Then Jesus opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all peoples. (Luke 24.45-47)

Fire can be a good thing. It can take the chill from the air, and as I once learned first-hand and the hard way, when you’re dangerously close to dying from hypothermia, fire can save your life. Fire also cooks our food – it kills bacteria and other organisms that would make some things impossible to eat. And campfires, bonfires – well they’re the things special memories are made of. And we light candles against the darkness – both real and existential. Yes, fire can be a good thing.

But fire can also turn deadly – easily, quickly – lit candles are beautiful – until the cat or dog knocks one over and sets the house ablaze. And fire can be a weapon of war; in Darfur, Dresden, and Dachau fire was a foremost means and symbol of terror and domination. The fire of the sun, 93 million miles away is absolutely necessary for life itself on our little planet – without the sun’s fire – this earth would be just one more cold, dead, desolate object floating lonely and dark in the lifeless void of space. But too much sun – our skin burns, ages, turns cancerous and we die. Too much sun without the cooling rains, and the crops die along with all who are dependant upon them for their daily life. Yes, fire’s a good thing – if controlled, channeled, used wisely and judiciously. But if not . . . . . . . . .

The same holds true for Scripture. It too can be a source a source of warmth and comfort, a shelter in time of trouble; it can capture our imaginations and fill us with awe. But the Bible has also been used for the destruction of countless individuals along with the genocidal destruction of millions of people beyond count or ken. The Bible has been used to silence women, to justify slavery and racism, and to endorse the slaughter of the first peoples of the Americas. The Scriptures give rise to the singing of “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so,” as well as to the hateful signs declaring “God hates fags.”

But then, these uses and abuses of scripture are nothing new. One might easily say that the Scriptures were used to kill Jesus. After all, he healed on the Sabbath, he spoke to women – to adulterous women, he touched the diseased, he claimed himself One with God – all of these things explicitly forbidden by Scripture. Jesus himself, however, was a model for picking and choosing what was important in the Scriptures and what was not. “You have heard it said, ‘an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,’ but I tell you to love your enemies and pray for them.” What’s more, Jesus criticized the religious authorities for not being honest about their own picking and choosing: for outwardly conforming to some of scripture while ignoring what really mattered, that is, “You shall love the Lord with all your heart, mind, and strength and the neighbor as yourself. You’re great at washing pots and pans,” said Jesus, “and demanding sacrifices be bought and paid for in order that sins be forgiven – but whatever happened to the Scripture that says ‘I desire mercy and NOT sacrifice’?”

So here is what to pick and choose from Scripture: the proclamation that all people are beloved and right with God, it’s a gift, trust it – and it is yours from the very mouth of Christ to your ears…

Martin Luther also recognized that Scripture could and would be used to oppress and destroy. In certain hands, reflected the Professor of Wittenburg, the Bible could easily become just another Pope, only this time, made of paper; the scriptures, in certain hands, became a book of rules – a moral code – a guide to getting in good with God. Wait! Stop! You mean – it’s not a rule book, Pastor?? No – it’s not.

Then the Jesus whom religion could not kill, not a ghost but a living being with real hands and feet, and a real stomach hungry for a piece of broiled fish that he took and ate in their presence, then the living Jesus opened their minds to understand the scriptures! And what was at the heart of the scriptures to which he opened their minds? That the Messiah would not command a conquering army, would not come with power to punish – but would come, did come, to touch and to heal; would come, did come, to love and to turn the other cheek; would come, did come, to forgive all people unconditionally– and precisely for that, Messiah would suffer in a world gone mad with domination and power – would die – but in rising show that love and forgiveness are of God – are the essence of God – and that repentance and forgiveness of sins be proclaimed in Jesus’ name to the whole world beginning with the place where he was killed. Repentance – a change of mind, a change of heart, about who God is – God, not an avenging God of wrath and rules (leave that to the governing authorities) – but a God of love and forgiveness. And for the church – or anyone in the name of church – to say otherwise is to be less that true to Jesus Christ – Jesus Christ, the one in whom God blesses all people – Jesus Christ, the one who dies for speaking of such a God, for being such a God – Jesus Christ, the one who in rising from the dead proves that this God’s love is triumphant even over death.

Martin Luther himself was unabashed about picking and choosing from Scripture, and he had a little formula that could serve as a lens for reading the Bible. This formula consisted of three phrases. The first: sola gratia, grace alone. We hold that a person is right and beloved before God not by what we do or don’t do – rather, it’s all a gift – no conditions – by grace alone. The second phrase: sola fides, faith alone – all you gotta do is trust that’s the way God is – infinitely and unconditionally accepting and loving. The third phrase . . . . some of you cradle Lutherans are now going to think – sola scriptura – scripture alone. Sorry. Modern, computer-aided research indicates that sola scriptura doesn’t much appear in Luther’s works – but is the product of later mischief-makers who wanted some sort of justification for using scripture to have their way with others. No, the third little phrase of Luther’s is solus Christus, Christ (not any old Christ, but the crucified and risen one) Christ alone. So here is what to pick and choose from Scripture: the proclamation that all people are beloved and right with God, it’s a gift, trust it – and it is yours from the very mouth of Christ to your ears – no matter who you are, no matter what you’ve done or are doing or will do. Repent: change your mind and heart and get rid of the God of wrath.

And so that you may hear precisely that proclamation over and over and over again, some people in the church are trained and ordered by the church to fill the Office of Word and Sacrament. Therefore, as one called by the church of Christ, at the order and command of Christ, and in Christ’s place and stead, I declare unto you that which truly matters in Scripture – namely – that all your sins – all – past, present and yet to come – are completely and freely forgiven for the sake of Jesus Christ. So come now, come to receive the token of that forgiveness, the true Body and Blood of Christ that you live in that promise all the rest of your days until you with Christ are fully risen from death. And anything else in scripture to the contrary – well pour some water on it – the waters of your baptism will do – pour some water on it, lest you or someone else get badly burned.