Is that all?

So today is Reformation Sunday. Do we really need a Reformation Sunday? A special day to talk about a religio-political movement from the 1500s? In a word, yes.

We need a Reformation Sunday because it gives us the opportunity to take a look at our (collective) past and reflect on what it means to us today. That begs the question, Does it mean anything to us today? Once again, the answer in a word is, yes.

The philosopher, George Santayana, is reported to have said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Re-runs are bad enough in media, in real life they can be catastrophic. I don’t want to fall into the lazy thinking that says the Reformation was either entirely good or entirely bad; it is much more complicated than that.

The sermon speculates regarding what would have happened if the Reformation had been based primarily on today’s Gospel lesson, Matthew 22:34-46, especially this part,

. . . and one of them, an expert in the law, asked him [Jesus] a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 22:35-40 NRSV)

I “warn” you this sermon is one of the longest I have preached in a long time, 25 minutes, . . . sorry. When I mentioned the length of the sermon to my partner they replied with, “You look like him, what have you done with my partner?” Let me know what you think about the content, the length, the delivery, anything you would like mention as you are able and inclined.

“Is that all?” St. Mark’s Presbyterian (to download, right-click and select “Save Link As . . .”)

One more question, let me know if you would like to see audio as well as video recordings of the sermons.

Blessings,