“Essential Beliefs”

Romans 5:1-10

June 5, 2016

Mark S. Bollwinkel 

            An essential belief can transform a life.  A principal, an ideal can make all the difference.

            “On June 7^th, 1944, when Lt. Horace Henderson of the Sixth Engineer Special Brigade landed on Omaha Beach as part of the D-Day invasion, he writes, ‘I noticed that nothing moved on the beach except one bulldozer.  The beach was covered with debris, sunken craft and wrecked vehicles.  We saw many bodies in the water…we jumped into chest high water and waded ashore.  Then we saw that the beach was literally covered with the bodies of American soldiers wearing the blue and gray patches of the 29^th Infantry Division.’

            His job was to distribute maps but because the front line was just over the bluff at Omaha, only men, ammunition, weapons and gasoline were being brought ashore, so he had no maps to hand out.  He and his section unloaded jerry cans of gasoline, the first of millions of such cans that would cross that beach.

            Sometime that afternoon, Henderson recalled, ‘Before the bodies could be removed, the first religious service was held on Omaha Beach.  We prayed for those who had been lost and thanked the Lord for our survival.  I promised God that I would do all in my power to help prevent such a terrible event ever happening again.’

            Lt. Henderson went on to become a director general of the World Peace through Law Center and was appointed by President Eisenhower as a member of the United States delegation to the United Nations”  (Steven E. Ambrose, Citizen Soldiers, Torchstone, 1997, pp. 27-28).

            Sometimes an essential belief can change the world.

            In Eric Erikson’s book, Young Man Luther (reissue edition, Norton, 1993) the noted psychiatrist suggests that our biblical lesson this morning from the fifth chapter of Romans helped begin the Protestant Reformation. 

            As a young Roman Catholic priest, Martin Luther encountered the radical grace of God in this text.  

            He grew up in 15^th century Germany under the Holy Roman Empire where Holy Communion was served only to the wealthy and powerful.  It was a time when the scriptures were read only in Latin and solely by the priests.   Rome offered forgiveness for the sins of those who could make donations to the building of the Vatican.

Paul’s words in verse eight rocked Luther to the core; “God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us”.   The blessings of God’s love were not the reward of correct dogma, righteous living or proper worship.  Salvation doesn’t come into the world because of anything we do.  It isn’t offered on the basis of social status or wealth.   It comes as the free gift of a God whose nature is so completely love that God offers that gift to all.

It is simply there for us to receive.

As a result, Luther would translate the Latin Vulgate bible into vernacular German so the common people could read the scriptures for themselves.   He would write hymns to the tunes of popular drinking songs of his people.   He would publicly protest the hypocrisy of his church and be tried for his teachings.  Although never wanting to start his own church, he would begin a movement of “protestors” or “Protestants” that would spawn a myriad of new Christian institutions.

John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement in 18^th century England, had one of the turning point moments in his life when his “heart was strangely warmed” at the Aldersgate chapel in London while listening to a reading of Luther’s commentary on this same fifth chapter of Romans (Albert C. Outler, John Wesley, Oxford University Press, 1964, p.66).

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.”

The salvation offered us through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus isn’t the property of any one church.   I often joke that when we die and go to heaven and are met at the pearly gates by St. Peter, he isn’t going to ask if we are Methodists, Presbyterians or Episcopalians.    Salvation isn’t given to those who are baptized in the “right” way, or who “believe” the right ideas, or who go to church every Sunday, give 10% of their money to charity or become missionaries in dangerous places.

It isn’t what we do that makes God love us so; including the religion we practice. 

If Jesus teaches us anything by word and deed it is that God is so completely love that God can do nothing less.   

That is our essential belief.

Curtis Rogers knows that essential belief.  It is how he came to know the truth of Paul’s words that “suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character and character produces hope and hope does not disappoint…”   At the age of 36 the divorced father had to decide whether to move back to Florida or stay in Santa Clara County, California so he could be close to his daughter.   Staying would mean he would be out on the streets instead of living with his family in Miami.

He decided to stay in San Jose even though he couldn’t afford to live there.  “The stereotype of black fathers is making babies and not taking care of them.  I didn’t want to fall into that category.”   After wearing out the welcome with some friends he wound up sleeping in a bunk bed at a San Jose homeless shelter.

When he heard that the Valley Transportation Authority was training bus drivers he jumped at the chance.   His classmates in training never knew he was homeless because he showed up at the VTA every day in a white shirt and tie.  

Through the Community Service Agency he got help to get into a small apartment in Sunnyvale.  Today Curtis Rogers earns $23 an hour driving a bus and has a thriving business on the side as a disc jockey at parties and weddings.   

His ex-wife says of Curtis, “He’s a very good father, it’s never ‘no’ or ‘I don’t have the time’.”   His daughter Jaleesa, wrote him this Father’s Day card a few years ago, “Thanks for being there for me for the last 15 years.  You taught me many things, but the most important thing you taught me was how to love.   Except for my mom…I’ll never love anyone as much as you…” (San Jose Mercury News, June 19, 2003).

God is like the parent who would rather be homeless than give up on his child.

God is like the soldier who in the face of war would dedicate his life to give peace a chance.

 It isn’t what we do that makes God love us.   All God is asking is that we receive that love and live by it.  

As we take Holy Communion this morning will you join me in rededicating ourselves to this essential belief?

Amen.