Reformation Sunday marks the time in 1517 that Martin Luther invited a representative of the Roman Catholic Church to debate matters of the Christian faith, especially related to how it is that we are saved by Christ. His declaration of his stance set into motion a significant split in the church and eventually let loose a dramatic change in the landscape of the church.

Over the past 502 years since that groundbreaking day, much has changed even as many of the basics remains. Lutherans can be found in every part of the world. There are more than 40 separate Lutheran denominations in the US. We are part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, known as the ELCA. It is the largest Lutheran body in the United States.

What makes Lutherans unique? What perspective do we bring to the wider Christian church that would be lost if we were to disappear from the scene?

I’m going to give you my list and let me first say that this list is purely my own and does not represent all Lutherans. Most of this applies primarily to the ELCA as I experience it. There are plenty of differences between congregations, and yet these are important in the DNA of Lutherans.

1. Lutherans have perhaps the most unwavering focus on grace, and a definition of grace that is the most radical of all Christian bodies. Grace means undeserved gift. Luther’s big discovery in the book of Romans was that line in the third chapter that reads,” For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law.” Lutherans teach that no person is capable of choosing God. It is God who initiates the relationship. It is God who claims us even before we deserve it. There is nothing we can do to participate in our salvation. This allows Lutherans to claim that our worth comes completely from God. This is exactly in opposition to what our culture teaches us. Nothing is more Lutheran than this. I also argue that everything else that I talk about as foundational for Lutherans flows directly from our fundamental understanding of grace.
2. Lutherans embrace questions and doubt. Luther often taught through questions and answers. His favorite was, “what does this mean?” It is appropriate for us to ask questions of scripture and teachings of the church and to explore the implications of what it is that we study. Often our questions lead to new discoveries or a depth that does not come without questioning our answers. We see this especially as we study scripture, where we don’t have to harmonize it all into one unified missive. Questions and doubt are healthy.
3. Maybe because of this, Lutherans embrace paradox. Paradox is holding two seemingly contradictory ideas together, claiming both to be true at the same time. For instance, we are at the same time saints and sinners. Scripture is a combination of law and gospel. We can do nothing to save ourselves and yet we are expected to love God and our neighbors; I call that grace and obedience. Because we embrace paradox, we are able to see the world in shades of grey rather than the black and white that is so prevalent in many Christian groups. In matters of speaking out about social issues, Lutherans are often accused of being wishy-washy. But it is precisely our experience with paradox that we are able to acknowledge the complexities of life.
4. I experience Lutherans to have a positive stance toward science. In a world where many Christians dismiss science when it seems to disagree with a literal reading of scripture, most Lutherans are able to hold those differences much like we do paradox. In fact, I’m a clergy signer of the Evolution Project letter, declaring that faith and the science of evolution are not in conflict. This positive stance toward science serves us well in our engagement in the world. We experience the sciences as part of God’s giftedness to God’s people. Science and scientific exploration are gifts from God
5. I mentioned earlier that we have an expectation to love God and love our neighbors. As Lutherans, we do that in spades. The collection of social service agencies, hospitals, group homes, care facilities, and the like in this country is the largest of any faith-based group, including denominations much larger than we are. Please hear that. Lutheran Social Services has more facilities and serves more people than any other Christian denomination. Lutheran Disaster Response is a highly regarded disaster recovery network known for staying in place long after other groups have moved on. Lutheran World Relief and World Hunger Appeal work to solve the causes of hunger around the world while at the same time meeting acute needs. Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services has been providing care and placement of displaced people since the end of World War Two, handling nearly 10% of all refugee resettlement in the U. S. today. Lutherans have an outsized impact on the care of our neighbor.
6. Our approach to care of neighbor is rather unique. It is called the accompaniment model. Rather than determining what others need from the basis of our superior knowledge and insight, we work with our partners around the world to provide what we can to meet their stated needs. To show the contrast let me give you an example. When Goodwill has clothing that does not sell, they bundle it up and send it to needy people in Africa. Not only are they sending trash and culturally inappropriate clothing, but the impact on African textile industry is devastating. Lutherans listen to our partners and discover that supporting women is often critical for stable homes. Affirming the dignity of people is critical. One of the things we’ve been told is needed is micro-loans to women, so they may purchase sewing machines, creating a cottage industry that serves a whole community. Another project that comes from listening is providing methods for monthly sanitary care for school aged girls so that they may attend school more consistently. This alone encourages girls to be more consistent in school attendance and results in higher graduation rates for girls.
7. Worship is important for Lutherans. But it is an odd mix for us too and it varies widely by congregation and sometimes within a congregation. There is always some tension there. We hold to ancient practices and historical forms of worship. Many say we seem to worship as the Roman Catholics do. It is more accurate to say that the worship words and styles of Roman Catholics, Episcopalians, and Lutherans follow the ancient worship forms closely. At the same time, there is room for local variability and culturally appropriate flavor. Music is important in Lutheran worship. Lutheran worship is sacramental. We take seriously the instruction from Jesus and the rest of scripture to celebrate the Eucharist. Many of you are old enough to remember when Holy Communion was celebrated much less frequently. Weekly celebration of Holy Communion is the norm in Lutheran congregations. Even when the liturgy and the sermon don’t feed us, at least we have Jesus.
8. I’m going to end this with the 8th mark of what I consider unique to Lutherans. That’s our ecumenical focus. We are a church, birthed out of controversy and differences, that now works to find common ground between different expressions of Christianity. We have initiated and formalized agreements between more Christian denominations than any other church group. We work toward finding common ground with other Christians rather than focusing all our efforts on lifting up the differences. That kind of focus arises out of our experience of grace, as do all these things I’ve described.

And so we are back to the beginning. Grace. It is radical, hard to hold, undeserved gift, blocking every attempt we make to take credit for ourselves. Where it leads us has been a gift in itself.

Amen