Reformation: The Next Generation. Matthew 22: 34 46; Deut. 34: Its continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds,

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1 Reformation: The Next Generation Matthew 22: 34 46; Deut. 34: 1 12 These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before. As you can tell, I m a little bit of a Trekky, just a little bit. I liked the original Star Trek with Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock But I really liked Star Trek: The Next Generation With Captain Piccard and this version of their mission. And I liked the way that the Next Generation built on the story Of the first folks who explored strange new worlds. You know theologian Karl Barth used that language To describe the way we explore scripture and faith. Barth wrote a book, The Strange New World of the Bible He argued that in the Bible a strange new world opens up and projects itself into our ordinary world. As such it is not something appearing on the margins of culture. The Bible testifies to a history with its own distinct grounds and possibilities, a wholly different kingdom with its own moral logic and politics.

2 Barth argues that when we really open ourselves to strange new world of the Bible that scripture opens us up to the world of God s grace, and love and faith That is so different from the world we live in that is seems strangely new. And yet Barth wasn t the only one to discover this. As we celebrate Reformation Sunday we are walking in the footsteps Of the great Reformers, Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox. They helped the Christian world understand that it was God s grace That was responsible for our salvation, not our works or the churches. They helped us understand that God s word could be understood By ordinary people if we translated it into their language. They helped us understand that there are not layers of saints But that we are all saints and sinners according to Paul. They helped us understand that it was not rules and regulations That were the key to our salvation but rather the love of God That was poured out in Jesus Christ and that same love That we lift up to God and our neighbors in gratitude. They helped to reform the church according to God s word And the power of the Holy Spirit and that the church is Reforming, changing and transforming even now.

3 Because the Reformation didn t start with these just these three men And it didn t end with just these three men. Many set the stage. According to author Phyllis Tickle in her book The Great Emergence: How Christianity Is Changing and Why does this every 500 years. God continues to transform, change, update and reform the church daily. And every 500 years or so people notice and significant changes happen. The Apostle Paul was one of the early reformers of first century church From being just a sect of Judaism to including Gentiles as well. In the fifth century Constantine convened the Council of Chalcedon To clarify the triune person of God and the nature of Jesus Christ. In 1054 The Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Church split Over the question of papal authority among many other issues That you can study with Cliff Cain in the chapel class. And of course on October 31, 1517 Martin Luther posted the 95 thesis On the Wittenberg Door and the Protestant Reformation was off. Tickle argues that none of these Reformations happened in a vacuum Or happened overnight they were a long time coming and they Included many who were less famous or successful who Laid the foundations for the changes and growth that came. And Tickle argues that We are in a time of Reformation even today,

4 That God is changing and growing and transforming the church right now. She calls this the Great Emergence I call it Reformation: The Next Generation And I would suggest that even before the time of Jesus there was reformation. In the story of Exodus that the faith was passed from one generation In Moses to the next generation in Joshua on Mount Nebo. I ve been to Mount Nebo in Jordon and from it one can see the promised land And yet Moses was not allowed to enter the promised land. That part of the Journey was left to the next generation, to Joshua And so it is with our journey of faith. IT is always a journey, it is never finished, it is never ours to control. God is always raising up the next generation to faithfully follow God. That s why today is such an important part of our mission month. It is the mission to, with, and of our children that we celebrate today. We heard from Josh Hickman in the early service about the Youth Reach work camp. That is a place where our youth reach out to others. And yet in the process God reaches out and touches them And they come back and God touches us through them. Years ago one of our youth groups came back from Atlanta having served In a soup kitchen there. And they asked Why can t we do this in Jeff City

5 So our participation in the Salvation Army feeding ministry began First with a small group of youth, then a group of Adults and now With six different serving teams who go over there each month And all because God called the Next Generation to serve. And the next generation might serve in a different way and even worship In a different way than we have always done it before. I was excited when I discovered that this church was interested In adding a worship service to meet the worship needs Of young adults and families. And so we started the Sunday Night 5 worship as an alternative style With more contemporary music and skits and experiential worship As we tasted and sang, smelled and acted out the word of God. We worshipped at 5 and ate at 6 pm as a community in Christ Drawing on the model of emergent church. And we thought we had it somewhat figured out enough to call An associate pastor to help coordinate the service and then God reformed it once again. Our food and worship started to attract several community neighbors Who we usually saw only when we served at Salvation Army and now they came to worship and fellowship with us at SNL@5.

6 And we discovered that God is continuing to form and reform us Not according to our plans and expectation but according to God s will and plan and community in Christ. We discovered that the same passages that shaped the reformers Are ones that we go back to over and over: Neither Greek nor Jew, slave or free, male or female; all are one in Christ. All who believed were together and had all things in common Day by day they spent time in the Temple, they broke bread at home and ate with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of the people. So we also are called to explore strange new worlds and that call Does not come from a science fiction author Gener Roddenberry But rather from the creator of the whole universe The Triune God who calls us to be reformed and always reforming according to God s Word and Spirit. And so on this Reformation Sunday we remember what God did years ago But more importantly we celebrate how God is reforming us today And the witness of our children who are not the future of the church But a very present witness and force in the church today. Amen