To Love and Martin Luther

Today the Anglican Kalendar (yes, this is spelled correctly) recognizes the contributions of Martin Luther, who died on this day in 1546 at the age of sixty-three. The appointed prayer makes reference to his being raised up by God to renew and reform His church in the light of His word, and asks that we may be blessed with the faith to boldly proclaim the riches available to us through Christ Jesus. A worthy desire, a “big ask” in Hybel-ese, and a lot to pack into one sentence—renewal, reform, the Word of God, faith, proclamation, and the riches of a relationship with Christ Jesus.

Today is also VD + 4, so on the occasion of sweeping up the wilted rose petals and tossing out what’s left of the Russell Stover’s, I might have taken this packed-in-a-cardboard-heart-tied-with-a-plastic-red-ribbon opportunity to inflict a brief rant on the third-most-commercialized pseudo-holiday of the secular calendar—that would be Valentine’s Day, not what you were thinking I meant by VD. But this is Lent; discipline, grace, and acts of kindness are the order of the day, so I choose not to go there (this time).

Instead, I share what I consider a striking confluence of two sets of facts that on their face are utterly unrelated. First, Martin Luther must have been both pretty strong and very much of a certain type in order to accomplish so much. It doesn’t take a long look backward or forward in time to see that renewal and reform of the church have been a really contentious front-and-center issue from the earliest written records to the many current journals, magazines, popular books, and scholarly tomes on the subject. I presume to presume that this is largely because of people of a similar Luther-ese bent. Scripture is colorfully littered with prophets, priests, and people who saw what God intended, saw what was being made of it, and couldn’t keep from pointing it out to anyone who would listen. Today, can we possibly avoid hearing from people who have some new way to avoid WCS—Withering Church Syndrome?

Second, psychologists have recently confirmed—meaning, someone got a juicy grant—that love only lasts for just so long, and we now know how long that is. No suspense here—love lasts about 18 months; after that it becomes “something else.” The one-liners almost write themselves, but what if this was true? Or, what if this was even partly, or something-like, true? What does it say about our ability to accomplish a “long obedience in the same direction” as couples, as families, or (you knew I was going here) as a church—or the Church—or THE CHURCH? If love in all its passionate obsession just “becomes something else” after awhile, then isn’t it simple logic to think that people who fall in love with their church are going to “go somewhere else” or “do something else” or “become someone else” after awhile, just as a matter of course? BTW, this is just a metaphor for thought, not a Bible commentary, so no flames about loving Jesus first, love is an action word, etc.—I know, you’re right, but that’s not the point here.

We’re very easily distracted, and even without the distractions we will apparently just wander off and “do something else” after awhile. Hence the rise, and the continuing need, for the Martin Luthers that God will always raise up to do what they do best, and what we need most—plead, beg, preach, cajole, nag, create, bless, write, sing, and most of all LOVE us back to where we once belonged before we inadvertently “became something else.” They may come off like Extra-Grace-Required folk more often than not, but we disrespect and ignore them at our own peril, personally and as the Church.

Lord, You made us to be like You, and one thing we know about You is that love is so integral to Your nature that You exist as a Trinity and a Unity one and the same. We thank You for all those You put in our path to keep us focused and help us return when we “become something else.” We ask you for grace to hear You when we receive them, and we also ask for boldness in those times when You want us to join them. We ask it because You told us we could; in all things we give you praise, honor, and blessing. Amen.