“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36)
On Reformation Sunday, Lutheran Church of the Lakes gathered with friends from across the Michigan District for a shared service of thanksgiving to God for what He did through Martin Luther and for the Gospel that still sets sinners free.
Luther’s Courage
When Luther posted his 95 Theses in 1517, he was a pastor troubled that people were being told they could buy God’s favor. In Scripture he found something far better: “The righteous shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17). At the Diet of Worms in 1521, he refused to take back what God’s Word taught. We are thankful for his courage and even more for the Lord who gave it. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).
The Five Solas
The heart of the service was the five solas, proclaimed in this order:
Scripture Alone. Deacon Student Dave Hicks opened by pointing to the Word: “All Scripture is breathed out by God” (2 Timothy 3:16).
Grace Alone. Deacon Student Jared Havens proclaimed God’s free gift: “For by grace you have been saved through faith... it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).
Faith Alone. Deacon Paul Gaudette reminded us that we “are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24).
Christ Alone. Youth Director Andrew Osborne lifted up our only Savior: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).
Glory to God Alone. Pastor Jim Weist closed with the call to “do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
The message was simple: you don’t have to have it all together to come home. Christ has already done it all.
Time, Talents, and Blessings
The service was also a picture of the Church at work. Weist, Hicks, Gaudette, Havens, and Osborne each brought their gifts, joined by many hands who greeted, sang, served, and cleaned up. “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace” (1 Peter 4:10).
Every good gift comes from above (James 1:17), and all these people gladly gave their gifts back to Him.
Still Standing
Five hundred years later, God’s Word hasn’t changed: we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, revealed in Scripture alone, because of Christ alone, to the glory of God alone. “The word of our God will stand forever” (Isaiah 40:8).
Soli Deo Gloria.
Photo of Martin Luther © The Visual Folk/Lightstock