Sunday: Reformation Sunday
Date: October 27, 2013
Old Testament Reading: Psalm 46 Epistle: Romans 3:19-­‐28
Gospel: John 8:31-­‐36
Designed as a “Service” of about 30 min. for nursing homes & other off-site church worship
Intended to be followed by a time of visiting/conversation/fellowship for 20+ minutes
Feel free to print, modify, or duplicate anything within this resource to fit your needs.
Greetings: Introduce yourselves and ask everyone’s name.
Opening Prayer (Doubles as Confession): Read by___________________________
Dear heavenly Father, we are so thankful that you have brought us together again, for this time of
worship and meditation in your Word. The Bible tells us “how good and pleasant it is, when brothers and
sisters live together in unity.” As we gather together Lord, we are reminded that we are here because
You have called us out of darkness into Your wonderful light. Assure us Lord, of Your mercy and
ever present forgiveness. Help us to look to the cross and remind us that Your Son Jesus Christ
died and rose again, to give us the victory over our sins, over the devil and over this evil world.
Help us to walk in Your path, the path You have set before us in Jesus Christ. Keep us close to You
and close to one another. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Absolution: Read by __________________________________
Dear friends, God’s Word tells us that “if we are in Christ, we are a new creation, the old has gone
and the new has come.” Because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, His death and resurrection, God
assures you that your sins are forgiven. In the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen.
Hymn: “A Mighty Fortress” – TLH 262, LW 297
Old Testament reading: Psalm 46, read by ______________________________
Hymn: “Lord, Keep Us Steadfast In Your Word” – TLH 261, LW 334
New Testament reading: Romans 3:19-­‐28, read by _____________________________
Hymn: “The Gospel Shows the Father’s Grace” – TLH 297, LW 330
Gospel reading: John 8:31-­‐36, read by ___________________________________
Devotional written by Aaron Goeke, read by ________________________________
Hymn: “O God, Our Lord, Thy Holy Word” – TLH 266, LW 341
Lord’s Prayer or other closing prayer, led by __________________________________
Visit! Get to know one another and remind people that they are blessed in the Lord!
Reformation Day
October 27, 2013
Text: Psalm 46 & John 8:31
Pastor Aaron Goeke – Messiah Lutheran Church, Boerne
In my office I have a lot of books: Some on shelves, some in boxes, and some in electronic format on
computers and other devices. Among those books, I have more than 100 Bibles in various translations and
languages. There is one Bible which I keep separate from the rest of the other Bibles and books. It sits on a
small table, on a little stand, open to Psalm 46. This Bible is not the prettiest, nor does it have the most
comprehensive study notes, nor is it the easiest to read. It is perhaps the oldest Bible I own, the binding is
falling apart, it is thick and hard to handle, and it is not only written in German (a language which I can translate
only very poorly) but written in an old script of German that makes it even more difficult to read. So why
would this be the Bible I choose to display? Well, there are several reasons.
First, this Bible once belonged to my grandfather, Albert J. Goeke who went to heaven when I was 10
years old. His signature is on the inside front cover. I am told that when he was a child, his family were not
avid church goers. Were it not for a lady who loved my grandfather enough as young boy to introduce Him to
Jesus and give him a Bible, He may have never known his savior. Though the Bible in my office is not that
Bible, it is still one that he owned, and made notes in, and in many ways, I feel like he is still teaching me
through what he found important enough to write down in his own Bible. On the first, blank page of the Bible
he has a short list of psalms and verses. Psalm 46 is the first on that list, which is why I keep the Bible open to
that page.
But sentimentality is not my only reason for making this Bible a display in my office. In the 8th chapter
of John’s Gospel, Jesus says "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples” (Joh 8:31 ESV). I want to
abide in his word. The Bible is his word and this specific Bible, to me, is a visual reminder of all that God’s
Word really is:
It is old: God’s Word is old. In fact, it predates time, and yet has stood the test of time.
It is beaten up: God’s word has been beaten up in many ways. The Scriptures have been despised,
bad-mouthed, fought against and hated by many people for many centuries, and though there have been some
hard hits the Bible has survived. But the Scripture is not the only Word that has been beaten up. We are told
that Jesus is the “Word made flesh” (John 1:14) and that this Word was “stricken, smitten by God, and
afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the
chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.” (Isa 53:4-5 ESV). And yet, despite
being repeatedly beaten up, and assailed against, God’s Word lives and is completely and always victorious.
It is hard to handle: God’s Word is not always easy to understand. It is the revelation of an eternal
God and eternal concepts to a temporal, inferior and finite creation. God’s Word is called the Sword of the
Spirit (Eph 6:17, Heb 4:12) and yet giving this sword to us, is like putting a toddler in charge of our nuclear
weapons system; it is far more power than we can comprehend or fully and adequately handle.
It is in another language: God’s word transcends not only the boundaries of time but the boundaries of
language and culture as well, and though it is the eternal message of God, he meets us in a language we can
understand. For my Grandfather that was a German Bible in ancient script. For me, it is English, but more than
the specific human language in which a given Bible is written, God’s word, no matter the language, speaks a
different language than our world and our culture speak to us. It is a language of servanthood, not tyranny. It is
a language of forgiveness, not vengeance. It is a language of love, not selfishness. These are difficult to
understand, because these are not the languages we are used to hearing. It is the message of the cross, an
instrument of torture and death, becoming the hope for life. When we hear a language we don’t understand it
sounds strange, and it is no different with the language of God’s Word. “For the word of the cross is folly to
those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1Co 1:18 ESV)
It is an heirloom: This Bible on my stand might not bring thousands of dollars on the “Antiques
Roadshow,” but it is an heirloom; passed down to me from my father and to my father from his father, and
passed down to all of us from our heavenly father. This gift is a legacy of love. What kind of love? Well,
“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” (Joh 15:13 ESV). Jesus,
laid down His life so that we could have Life forever. Jesus said, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no
help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” (Joh 6:63 ESV). So His word gives us
life, and that Word, that life, was laid down by our heavenly father for his creation, by my grandfather for my
father and by my father for me. There is no greater love, no greater heirloom than the gift of Life.
So I cherish the gift I’ve been given. Not just my grandfather’s Bible, but more so, my heavenly father’s
promise. Oh, and by the way, a couple years ago, when my grandmother (Albert’s wife) passed away, I was
asked to read a Scripture reading for her funeral. What a legacy, what an honor, to be chosen to read none other
than Psalm 46. “ God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psa 46:1 ESV). Yes, very
present. His Word, His legacy, is a very present help. Forever, God’s “word is very near you. It is in your
mouth and in your heart.” (Deuteronomy 30:14 ESV). Thank you to my parents, grandparents, and heavenly
Father for this legacy of life and love.
God’s peace be yours,
Pastor Aaron Goeke