Luther, Zeal, and the Gospel

While reading the Table Talks by Martin Luther one of the sections stood out to me. It was Luther’s description of his journey from Catholicism towards his understanding of justification by faith which culminated with the Protestant Reformation. He starts off with his motivation for entering the monastery, discusses how his beliefs led him to eventually discard the trappings of what he was preaching against, and what those steps meant for him personally. This portion has an almost Pauline flavor at the beginning. He writes (pg. 76), “For in the period of my monk days I served the Pope with such diligence that I out-did all the papists who lived or now live… and I observed the regulations of our order in the strictest manner.” This echoes what Paul wrote in Philippians 3:4-6 (ESV), “Though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.” Luther, like Paul, was more than zealous then many of his contemporaries. Early in the book he mentions how upon his trip to Rome he was repulsed by the mockery of the sacraments and he said that neither sin, God, nor shame were given any notice (pg. 74). Both men were blinded by their zealotry and both men had encounters with God, via scripture in Luther’s case, and a vision in Paul’s case. When this happened the zealotry remained but it was reformed into something better and it was pointed towards a new purpose.

It must have been a terrible shock to the monk who took his religion seriously to see the excesses before him. I heard a pastor say recently that we do not obey God because we want him to love us; rather we obey God because he loves us. This in an apt description to the problems Luther saw and how these problems are still with us in the church today. Many ministers, myself included, have a zeal to help the people in our churches so we invent programs, fancy advertisements, loud music, flashy graphics, and sermons that reduce the transformative power of the Gospel to moral obligations. We do these things to attract people, to appear relevant, to put a good image but this can be just as bad as the belief that relics could take years off of time spent in purgatory. The life of Luther should show us that preaching a Gospel of morality or self-help is just as harmful as the gospel of works and paid-for salvation of the church of that time. In our attempts to contextualize the Gospel we must never dilute the Gospel and understand that the Gospel, while understood in various cultural contexts, is something that calls culture to submit to Christ. If we as ministers do not understand it or disagree with it we run the risk of becoming just as legalistic and bound to ritual and formulae as the church of Martin Luther’s day.

Pad Thai faith

Everyone's favourite Thai place makes the best Thai food. Ask any one of your friends and they all will give you a different place to eat. I happen to like Pilin Thai in Altamonte Springs, Florida the best. Their chicken Pad Thai is nothing short then a gastronomic miracle. Add some chilis to the dish and it transcends the material plane and becomes divinity on a plate. High praise indeed. When I bring people to Pilin I tell them to order the Pad Thai, and they normally do, and then after they finish they all say the same thing, "Well i really liked it but the Pad Thai at Sea, or Napasom, or Thai House is better." Now I want my Thai place, Pilin, to have the best Pad Thai so I inevitably go to one of the Thai places my friends prefer. Usually I leave disappointed. I have had some truly disappointing Pad Thai at some of these places. Sometimes the sauce is too sweet, sometimes it is too thick, ands sometimes the flavours don't combine right. This never happens at Pilin. The bean sprouts, egg, chicken, chilis, rice noodles, garlic, and tamarind all combine perfectly into a harmonious whole. Always cooked well, always cooked right and always delicious. Pilin works for me. Sometimes I have Pad Thai, sometimes I have masaman curry, and sometimes I order something else I can't spell. The point is whatever I order there is always good, always satisfies, and always makes me leave with a smile on my face. There may be better Thai place out there some where but I haven't found it yet.

I can't help but compare my Thai food experiences with church and faith because I try and relate everything I come across to faith and church because that's just how my mind works. Sometimes when looking for a body of believers to join with in worship things just seem to fit. The messages seem to always hit home, the music never fails to move the soul, the sense of community the congregation fosters as they break up and begin to leave after the benediction is one of acceptance and love. All these parts combine to form a harmonious whole that doesn't satisfy the needs of the body but rather the needs of the soul. (Now I know a few of you may say now Mike you mean it meets the needs of our spirit, but the New Testament writers use soul and spirit interchangeably so I think I can get away with it.) Some other people's church may be bigger or flashier, it may have resources beyond what other places may have but is it the right place for you?

I think the key to finding a good church is to find a place that not only meets your needs but also prompts you to tell others about it, not out of duty or because the pastor has asked, but rather out of genuine love for the people there and to spread that camaraderie and community to those who need it. Like my Thai place churches come in different sizes and flavours, made with different ingredients, comprised of different peoples with differing levels of theological training and experience, but all united in one common cause: to help carry each others burdens and to take the love of God and the good news of Jesus to people out there who need it and not only to people in need of a message but people looking for a place to belong. So if you are involved at a church that meets your needs and that fosters a deeper faith and love for God and others, tell people about it. Tell your friends, tell your family, tell your co-workers spread it around. After all, churches are there to spread the message of Christ and to foster community, some may do it better then others but find the one that fits you the best, and then tell others.