Historic First Lutheran Church of Pasadena

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

If you’re anything like me, you probably often find yourself reading something in the newspaper or listening to some news broadcast and shaking your head, thinking to yourself, “What is this world coming to?”

I had that exact experience a week ago Friday, except I didn’t ask myself “What is this world coming to?” I instead asked myself “What is the Church of Jesus Christ coming to?”

A week ago Friday, an article from The Associated Press ran in the local religion section of the paper. It was titled “Some see salvation in other faiths.” I almost didn’t read the article because at first I figured it was just one more article surveying the religious views of non-Christians, or at least inactive Christians who have grown inactive because their own personal views of religion differ from the public teachings of the organized church. I almost didn’t read the article, but my eyes fell upon the opening words of the article, “The Presbyterian Church U.S.A.’s statement of faith says God through Jesus Christ delivers followers “from death to life eternal.” The writer, Dylan Lovan, caught my attention like any skilled writer. I wondered if, as I assumed, the article was surveying the religious views of non-Christians or inactive Christians, why the opening line referenced a mainline Christian denomination – in fact, the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States, with 2.1 million members.

I was hooked. I read the article. That’s when I shook my head and sadly asked myself, “What is the Church of Jesus Christ coming to?”

Here’s what the article said. It reported on a profile circulated by the Presbyterian Church U.S.A itself on 3,450 of its own members. There were many statements contained in that profile, to which the respondents indicated relative agreement or disagreement. To the statement “Only followers of Jesus Christ can be saved” 36% – that’s about 1,250 people – disagreed or strongly disagreed while only 39% – that’s about 1,350 people – agreed or strongly agreed. I guess the other 25% neither agreed nor disagreed, meaning they didn’t have a clear belief formed about that statement. That would mean that 61% of the respondents either didn’t have a clear belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior or doubted the importance of His life, death and resurrection. That’s a very sad commentary.

“What is the Church of Jesus Christ coming to?”

Now this sermon isn’t about slamming the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. They just happen to be the ones bold enough to ask that question and actually publish the results. I have to wonder if such a profile were circulated by The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod or even by us personally here at Historic First Lutheran if the results would be very different. And that’s why I ask, “What is the Church of Jesus Christ coming to?” because we’re not talking about a miscellaneous side issue of faith. We are talking about the central core issue of the Christian faith – that Jesus lived, died and rose again so that we might be saved, so that God might enjoy all eternity with us in His presence.

Listen again to what St. Paul emphasized in our Second Reading today:

“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

“Anyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame.”

“Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved.”

In those 5 short verses, Paul makes three unmistakably bold statements about Jesus and the power of His Name, the power of belief in Jesus as Lord and Savior. And those three statements are all things that all people want deep down inside. And that boldness comes from someone who not only knew Jesus and knew the change Jesus had personally made in his life, but from someone who also had other “options” available to him – like the Jewish sacrificial system or the Greek and Egyptian god and goddess worship system – and yet never failed to maintain that Jesus was superior to them all, that only Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life [John 14:6]. As Pastor Fackler so often reminds us during Sunday morning adult Bible class, there are really only two kinds of religion in the entire world: Christianity that tells us what God has done for us; and every other religion that tells us what we have to do for God. Christianity tells us that salvation is ours. Every other religion in the world tells us what we have to do to try to earn salvation.

I believe a lot of people – maybe even some of us, many of us, here today – shy away from the exclusive claims of Jesus because they’re perceived as snobbish, as insulting to individual freedom to make one’s own choices, even insulting to people’s culture and traditions. I can understand why people think that, but I believe that the exclusive claims of Jesus are truly not exclusive – keeping people out – but rather all-inclusive – allowing all people in. We should never apologize for or shy away from the power of Jesus and His Name, but rather follow Paul’s example and make Jesus and His Name part of our public witness, saying boldly “This is what we believe because it’s what God has clearly said.”

Think of it like this. In our world, simple reality tells us that not everyone can drive a Rolls Royce or a Ferrari or a Lamborghini. Those are recognized as truly exclusive automobiles that only a select few can afford . To drive one is often perceived as flaunting one’s wealth or status or importance, saying to others “Look what I have and you don’t.”

Jesus, though, is not like that. Jesus is available to everyone. Jesus died and rose again to make eternity available to the richest of the rich. Jesus died and rose again to make eternity available to the poorest of the poor. Jesus died and rose again to make eternity equally available to those of us born in the United States into Christian families, to those born in Asia into Hindu, Buddhist or Shinto families, to those born in the Middle East into Muslim families, to those born in Israel into Jewish families and to those born anywhere in the world into non-believing families. Red and yellow, black and white, all are precious in His sight for Jesus died and rose again to make eternity available to everyone.

With God, it’s that simple: “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” With God, there are no complicated equations to work out, no elaborate rituals to perform, no keeping track of where we are on our scorecard of living. “God wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the Truth” [1 Timothy 2:4] and to that end, He has given us Jesus, Who has made it possible for all to be saved.

During this Lenten season, every time you come into church, allow your eyes to gaze upon that Cross in the center of our chancel and ponder the great mystery of the salvation that is ours in Jesus Christ. Then carry that joyful mystery with you as part of your public witness to everyone you encounter. Jesus lived. Jesus died. Jesus rose again – for you and for the entire world.

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Pastor Christopher Schaar
Historic First Lutheran Church of Pasadena