Perfectly Free in Every Way
One of my favorite movies is Mary Poppins, the Walt Disney classic starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. I remember watching it as a child and loving everything about it – the music – the dancing – the colorful animation – the playfulness – the joy and love and goodness that, from a child’s perspective, seeps through it.
As an adult, I received a CD of the soundtrack of the movie. I play it rather frequently when I’m driving around in my car. I know all the words to the songs. Listening to the soundtrack now, I have come to notice more about the story line. It’s set in London in a particular time – 1910 – when “King Edward’s on the throne; it’s the age of men.” It’s the story of the Banks family; mother, father, two children; trying to navigate their lives in the midst of patriarchy, capitalism, women’s rights, and raising healthy children. The family is struggling. Into their midst comes Mary Poppins, a unique individual who takes them on all kinds of magical adventures until the whole family finally learn that what’s most important is not money in the bank but the loving relationship they have with each other. So they go fly a kite. They are set free.
This week, as I have been contemplating the scripture readings for today within the context of Reformation Sunday, I’ve been thinking about one phrase that Mary Poppins says to the Banks children early in the movie. She tells them that she is “Practically perfect in every way…so people say.”
Perhaps in her own mind Mary Poppins thinks she is totally perfect.
You may be wondering what “practically perfect in every way” has to do with the Reformation.
A bit of church history – Tradition has it that on October 31, 1517, the monk Martin Luther nailed a list of 95 statements (“The Ninety-five Theses”) on the door of the cathedral in Wittenberg, Germany (part of the Holy Roman Empire at the time). On that same day, he mailed the statements to the Archbishop of Mainz. The statements raised Luther’s concerns about some of the practices of the Roman Catholic Church at that time. Luther was interested in having a theological discussion with the Church; the Roman Church saw it differently. Soon there was a split in the church and things have never been the same since. October 31 marks the start of the Reformation (which we observe on the Sunday prior to the 31st); the re-forming of the church continues on to this day. God is always making all things new. (Rev. 21:5).
Through his own wrestling with God in prayer and studying scripture, Luther came to a new theological understanding of God and God’s relationship with God’s people. Over time, Luther realized the truth that we are justified before God – lined up and aligned with God – through the free gift of faith. It is God’s grace – God’s undeserved love and mercy and compassion – poured out on us through the Holy Spirit – that gives us power to follow the example of Jesus and to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love. (Ephesians 4:1-2). It is only by grace that we are saved. It is God’s work, not ours.
Are we “practically perfect in every way”? Well, maybe not. After all, Lutheran theology teaches us that we are saints and sinners – both at the same time! We are definitely saints – God’s beloved children, made right with God through the faith of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:22) and we are definitely sinners – human beings, easily deceived by the devil and the world and the forces of evil, who let ourselves get distracted and separated from our relationship with God and each other.
We are saints and sinners – saved and forgiven by grace alone through faith alone in Christ Jesus alone. This is our God-given identity. We do not have to be “practically perfect in every way”. It is enough that we are loved by God – embraced by God – forgiven by God – exactly as we are.
This morning we hear Jesus tell us If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” (John 8:31). It is the Word of God – the Word that has been with God since the beginning (John 1:1) – incarnate in Jesus Christ – made real to us in scripture, in the waters of baptism, in the bread and wine of Holy Communion – it is this Word that sets us free – perfectly free in every way – to be the people God has created us to be.
In his writing called “On the Freedom of a Christian”, Martin Luther says this:
A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none.
A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject of all, subject to all.
Another well-known quote from Luther:
Be a sinner and sin boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly,
for he is victorious over sin, death, and the world.
By God’s grace, we are perfectly free in every way –
We are perfectly free to live out what Jesus calls the two greatest commandments – to love God with all our heart and all our soul and all our mind and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. (Matt 22:34-40).
We are perfectly free to act boldly…to love and accept other people, in all their uniqueness and diversity and giftedness, without judgement or fear; to give generously of our time and money to help people in need live well; to forgive someone who has hurt us; to listen to those with whom we disagree; to speak well of other people and interpret everything they do in the best possible light (from Luther’s Small Catechism, 8th Commandment); to make mistakes and get it wrong and ask for forgiveness and try again.
We are perfectly free to follow the example of Jesus and lay down our lives for one another. (On the night before he died, Jesus told his friends gathered around the table with him: This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. (John 15:12-14) ).
We are perfectly free to live as the light of Christ in the world…The light (that) shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it. (John 1:5).
We are perfectly free to live with love in a world where people can be so cruel to one another.
By grace alone through faith alone in Christ Jesus alone…we are perfectly free in every way.
So, today, I ask you to consider – How do you live out your freedom as a Christian?
For you all are perfectly free in every way.