You see them at the garage sale. They are the ones staring at that ugly piece of furniture over on the side. Somehow they can see through multiple layers of pink and blue paint, not to mention the ugly stain that is likely underneath the paint. The can see the beauty of the original piece. In their mind, they can see the piece as it was intended to be. They can envision the craftsmanship that lies beneath. They imagine the beautiful contours of the grain in the wood. They take it home and begin their work. Solvents, sanding, and a lot of elbow grease reveal what they always knew was there.
Luther was by God grace such a man. He too through the Word of God could see through lots of layers to the original beauty below. Luther and the other reformers who we remember this day lived in a day when the gospel of Jesus had be covered over with all sorts of layers of ugliness. The Roman Catholic Church had painted layer after layer of mess over the simple teaching of the apostles. They taught that the only way to be sure of one’s salvation was through a whole collection of works one could do. First, you were to live as perfect of a life as you could. To that you were to add pilgrimages and works of satisfaction for your sins. Also, you should at a cost have a private mass said for your sins. If you were still unsure, you could join a monastery. If all of that failed to bring peace, you could buy a piece of paper called an indulgence which said that you had purchased salvation from your sins.
But Luther knew that all of these attempts to assure oneself that they were saved fell flat. They could not calm his conscience and could not bring peace to anyone. He struggled under the ugliness for years and years until finally the Scripture he was studying gave him eyes to see through all of the layers of mess that had been added on throughout the years.
Then He could then see that lying underneath of of this was a comfort for his conscience and the assurance of his salvation. And so he went to work. And so though much prayer, meditation on the Bible, and struggle, he was able to uncover the beauty lying underneath.
And what it that he found once all those ugly layers were removed?
He found beautiful craftsmanship. He found a God who with much longsuffering worked to craft salvation for his people. A God who worked often with crude human tools to make his design come to light. A God who took years and years to get everything just right.
But most striking was the wood used to craft this piece. Wood grained with the contours of love, grace, and mercy. Wood stained with the blood of his Son. Wood strong enough to bear the weight of Luther’s sin.
Wood that the very Son of God was nailed to for Luther’s salvation. Wood that the very Son of God was nailed to for your salvation. Amen.
An adaptation of my sermon last Sunday when we celebrated Reformation.
