The last Sunday in October is the day that many Protestant churches set aside to remember the roots from which they came.

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther, the Augustinian monk and scholar, nailed a document to the door of the Wittenburg Cathedral.

This document of 95 theses, or complaints, was intended to be a reminder to the Church of two central beliefs—1. that the Bible – not the Church - is the central religious authority, - and 2., that humans reach salvation by the grace of God by faith, and not by their deeds.

The 95 Theses were quickly distributed throughout Germany and then made their way to Rome.

A year later, Luther was summoned to Augsburg, a city in southern Germany, to defend his opinions before an imperial assembly.

A key point of debate was around the sale of indulgences – a system by which the church offered people forgiveness of their sins for a price – often a high price.

It was a system which preyed on the vulnerable poor.

Luther refused to recant his oppositions and later that year, the Pope condemned Luther’s writings as conflicting with the teachings of the Church.

The next year, a series of commissions were convened to examine Luther’s teachings – which found them to be at worst, heretical – and at best – “scandalous and offensive to pious ears”.

In July 1520 Pope Leo X concluded that Luther’s propositions were heretical and gave Luther 120 days to recant.
Luther refused, and was excommunicated from the Catholic Church.

Three months later, Luther appeared before an Assembly in Worms, Germany. Refusing again to renounce his convictions, Luther concluded his testimony with the defiant statement: “Here I stand. God help me. I can do no other.”

After years of his own study of scripture, deep prayer and soul searching – and after 4 years of debate with the church authorities.

“Here I stand. God help me. I can do no other”.

Knowing that his future in the church was at risk, Luther remained firm in his convictions that the Church he loved was a Church in need of correction, transformation - reformation.

In that moment, Luther was standing in the long line of prophets who, down through the ages have spoken a word which they believed to be true, but a word that was in opposition to the accepted teachings of the religious authorities of the day.

In this morning’s meditation, Richard Rohr observes that “we appear to be in the midst of another period of significant turmoil and rebirth…which is a difficult and frightening task, which is why we only seem to do it every 500 years or so. If we look at church history, we can see the pattern…With each rebirth, Christianity becomes more inclusive and universal, as it was always meant to be.”

The Reformation is more than a moment in time from long ago and far away.

The Reformation invites the church in all its denominational stripes - to an ongoing process of self-reflection as it considers how faithful and relevant it continues to be in the world to which God calls it.

The Presbyterian Church in Canada acknowledges our historic continuity with the universal Church, as well as our doctrinal heritage in the ecumenical creeds, and confessions of the Reformation.

But, we also recognize that the church has a continuing function of reformulating the faith - in obedience to Scripture and under the promised guidance of the Holy Spirit.

In 2003, the Presbyterian Church in Canada noted that “Reformation is a never-ending task. It is not change for the sake of change. Rather, it is reformation and renewal in obedience to God’s word under the guidance of the Holy Spirit…” (Acts & Proceedings 2003, p. 252).

This past September, the Moderator of the 2019 General Assembly wrote a letter to the church. I want to share part of that letter to you.

Some printed copies of the entire letter can be found on the back table of the sanctuary and it is available on the Presbyterian Church in Canada’s website.

Grace to you and peace from God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The 2019 General Assembly was both difficult and important in the ongoing life of our church. It illustrated our church’s current struggle with different theological perspectives, while also demonstrating our desire for unity and peace. We are united in one Lord, one faith, and one baptism, and we are bound together through our commitment to the Reformed Tradition and our belonging to The Presbyterian Church in Canada.

At the same time, there is a diversity of practice and belief among us in many areas, including our understanding of human sexuality.

While some within our church hold to a traditional definition of marriage as being between a man and a woman only, others believe that covenanted monogamous relationships between two adults, regardless of gender, can be faithful to God’s design for human families.

We have prayed, studied, discussed, and debated these questions for many years, and although individuals have shifted in their perspectives, our denomination continues to include a broad spectrum of belief and it is likely that this will always be the case.

During the 2019 General Assembly, it was apparent that the majority moved towards full inclusion of LGBTQ+ people (married or single) in the ministries of the church, while others were firmly committed to a traditional definition of marriage. As commissioners engaged in debate, discussion, and listened to one another, it was also evident that embracing the shared beliefs and traditions of The Presbyterian Church in Canada was of great importance.

The recommendations passed by the Assembly were to adopt two parallel definitions of marriage (either between a man and a woman only, or between two persons) and to allow for ordination of LGBTQ+ persons, while also allowing for liberty of conscience and action on marriage and participation in ordinations and inductions.

These recommendations represent a desire to make the church fully inclusive – inclusive of both LGBTQ+ members and inclusive of Presbyterians with varying perspectives on same-sex marriage.

It is significant that these recommendations were passed by an overwhelming majority of commissioners.

Now the recommendations are being remitted to the presbyteries under the Barrier Act.

If they are passed by the majority of presbyteries and then by the 2020 General Assembly, they become the law of the church.
It is important to note that the liberty of conscience and action…allow for ministers and sessions not to participate in same-sex marriages or the ordination of married LGBTQ+ individuals.

However, liberty of conscience and action does not sanction homophobia or heterosexism in the church…

Over the last few years, I have often made the comparison between the unity of the church and the unity of a marriage.
For a while now, our denomination has been in conflict over a significant difference of opinion on human sexuality. At times, it has seemed like we had irreconcilable differences and it might be best to get divorced…

(However,) the decisions of the 2019 General Assembly give us new opportunity to choose to live together with differences on this matter, declaring that the question of sexuality need not be a church-dividing issue.

They affirm that our love for one another is still strong, and they suggest that staying together and figuring out how to live with our differences is faithful to Christ’s prayer for unity.

Holding two definitions of marriage means that we are deciding to love and respect one another with our differences…
I would urge those ministers and sessions that choose not to accept same-sex marriage to be compassionate and pastoral in their ministering to those members of the LGBTQ+ community who worship and serve in their churches. Likewise, I would encourage affirming ministers and sessions to be respectful of congregation members who hold to the traditional definition. We must strive to make all our congregations safe and welcoming spaces for everyone.

Like a married couple who have been in conflict for years but still love one another and want to make it work, this General Assembly decided it was not interested in divorce but sought to choose a reasonable accommodation.

It will be up to the whole church to pray and discern if we are willing to make space within our churches for difference of opinion and diversity of practice with regard to marriage.

May God give us the gifts of wisdom and love, so that the pathway we follow will lead us to unity and peace with justice for all.

And may God give us the grace to recognize that Reformation is an ongoing task of the Church as it seeks faithfully to be the Body of Christ in meaningful, relevant, life-giving ways. Amen – and to God be all the glory.