The 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s Reformation — it’s a significant date for Protestants, and for Germans in particular, today. Luther is, after all, a German figure of world-historical significance and tremendous fame. Even here in Japan, I sometimes meet local Lutherans, and they are usually proud to identify as Rûteru-ha.
I took time to watch a new dramatization of his life, “Between Heaven and Hell” on the ZDF public channel, and it was surprisingly good. There are a number of other special reports about Luther and the Reformation on this channel alone.
I had already listened to several pieces about it on Deutschlandfunk, leading up to today’s anniversary. Luther was again the pivot of most of the reporting. One thing I learned there was that the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD, that is the main Protestant umbrella organization) and the Catholic German Bishops’ Conference have worked together to come up with a “joint word” for this occasion, a collection of texts titled “Erinnerung heilen – Jesus Christus bezeugen” (Healing the memory – Witnessing to Jesus Christ). I read a bit through it. Both churches acknowledge wrongdoings in their past towards each other and the suffering that Reformation-related struggles and division have caused in the past. They both show a willingness to repent, ask for forgiveness and create reconciliation towards one another. This seems to be quite a milestone, and it’s encouraging for me to see the document written in a spirit of respect and humility. Luther’s legacy was addressed, too, without painting him as hero or demon as it had been traditionally.
I feel it’s important that Protestants and Catholics can enter a process of healing. But to be very honest, when I learned the EKD chose to focus on Luther for this Reformation anniversary, I was disappointed. As important as all of the above is, it all sounded again like the church being self-absorbed and distracted from the center of its faith: the Gospel. For me, it’s too much Luther and too little Jesus.
Would Luther at all be happy with the fuss around his persona? What was his message anyway? What was the Reformation for? He himself — “bound through the meaning of the Scripture” — pointed to the Bible. He didn’t invent the theology of a merciful and loving God. He found that God through Paul and the Gospels. He was — a translator, of a message already present.
What now?
Luther’s resistance against the church at his time was important and earth-shattering. Commemorating it is alright, but then what? What are Protestants going to do from here? What is Christianity for now?
How about not staying content with the Reformation of Luther, but getting back to the Revolution of Jesus? Because the Reign of God that was on Jesus’ lips was not just meant to “reform” the established religion of his time — the Judean temple cult centered in Jerusalem — as if to blow off some dust or tweak the rules to repair a broken machine. It was more than that. He spoke of turning the world, its values, its man-made orders upside down. He went around in the mud, visited the sick, spoke of the destitute and broken as the light of the Earth. His first followers believed that through him a power had come to them that not even death could stop.
What if?
So, what if… Jesus’ message of God’s Kingdom became the pillar of our churches? What plans would they come up with?
What if… every action we take is founded on love towards one another? To bring healing? Reconciliation. Peace.
What if… Jesus dreamed of a world without kings or priests as rulers? A world in which all men would be equal?
What if… hunger, lack, and injustice would disappear forever? And we could truly say “We are living under the reign of a good Lord”? What would be our part in achieving this?
I can’t say if this is really what Jesus wanted in the end. But questions come up when you read his words and reflect upon his deeds. He spoke of change of the human heart as well as of change in the whole cosmos.
Martin Luther was right to refocus people’s attention to understanding of scripture, and to the boundless mercy of God. I wish that Christians could now look past Reformation, and look (with Luther) more seriously at the divine love of Jesus, a love powerful enough to shake hearts, shake thrones, shake the stars from the sky. I know that many Christians from all denominations have thought about this through the centuries, and that now many are already on this path of revolutionary love. All over the earth, they visit prisoners, counsel victims of abuse, rescue refugees and protest against tyrants. Let’s get to work.
I must talking frankly that firstly I need to improve my language hardly to understand this important matter. Yes, faith is an important topic for me.
I am interested in this reign of god because it made me curious and asking and learning more about faith.
For the moment that I want to share is a bit about leadership, it may have something connection with reign of god
And one more thing, I still have to learn to understand the language of image, but I am interested in learning it.
How Reign of God can be a discussion of church reformation and also inspires communities outside about its role in manifesting God’s will in this universe. It can also be used as a tool to evaluate what the real action we have done, or whether we choose silence to enjoy the wind on the edge of beach.
I think whoever the Christian leaders are remembered, they mostly are inspired by the hard work and courage of Jesus. The image of love and gentle that is often shown are part of the early Christian discipline in childhood. Because the baby can not eat bread or barbeque. It should not be too long enjoyed in the swings and breezes that make us fall asleep, so that when we have mature in faith we remains only enjoying sermon preacher in every week without going out of the shell.
Moses, David, Ezra, Nehemiah in the old covenant are also examples of leaders who are willing to be formed by God with all the bitterness, the winding way complete with the sins they made into the real picture of the man who took the real role of a leader.
Then Jesus came later to confirm it. Jesus is a real example, not just a classic picture or a mute cross mounted on the wall, but Jesus must manifest in us. His courage should manifest in our courage against injustice and oppression, but his obedience to the Father who sent him teaches us to realize that all our greatness are limitted so that we should obey to a power above us, just as Jesus did. John the Baptist was present in some period life of Jesus, it proves us that no matter how strong a leader, he can not appear as a singe person.
History can be formed from various paths. The person of Jesus was present in Christianity, but actually Jesus is not Christian monopoly. Because the contextual religion takes the example from anywhere beyond the boundaries of origin and structure made by humans.
Paul was chosen by God at his mature and immediately had to get hard and bad food, guerrilla, being imprisoned to fulfill his mandate as a leader.
Marthin Luther was also present for the same vision, when many people are complacent. The transformation remain as an important lesson, although there are forgiveness and reconciliation.
God does not run out of stock of leaders to carry out the mandate to make changes both in small and large level until worldwide.
Reign of God in the context of reformation at the local level is also influenced by the process of forming the local leader.
ARI, my study place in Japan is one of the nurseries of local leaders with friendly natural farming in daily activities to understand how life begins, is nurtured and maintained to produce another new life. The seeds from the origin place should be seeds that are ready to germinate and grow healthy and productive in future. Then that powerful seeds must transform and reform in their country and communities back home to be brave taking a real role, making a real change, and it obviously in the insecurity, discomfort, not on the beach with soft breeze made them fall asleep.
Let’s take our real role…
Nike, thank you for your comment. I appreciate the idea of taking the concept of the Reign/Kingdom of God as a tool for evaluation. That would be a practical idea that could help start a conversation in churches and our faith life.
Also, you mention the role of a leader. I believe that God’s Kingdom is a decentralized effort of all believers, and for that, all followers of Christ’s way are encouraged to become leaders and represent God’s Kingdom through actualized compassion. We carry the ‘mandate,’ as you put it. I wish you the best for your role as a local leader!
(And btw, “Jesus is not Christian monopoly.” I love that sentence, it carries a lot to think and discuss about… if you know some good literature to deepen this thought let me know.)