This Sunday has two sermons again but both of them take quite a bit of direction from the Reformation Sunday designation. When I was looking into why this Sunday is Reformation Sunday I was reminded that Martin Luther posted his 95 questions on the church door on October 31 so Reformation Sunday is the last Sunday before October 31, just when you think you know everything . . . .
The sermon at Knox Presbyterian is a riff on the Reformation by suggesting that Jesus was the first reformer. Of course, that is forcing the image more than a little bit but what I wanted to get at was that Jesus, by using Scripture as he responded to his critics and questioners, was a proponent of sola scriptura long before Luther was. Sola scriptura is Latin for “by Scripture alone” and refers to the doctrine that Scripture is sufficient for what we need to know about salvation.
The sermon at St. Mark’s Presbyterian is the second sermon based on the church’s mission statement and is a discussion on how we glorify God as we grow in faith and knowledge. This fits quite well into Reformation Sunday as one of the hallmarks of reform churches and denominations is a strong focus on education and learning how to interpret Scripture correctly.
Over all I think the two sermons work quite well as a complementing set while both standing alone quite well also.
Knox Presbyterian Jesus, the first reformer
St. Mark’s Presbyterian We glorify God . . . as we grow in faith and knowledge
The events of the past week, the Ottawa shooter, etc., don’t show up in the sermons but did in the prayers of the people. I don’t avoid preaching about current events but I don’t always find that I can work them into the sermon in a helpful way.
Enjoy the two different takes on the same Sunday. I am off to help my eight year old clean up a pumpkin in preparation for carving.
Blessings,
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