Liberating, Trustworthy Grace for the sake of the world
For the fourth week of Lent, Bishop Anne Edison-Albright reflects on what it means to be “church for the sake of the world.”
Last week, we shared Bishop Elizabeth Eaton’s four emphases for the ELCA:
We are Church.
We are Lutheran.
We are Church Together.
We are Church for the Sake of the World.
What does it mean to be church for the sake of the world?
One of the basic tenets of Lutheran theology is that we’re saved by grace, through faith, without works. (Ephesians 2:8-9) If we weren’t secure in this grace, we’d spend our time and energy trying to win God’s love and earn salvation. Our works–the things we do for ourselves and God and others–would all have to be focused on doing enough to get into heaven.
This is what Martin Luther was seeing, and experiencing himself, in the 1500’s when he started sharing the teachings that catalyzed the Reformation. His own experiences, and his pastoral concern for his students and the people of his congregation, motivated him. Luther experienced firsthand the deep despair of realizing he could never do enough to account for all his sins. He also directly experienced the relief and freedom that comes from hearing the Gospel: through our baptism into Christ’s death and resurrection, everyday we die to sin, and every day we rise with Christ. In Christ, we are free from the bondage of sin; liberated by God’s grace and love.
Martin Luther wrote and taught about incurvatus in se–the human tendency to curve in on ourselves, away from God and our neighbors. To understand this concept, I find it helpful to physically curl up: bringing my chin down to my chest, my knees up to my chin, and my arms protecting my face and head. I think most of us have times in our lives where we find ourselves curled up like this, literally or metaphorically. It’s a protective stance–keeping the world out, keeping dangers out. When it feels safe enough, we uncurl. We plant our feet–grounded and secure. We lift our heads and our shoulders move down and back, opening our bodies up so we can breathe freely and deeply; we can sing; we can listen and speak. We can interact with the world around us, again, which is necessary for life.
In The Freedom of a Christian, Martin Luther wrote about how people who are freed by God’s grace and secure in that freedom are uncurled and turned outward toward our neighbors. The danger to our souls is lifted; we are safely rooted in Christ and can take an open stance, putting our energy and works into serving God and others. In a section subtitled “Serving All People,” Luther writes:
“No one needs even one of these works to attain righteousness and salvation. For this reason, in all of one’s works a person should in this context be shaped by and contemplate this thought alone: to serve and benefit others in everything that may be done, having nothing else in view except the need and advantage of the neighbor.”
In all its expressions–congregations/ministry sites, synods, churchwide–our church is sometimes curled up and curved in on itself. The church is people, and people naturally turn inward when we’re afraid. At the center of our theology, though, is liberating, trustworthy grace that uncurls and turns the church outward. Secure in the promises of Christ’s life, death and resurrection, we are called to be church for the sake of our neighbors: church for the sake of the world.
Read Romans 3:19-28; James 2:1-18; Luke 10:25-37
Ask
What aspects of Lutheran theology have had the most impact on you and your understanding of what it means to be the church? Who taught you about the Gospel, and what did you learn from them?
In what ways is being church for the sake of our neighbors the same as being church for the sake of the world, and how is it different?
How do you see the church (defined locally and/or broadly) curled up and curved in on itself? What do you think is going on, there? How do you see the church (defined locally and/or broadly) uncurled and turned outward, being church for the sake of neighbors and the world? What’s God up to, there?
Pray
Gracious and liberating God, thank you for freeing us from the fearful burden of earning salvation. When we are afraid, be with us. Take our hands and uncurl us, again; give us firm footing and deep grounding in your love and grace. Direct our energy outward, and to wherever it’s most needed; give us joy in relationships of mutual care with our neighbors nearby and around the world. As we ask this for ourselves, we also pray this for our church, in all its expressions, iterations and forms. We ask this in the name of Jesus, Amen.
A map of the world is held in someone’s hand.
