Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The text on which this afternoon's message is based comes from our Gospel lesson (Matthew 11: 12-15) read earlier.
When Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, he had no idea how his life, the life of the whole church, and the world was about to change. You see, he was a simple man, a college professor of theology, interested in only a rather limited geographic area, posing questions about a rather limited misteaching in the church. Luther simply wanted to debate, and change the church's teachings about indulgences through normal means. In October 1517, Luther did not have any grandiose expectations of being a mover and shaker in the world, he wasn't trying to be forceful at that time. As one of Luther's biographers put it (Bainton, p. 64), Luther was like "a man climbing in the darkness a winding staircase in the steeple of an ancient cathedral. In the blackness he reached out to steady himself, and his hand grabbed a rope. He was startled to hear the clanging of a bell."
In the blackness of his own sinfulness, Luther had reached out to steady himself. Because of God's Word Luther knew of his own sinfulness, and his own inability to stand before the throne of the almighty and all-righteous God. Luther reached out to grab a rope, and the rope that was there all along was God's Word of grace and forgiveness purchased for Luther through Jesus Christ's death and resurrection. Luther grasped that rope forcefully, never letting it go. He was startled to hear the clanging of a bell. Because Luther had forcefully grasped the rope of the Gospel, God's message of love and righteousness because of Christ Jesus quickly spread throughout Europe, England, and the Americas. Many had ears to hear, and many listened to the message of the Gospel that Luther had grasped. Many grasped that same rope and the clanging of the bells was heard far and wide, even, eventually to places like Alma, Alta Vista, Duluth, Eskridge, Junction City, Manhattan, McFarland, Wamego, and Wheaton, Kansas. But we're actually not here to do a cheer for Luther, the namesake of our denomination. Luther became a forceful man, gifted by God in extraordinary ways to be able to help forcefully advance the Kingdom of God at that time. But Luther's forcefulness was not his own, it came only through the Word of God, Scripture alone he would say. Luther was only one in a long line of forceful men and women who laid hold of the kingdom of heaven. Kings and Popes, Ayatollahs and emperors might stand against the truth of the Word of God, but the comforting, eternal message of the Gospel is too forceful for any earthly power to overcome. These same Scriptures tell us of a long line of forceful men and women, like Joseph, Nathan, Elijah, Ruth, Deborah, Esther, Peter, Paul and Stephen. Like Luther, all of these were reluctant spokespeople for God, people who grabbed hold of that rope of His Promises and were surprised when a bell began clanging above them. None of them sought their positions. God thrust them, with the gifts He gave them, into the position of ringing that bell of the His Promises.
In our Old Testament lesson, Daniel is another example. Daniel didn't ask to be in the court of king of Persia. He was dragged there, along with Shadrack, Meshack, Abednego and others against their will from a defeated and demolished Jerusalem. Daniel didn't ask for it, but responsibility was thrust upon him. Daniel didn't seek out a special way to exhibit his faith in his God, but neither did he shrink from it. Despite the law of the Medes and Persians, Daniel continued to pray to the LORD his God three times a day. And that got him thrown into jail, joined by some 400 pound felines who wanted to be heavier. Last week my daughters and I visited the Manhattan Sunset Zoo and saw the 3 tigers there. Only a few feet and a tall chain-link fence separated us from the huge and powerful beasts. For Daniel, only an angel separated him from equally huge and powerful, and probably hungrier beasts.
I love the next words in this account of Daniel faith:
19 At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions' den.
20 When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, "Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?"
21 Daniel answered, "O king, live forever!
22 My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight.
Daniel did nothing to save himself. Only the LORD was able to save Daniel from certain death. But the fact that Daniel was willing to grab the rope of God's grace and salvation led to a loud and long clanging of that bell. The king and all his kingdom knew of the power of Daniel's God, his love for Daniel and for all those who trust in Him.
Like Daniel, it is in those times where we simply respond to the good works God has prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2: 10) that God is most powerfully at work. For some mysterious reason, he uses human beings like Daniel, like John the Baptist, like Luther, like me, like you, to grasp that rope of the Gospel, to do so publicly like we are here today, and to hear the clanging of that bell above us. We might not be given the same challenges as Daniel or Luther. I pray that nobody will ever take and force me to stay inside that tiger cage in Manhattan overnight. I pray that none of us here today will ever have a bounty placed on our heads, dead or alive, as Luther did by both the most powerful emperor and most powerful religious leader of his day. Those are opportunities for the bell clanging of the Gospel that I'd rather avoid. But I do pray that all of us here today will ring that bell, at every chance God gives us. Our spiritual ancestors, empowered by the force of the Holy Spirit, forcefully advanced that message of Christ Jesus to us. They brought us to the waters of Baptism. They shared with us the Chief Parts of the Christian faith, especially as taught in Luther's Catechisms. Our spiritual ancestors taught us of the great love Christ Jesus showed for us, setting us free from the power of death and sin. They taught us to daily follow him to the cross, to see our need for his death and resurrection, see our need for His Body and Blood, to repent and trust in him for our eternal life. That is the message that Luther rang.
In our Gospel lesson today, Jesus closes by calling out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" Jesus is calling out to you and me, to our own need for daily repentance, to trust in Him for life. Jesus is calling out, through you and me, to the world so that they can hear from His Word that same message of love and faith that we are privileged to hear so often. Daniel and Paul and Luther and Walther no longer live here on this earth, proclaiming that Gospel. But we, their spiritual children do, and we have been given the great privilege to share that message to all those who have ears to hear it with.
In a few minutes the choir and I will be singing an African hymn that has become one of my favorites, one that calls us and the world to listen to God's gracious, constant invitation to be His children. "Listen God is calling, to the world inviting, offering forgiveness, comfort and joy." We here today have heard that invitation, received that forgiveness, comfort and joy that only come through trusting in Jesus Christ. We continue to receive that message on a daily basis. Now we have the privilege to tell the world of that invitation, to clang that bell above us as we hold on to the rope of the Gospel. How will you do it? It depends on the opportunities God gives you.
Daniel and Luther had particular opportunities. But God has given you others. For example, one member family of this Alma congregation owns a farm and buildings on I-70. They have painted the message NO GOD, NO PEACE; KNOW GOD, KNOW PEACE on their barn. Thousands of people everyday see that message of Law and Gospel. Many others of us live in communities where we can share the Gospel with college students and soldiers who then have opportunities to carry that message around the world. Some here have the opportunity to "clang that bell", so to speak, for deaf persons. All of us have the opportunity to share our earthly blessings to support the work of others who are clanging that Gospel bell around the world, people like our missionaries in Guinea, the Heineys, Dr. Schmaltz, the Oettings, and the Nortons. The Holy Spirit is blessing their work and thousands of Africans are turning to Jesus Christ as their Lord. All of us have the opportunity to live peaceful and loving lives toward our Christian brothers and sister, showing our families and neighbors the gift of reconciliation we have received from Christ our Savior.
Our world does have ears. May we all forcefully grasp the rope of the Gospel and let the world hear that clear ringing, the heritage we have from Luther, the heritage we have from Paul and Daniel, the message we have about our Lord Jesus Christ.
The grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us always. Amen.