The Truth, Our Denials, and God's Promise
The Rev. Mark Sherwindt, Pastor
Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church
Reformation Sunday: October 30, 2005
"You shall know the truth, and the truth will make you free." These are the classic words Jesus shares with us on this Sunday set aside to commemorate the Festival of the Reformation. It certainly has a much different ring to it than the sound of the hardened veteran played by Jack Nicholson in the Academy Award notable of 1992, A Few Good Men, when Col. Jessup aims his response at the young and debonnaire Tom Cruise, with resounding finality: "You can't handle the truth!" Now that's another memorable line. So, which is it? Is the truth like a fiery flame that consumes everything in its way, or is a a word we should look for and welcome because, as Jesus says in John, it will set us free? Can we handle the truth? Do we want to know the truth?
In the Brief Order for Confession, we quote from the First Epistle of John in admitting that if we say we have not sin, if we say we are not sinners, then we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we admit that we're sinners, to ourselves and others, and confess our sins to God, then God will forgive our sins and cleanse us from the stains sin has left on us, our relationships, and this world. That is some kind of promise, because sin has permeated every aspect of what we do and who we are. Sin is the evidence of the truth that we are not God. This evidence is evident in both what we do and what we're made of. Sin is not just a matter of morality. It's about our mortality. This, too, is a convincing sign that we are not God. In fact, the word of truth I sometimes have the most difficulty with is the conversation I share with a friend, a family member, a member who tells me about the threat of cancer, and not just the threat, but its reality, with everything this implies about our fears and worries, our questions about God and concerns about life, all those things we'd rather keep at arm's length, that unnamed intruder whose elephant size presence we can no longer deny - the truth of death and the curse of dying.
I've got to admit that psychologist-philosopher, psycho-analyst and lay-theologian Ernst Becker wrote the most memorable book that I've ever read, a book assigned in Theology 101 when I first entered the seminary back in the fall of 1974. It was entitled The Denial of Death, and it still stands out for the memorable quotes that are able to fill with fear and fury the powerful line Col. Jessup aimed at Lt. Kaffee in that unforgettable exchange: "You want the truth? You can't handle the truth!" For this is not just a truth about walls guarded by marines carving out the small space of ground we call peace and freedom. The truth we can't handle has to do with those walls we've constructed within us and between us that help us in the project Becker calls the denial of death. The truth we can't handle has to do with the blinders we wear, almost without noticing, that help us deny the reality of our mortality, all in addition to the reality of our immorality, our amorality, our endless variations on the evidence that make it clear that gods we are not.
Look, I believe that what Jesus says is true. Let me say that differently. What Jesus says is true, and I believe it. But how can we get the truth of what Jesus says about truth to make a difference in our lives, in our world. Jesus' words are true on many levels, looking at society, looking at our relationships, looking within at ourselves, and looking above and beyond to God. Just think, for a moment, about what this might mean for the Scooter Libby-Joe Wilson-Karl Rove-Dick Cheney-Robert Novak-Valerie Plame- Judith Miller thing. Is there a truth there that might set someone, that might set anyone free? I doubt it. It's just one layer of spin spun over another layer of sin, I mean, spin!
Perhaps there's more hope when it comes to applying Jesus' words to our inter-personal relationships. At times, as some of you might recall, in order to keep our worshipers on their toes, especially when they are already on their knees during our Confession of Sins, I have slipped in a little surprise to make a point, and get a chuckle. For instance, once I said it this way: "If we say we have no sin, then its clear we haven't spoken to our spouse lately...." Let's face it, the custom of granting immunity from being compelled to testify against your spouse in a court of law is not there for no reason. Those closest to us know how fragile our clay feet really are. Knowing how to get the right mixture of truth and love is probably the secret to making marriage strong and our relationships resilient and enduring.
Certainly, getting the right mixture of truth and love is the key to what the Epistle of John is talking about in terms of our relationship with God. Look, we wouldn't be confessing anything to God if God were a vindictive tyrant just looking for any opportunity to judge and condemn us. But we have come to trust God's love, in part, because we have been bold to confess our sins to a God who is our loving Father, who has chosen to be, not vindictive but merciful, not judgmental but truly gracious. God's love has invited our trust, and our trusting God has made us more willing to face the truth about ourselves, the truth about our sin, the truth about death and the promise of true life. The Brief Order of Confession and Forgiveness invites us to cultivate the virtuous cycle of love that invites trust that inspires a stronger love and a bolder trust.
Martin Luther's brush with death caused him to change direction in life, to leave lawyering behind and head for the seminary. In time he discovered that he had learned a truth about God that he could no longer conceal. You know, just like modern-day life inside the beltway, the church in Luther's day was probably the most powerful institution on the face of the earth. But this earthly power did not make its message, or its mission, any clear, not to the people, not even to its leaders. Luther found himself in a world of spin and sin. The layers of church bureaucracy, along with the various sovereigns and statesmen across Europe, each had their own agendas to protect and promote. What was an insignificant German monk to do? What resulted was Here I Stand, Luther's trusting the Word of God - as best he could read it - and the still, small voice of his conscience - as best he could hear it.
Luther decided that he was going to have to trust God's grace and cling to the promise of God's love. The challenge of standing in this truth was just beginning. For when the Reformation began, it was met with reasons to doubt its cause at every turn. The war between the German princes and Charles V went badly. Charles won. The revolt of the German peasants went badly. The peasants lost. The united front among Protestants fragmented quickly. The disunity among the nations spread like a wild fire. From a world where one Lord, one faith, one emperor, and one church had reached the pinnacle of its success, Luther saw the unity of the church shattered, the unity of the faith fragmented, the uneasy peace of church-and-state undone. "You shall know the truth, and the truth will make you free." The truth had made Luther's world less stable, more vulnerable, and filled with reasons to doubt God's grand design, to worry about our lives, and to fear what the future might bring.
Do we want the truth? Can we handle the truth? Yes, yes to both questions. Yes, we want to know the truth, because we know that God is gracious, whose mercy has overcome judgment, whose love is more powerful than our sin, whose life has conquered death, and whose Spirit has and will vanquish the web of deceit woven by the devil. Yes, we can handle the truth, for all the same reasons - God's grace, God's mercy, God's love, Christ's life, and the Spirit's power. The world's chaos continues, filled with spin, sin, and more spin. Here's how Luther said it: "Though hordes of devils fill the land, All threat'ning to devour us, We tremble not, unmoved we stand; They cannot overpow'r us. Let this world's tyrant rage; In battle we'll engage! His might is doomed to fail; God's judgment must prevail. One little word subdues him." [A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, LBW #229, verse 3]
That clearly is the world Luther faced when he was embraced by a truth that set him free. The fourth verse in this Reformation hymn helps us to understand what it is that inspired his stand and empowered his witness. "God's Word forever shall abide, No thanks to foes, who fear it; For God Himself fights by our side with weapons of the Spirit. Were they to take our house, goods, honor, child, or spouse, Though life be wrenched away, They cannot win the day. The Kingdom's ours forever." This is the same sentiment that is expressed in our Hymn of the Day. "Lord, keep us steadfast in your Word. Curb those who by deceit or sword would wrest the Kingdom from your Son and bring to nought all He has done." (LBW #230, Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Your Word, verse 1) That was Luther's world. "Lord Jesus Christ, your pow'r make known. For you are Lord of lords alone. Defend your holy Church, that we may sing your praise triumphantly." (verse 2) That was Luther's hope and prayer. "O Comforter of priceless worth, send unity and peace on earth. Support us in our final strife and lead us out of death to life." (verse 3)
Yes, we want to know the truth - the truth about sin, even the truth about death - a truth, which Jesus promises will make us free. And yes, we can handle the truth, as long as God's power, God's presence, and God's promise is with us ... in Jesus' Name. Amen