Reformation
“Hear It Now”
Pre-sermon
explanation (by me): Back in the
1950’s, Edward R. Murrow had a radio program called “Here It Now” which
was later transformed into a TV program, “See It Now”.
Through these media, Murrow took his audience back in history to
experience events as they happened. Today,
we would like to recreated Murrow’s radio program.
It’s 1517 and this is “Hear It Now”. I’m Robert R. Mitchell, your guide. On today’s program we will take you back to the year 1517.
For
a time today you will be residents of medieval
These are times of great fear and tremendous superstition. War has been nearly constant for almost 100 years. And with war comes famine and plague. Even those advances in science that have taken place in other parts of the world do not effect European belief in demon possession, witches spells and mystical phenomena.
Most families try to sustain themselves by farming on a rich noble’s land which means that most of what is grown goes to the owner of the land. A relatively few people in the town own small shops, but life is not much better because profits are small when few have money to buy what is to sell or the trade routes are cut off by armed conflict. Life is hard, and fear of what happens after death makes it even harder.
For you see, the Church has taught everyone that God is angry with His people for their sins and Christ will judge us harshly when we die. The possibility of spending eternity in the unrelenting tortures of hell is kept before everyone in sermons, pictures and stories. People try their best to be good, but one can almost feel the hell-fires licking at one’s feet.
Since total despair might drive people to give up the faith, the doctrine of purgatory was created by Pope Gregory in the 600’s. Purgatory was a transitional state people could go into after death to earn their way to heaven by suffering in a kind of in-between hell. The suffering would be just as great, but at least one has the hope that after many thousands of years there, a person would be purified and allowed into heaven.
This time of suffering can even be shortened somewhat by paying to have masses said for the dead or by going on a pilgrimage to a holy place where one can pray over relics of a saint. The church, you see, has eased people’s burdens by coming up with the idea of indulgences. By praying over relics (after making an appropriate contribution, of course) a person could obtain a written waiver of a certain number of years in purgatory for themselves after they die or for a loved one.
But,
let’s hear about this from one of the citizens of Wittenburg.
You, good woman, could we speak with you?
We’re strangers to your town and princely state, but have heard rumors
of happenings here. Do you know
anything? Could you tell us what
has been going on? What is
religious life like here in
+++++++++++++++++++++
Yah,
I’ve heard things. I’ve always wanted to take one of those pilgrimages that
the church offers. I’d gladly
kneel on the hard stones of some church and pray over those relics for hours to
spend a little less time amidst the flames.
I heard you can be excused from 10,000 years in purgatory by making the
trek to
Now,
we who live here in
You
heard right though about there begin some strange goings on lately though, and
that kinda makes me wonder whether I should bother.
The way I heard it, Pope Leo has issued a special indulgence and instead
of letting the different princes and dukes dispense it (they get a cut then, you
know), he’s got his own
Dominicans selling them. (I hear he needs a lot of money to pay the bankers who
are financing the rebuilding of
Anyway,
they say this special indulgence gets you more years out of purgatory than all
the others – and you don’t even have to pray over any relics.
In fact, if you buy enough of these indulgences you might not even have
to spend time in purgatory at all. Now,
who wouldn’t work extra hard to save up some money to buy one or two of those,
huh? Why, I even heard that some
rich people are buying extras so they can have the freedom
to behave as they please – (with humor)
some pretty sinful things happen when those rich people drink a bit too much
wine at their big parties, let me tell you – don’t feel much like getting up
for mass next day either.
Well
anyway, getting’ back to the reports of strange things hereabouts...A friend
told me that in the next principality (the Brandenburg area), there’s this
friar named Tetzel, authorized by the Pope and that cardinal who bought his
bishop’s hat, selling indulgences on the street just like any other peddler.
He’s a reeeal salesman too. Cries
out, “As your money into the coffer rings, a
soul from purgatory springs.”
Why, he’s been so popular more and more people are making the day’s
journey down there to buy from him – Duke Frederick won’t let him come up
here.
Now,
this I have straight from the scullery maid who heard it from the cook up at the
castle: Our Duke is just as mad as
he can be because business has really fallen off up there.
Well I mean...who wants to pay the Duke so they can kneel there praying
over his relics, when for just a little more money you can buy an indulgence
from this Tetzel?
But,
that’s not the strangest happening. And
this one I saw myself! The other
day, October 31, to be exact, this monk in a scholar’s gown – Martin Luther
I was told – nailed this long parchment up on the
You
need to understand here, there’s nothing wrong with nailing something to the
church door – people put notices up all the time.
And this being a university town, it’s a common way for scholars to
invite each other to debate. So,
the nailing wasn’t all that strange, it was what this Luther nailed.
It called the “95 Theses” (elaborate)
I
can’t read, of course, (it was in Latin anyway), but I hung around and
listened while the students and scholars read and started discussing it.
This Tetzel has really gotten Luther fired up and he’s invited (more
like demanded) a debate with religious scholars and church officials.
He claims...well, let me retell just what I heard them reading’...
Umm,
let’s see...One was, All those who believe
themselves certain of their own salvation by means of letters of indulgence will
be eternally damned, together with their teachers.”
Oh,
and another said something like: “The
true treasure of the Church is the Holy Gospel of the glory and the grace of
God.”
And
here’s a zinger: “Every Christian who feels
true repentance has a right to forgiveness without punishment and guilt, without
letters of pardon.”
I
think that gives you an idea anyway. I
can tell you, this has folks really stirred up.
Imagine hearing you don’t have
to buy indulgences or do pilgrimages or say prayers over relics to be forgiven?
In fact, people are sooo stirred up that somebody wrote those 95 Theses
out in German, got it printed up on one of those new fangled printing presses,
and is giving a copy to anybody who can read.
All
this got me real curious, so I did some checking into this Martin Luther.
Seems he was studying to be a lawyer, but was so terrified of going to
hell, he entered a monastery instead – hoped living a holy life would ease his
conscience. It didn’t though.
He just got more and more depressed.
His superiors, hoping study and teaching would distract him, sent him
here to
All
of a sudden, all his questions were answered and all his worries were over.
Luther already knew that faith is a gift from God and if the just live by
faith (meaning they’re made just/innocent before God by faith in Jesus),
there’s no need for indulgences, relics, special prayers or even good works to
be saved from hell, or even purgatory. You
just need to trust in what Jesus did on the cross to earn salvation for you.
Jah!!
That Luther is one smart man. Hundreds
of years people being scared of dying and going to hell, or at least purgatory,
and Luther finds the truth right there in the Bible – we are saved, go right
to heaven, not because of anything we do, but by what Christ has already done
for us. I guess that verse in John
says it all: “If you continue in
my Word, you are my disciples; and you will know the truth and the truth will
make you free.”
Now,
you don’t have to believe me, just pick up your Bible and read the truth for
yourself. Amen.