon followed his father David and ruled over the united kingdom of Israel. He ruled during Israel’s golden age. Israel reached its farthest boarders and became a very rich nation.

The historian of 1 Kings portrays Solomon in a positive light.

• He is very religious and offers thousands of burnt offerings.

• He asks for wisdom—a good request and is also given riches.

• He demonstrates his wisdom in the story of two women and one child.

The Lord used Solomon to accomplish great things for God’s people. Solomon, however, strayed away from the Lord. His hundreds of wives seduced him into the worship of other Gods.

Solomon raised taxes, introduce slavery and forced labor. Eventually, his actions, while making him very rich and powerful, destroyed the kingdom and split the people of God.

Solomon was at the same time a sinner and a saint.

SAINTS AND SINNER THROUGH HISTORY

Throughout the Scriptures God uses men and women who are at the same time saints and sinners.

• Last Sunday we learned that God used David who was a rapist.

• God used Moses who was a murderer.

• God used Peter who denied Jesus and Paul who persecuted Christians.

Though we are tempted to make Martin Luther out to be larger than life and almost sinless, he was far from that. In the 1990’s parts of the Lutheran Church formally apologized to the Jews for Luther’s anti-Jewish tirades. Luther’s writings were fodder for the holocaust. Luther also turned against the peasants and supported the royalty in the struggles that were part of the Reformation.

The truth is displayed over and over again. Though we are made saints at our baptism and are holy in God’s eyes, we are still human with the capacity to sin.

THE GOOD NEWS

Because of what Jesus Christ accomplished in his life, death and resurrection, we have been cleansed from our sins, given new life, adopted as God’s children and filled with the Holy Spirit.

In response to what God has done in our lives, we strive to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength, and our neighbors as ourselves.

God has done great things through us. Lives have been touched and changed by the power of God’s love and grace that people have experienced through our words and actions. God will continue to great things through us.

We are not perfect, though. We are sinful beings, and our sinfulness will be expressed. We will say and do things that will cause us shame, guilt and embarrassment. We will hurt other people.

God does not condemn us. The Holy Spirit continuously offers us the path of confession, repentance, forgiveness and new life.

CONCLUSION

Today we celebrate. Every day can be a day of celebration. We are saved by grace through faith and not by works AND we are at the same time saints and sinners. We are people whom God has chosen to work in and through and spread God’s kingdom of love and grace.

Amen