Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
A few years ago I had an interesting experience. During my time as the campus pastor at Iowa State, I preached a sermon about the unity of the church. I quoted a Latin phrase: “In necessesariis, unitas; in dubiis, libertas; in omnibus, caritas.” In English it means, “In what is necessary, unity; in what is questionable, liberty; in all things, love.” In the years after the Reformation, this statement became something of a rallying cry for those who saw the importance of the Reformation but were dismayed at the level of personal and spiritual violence carried out by both “sides” of this church conflict. But this isn’t the interesting part.The interesting part came a few months later, when one of our students returned to campus after her summer away. As she walked to get a cup of coffee after worship, I noticed she had a new tattoo on her leg. I asked if I could see it and I discovered it was this phrase. She confirmed that the sermon I had preached had stuck with her over the summer, and when she decided to get a tattoo this was the design she chose. I’ll admit I’ve always wanted to be the sort of preacher whose sermons are memorable, but I never thought this was the length to which it might go!
This is the spirit our spiritual ancestors would ask of us as we look back on 500 years of Reformation faith. Even Martin Luther, with his well-known temper and ability to create unusual and profane insults, once complimented his colleague Philipp Melanchthon for his diplomacy in writing the Augsburg Confession. In a letter to his prince, Luther wrote,“It pleases me very well, and I could not change or improve it; nor would it be becoming to do so, since I cannot tread so softly and gently.” The writing to which Luther referred was the 30 articles of faith which remain the central teachings of Lutheran churches today; this “soft and light” writing was the definitive stand against the spiritual authority of Rome, Pope Leo X, and Emperor Charles V. Melanchthon managed to bring the necessary word in unity with what the Reformers believed the church should teach and proclaim, but with the humility and grace to mark it as a word of love intended to win over its opponents.
This 500th anniversary of the Reformation marks both an end and a beginning. Ecumenical relationships and developments of the last 100 years between some Lutherans and Roman Catholics have seen the end of a hoped-for “coming home” where one church or the other admits its mistakes and ceases to protest. We have acknowledged that we are two separate strains of Christian faith and we’ve seen the end of most attempts to cast doubt on the salvation of the other. We have also seen the beginning of measured reconciliation and a hope that one day the barriers between full communion might be brought down. Who knows where we’ll be 50 years from now, much less 500?
In 14 years of ordained ministry, some of my most profound and joyful experiences have been those which were ecumenical in nature. While I remain a committed Lutheran, I am fascinated to hear the faith stories of others through whom the Spirit speaks in a similar but unique fashion. The unity I’ve experienced almost without exception is the belief that God’s love is bigger, wider, and deeper than any of our theological distinctions. I may not have that Latin phrase tattooed on my leg, but it is burned into my heart, and I believe the spirit of reformation calls us to work toward all three principles for the next 500 years and beyond.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Scott
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