A message of salvation by grace through faith.

Nicole and I were in church today listening to a preacher utilize Ephesians 2:8-9 and John 3:16 to talk about how salvation cannot be merited, earned, or purchased in any way, but is entirely an act of grace by God.  He used the analogy of a lifeline thrown to a drowning victim whose only part in the process is holding on for dear life.  It was a message straight out of Martin Luther's sola fide, sola gratia, with the entire emphasis on what God has done through Christ to save a helpless humanity.
For those who don't believe in ecumenism, who disdain efforts among the splintered portion of the Church to work together, the source of this message won't make you happy, for those of us who work every day with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ from different faith backgrounds to help those in need, it is further confirmation that we're on the right course.  The message was the homily of Msgr. Herbein, the priest of St. Patrick's Church down at the end of our block.  Msgr. Herbein is by no means a "radical" priest out of touch with the Catholic Church, rather he is simply one parish priest among many, reading the scriptures and speaking the truth they contain.  There's hope for healing within the body of Christ, we may be one Church in polity, that ship has likely sailed for good, but we can be one Church in spirit when the grace of God is preached and faith the people gathered in the house of God are pleaded with to accept it by faith.

Sermon Video: Joash restores the house of the LORD, 2 Chronicles 24:1-16

It isn’t often that the maintenance or repair of the church building ends up being a sermon topic, but given how prominently such work can be in the life of a church, perhaps it should be.  It was a church restoration project, and the unscrupulous financing that was attempted to fund it, that led to Martin Luther’s protest against indulgences and eventually the Protestant Reformation.  Few churches with a long history can say that they haven’t had to deal with strife or dissension centered around the funding for, or execution of, a plan to build or repair their church building.

                In 2 Chronicles 24, King Joash, now come of age following the regency of his protector, the priest Jehoida, has decided to use his authority as king to correct the disrepair that has befallen the house of the LORD.  Joash’s initial attempt, simply telling the priests to divert some of their incoming funds to the project, fails through lack of cooperation by the priests.  At this point the king, in cooperation with Jehoida, takes charge of the collection of the annual tax that the priests had formerly collected in decides to place an offering box at the entrance to the temple to collect these funds with the restoration project as the top priority.

                The alternative fund collecting idea of Joash is a great success, the people give gladly to the project enabling it to move forward quickly.  With the help of honest and hardworking craftsmen, the temple repair project is finished with enough funds left over to replace the golden objects used in worship that had been stolen and profaned by being used to worship Baal.  In the end, the efforts of Joash and Jehoida are entirely successful, and once again proper worship of the LORD can take place within the temple.

                The maintenance and repair, building or expanding, of the place wherein God is to be worshiped is an act of piety.  It ought to be an effort of collective sacrifice that brings the people of God together, which makes it all the more tragic when it instead tears them apart.  Those who give of their time, talent, or treasure to the service of the church building itself deserve gratitude and honor alongside those who likewise give to the benefit of the church’s programs.

To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video

Sermon Video - Grace: Not for sale, Acts 8:4-25

In the wake of the persecution of the Church by Saul, the followers of Jesus flee Jerusalem, but take the Gospel with them.  Philip begins preaching in Samaria, among the remnants of the 10 Lost Tribes, a people with whom the Jews share much heritage and mutual animosity.  Following Jesus' example, Philip shares with them the message of the Messiah accompanied by miraculous signs of healing, and they accept it with great joy.  Meanwhile, Simon, a local celebrity due to his access to some type of magic, is also awed by the power of the one true God that flows through Philip, and he too accepts the Gospel.

Peter and John arrive from Jerusalem to confirm the validity of the belief of the people of Samaria, at which point the Holy Spirit comes upon them.  Seeing this, Simon asks if he too could have access to the power to give the Holy Spirit and offers Peter money.  Peter's angry response makes it clear that the Gospel is not for sale and that Simon's motives were still clouded by his past. 

The question raised by Simon is one that has affected the Gospel message throughout the history of the Church and continues to do so.  Must God's gift of salvation through Christ be freely given and freely received, or can it be earned, bargained for, bought, or sold?  The answer to the question illustrates the heart of the Gospel.  God's gift of salvation through faith is an act of grace.  It cannot be earned, it cannot be bargained for, it cannot be bought, and it certainly cannot be sold.  To drift away from grace toward any sort of system that suggests salvation can be earned is to endanger the Gospel message.  It was exactly this drift that caused Martin Luther to object to the use of indulgences, the end result of which was a rift in the Church that has not been healed 500 years later.

Is the Gospel for sale?  Never, it is free, it always will be.  It can only be accepted by those willing to receive it, and it cannot be kept from anyone willing to accept it.

To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video