Final draft, January 26, 2012
Preached July 1, 2012 in the park at Thornville, OH
Thornville Community Worship service to celebrate July 4th
Preached July 1, 2012 in the park at Thornville, OH
Thornville Community Worship service to celebrate July 4th
It's not so much what we put in as much as what happens afterwards.
1 Corinthians 10:31
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
I know what you're thinking as soon you see the title today. You probably think I'm going to make some reference to a Fear Factor episode or some tribal moment on Survivor.
Since I'm not a huge fan of those shows my inspiration today comes not from TV, but from my current history class at MTSO.
Our class is on the Middle Ages through the Reformation.
Our class is on the Middle Ages through the Reformation.
We spent some time talking about Martin Luther and his contributions.
Our instructor always does a short essay quiz at the end of each weekend session to basically make sure we've been paying attention.
He gives us a few names or events to choose from and we pick 3, then gives some basic facts on those people or things.
The one thing on the list that caught my attention (but I did not comment on in my essay answers) was the phrase "Diet of Worms".
Found a simple Wikipedia article on the subject here.
Seems in Worms, Germany around 1521 there was a "diet" of rulers, princes and leaders, of various areas who met to talk about Luther and his subjects that he had been writing and speaking about.
One might not know much about the Reformation, but it should be clear to most that Luther saw several things within the structure and theology of the church that he wanted to see change.
He wrote fervently and unashamedly about how he felt and it made some people quite upset.
So much so that this "edict" was made at Worms about Luther.
Diet of Worms.For this reason we forbid anyone from this time forward to dare, either by words or by deeds, to receive, defend, sustain, or favor the said Martin Luther. On the contrary, we want him to be apprehended and punished as a notorious heretic, as he deserves, to be brought personally before us, or to be securely guarded until those who have captured him inform us, where upon we will order the appropriate manner of proceeding against the said Luther. Those who will help in his capture will be rewarded generously for their good work.
No, I'm not going to tell you to try to eat some.
We all should have some basic idea of the word 'diet' by now.
The word is showcased in commercials and we have all been told about how our diet affect every part of our physical, mental and social outlook.
Of course, I had to see what Webster's might say about such a simple word as 'diet'.
I was rather amazed at the broad use of the word in our lexicon.
Definition of DIET
1di·et
noun
1a : food and drink regularly provided or consumed b : habitual nourishment c : the kind and amount of food prescribed for a person or animal for a special reason d : a regimen of eating and drinking sparingly so as to reduce one's weight - going on a diet
2: something provided or experienced repeatedly - a diet of Broadway shows and nightclubs
2diet
transitive verb
1: to cause to take food : feed
2: to cause to eat and drink sparingly or according to prescribed rules
intransitive verb
: to eat sparingly or according to prescribed rules
3diet
adjective
1: reduced in calories - a diet soft drink
2: promoting weight loss (as by depressing appetite) diet pills
4diet
noun
1: a formal deliberative assembly of princes or estates
2: any of various national or provincial legislatures
Not many words I've seen that go through so many changes.
From noun to verb to adjective and back to noun.
Four different ways to use it and in such varying ways.
The simple idea of nutrition, which I'm guessing most of us already felt we knew, is central.
Have you ever stopped to think about what we do in the church, on the job, in our legislature and politics as "diet"?
With what we do and how we conduct ourselves we are actually feeding a situation or a job/career or a nation with the fuel it either needs to succeed or fail.
In the 10th Chapter of 1st Corinthians, if Paul is making any kind of point here, it is that what we put into the body will eventually come out and have an effect on the world around us.
He starts by making the case from the standpoint of Israel's History.
It follows the same theme Paul speaks about here.
Jesus just fed 5,000 men plus their wives & children, most likely.
Fed 5,000+ out of a simple offering of bread and fish and they still can't believe in who He is.
What they were looking for as nourishment was off a teensy hair in the spiritual state.
They were looking for a king to come and set them free from Roman rule.
He wanted to be the King of their hearts and show them that their sin was the reason they were under Roman rule in the first place.
There needed to be some sort of separation from their way of thinking and what Christ wanted to show them.
Paul wanted to show his readers in 1st Corinthians that they could not keep up a diet of partaking in their old life of pagan rituals and still partake in the new life of communion with the Lord.
At the heart of Luther's writings, what he wanted was for the church to simply stop and take a long hard look at what it believed and why it was doing the things that it did.
He was not looking to make changes in the papacy or at some political level.
He wanted theological and philosophical change; to affect a life of spiritual polity and practice within the Christian life.
Prior to reading those words of Paul's in the opening chapter of Romans, "the righteous shall live by faith", Luther's life had been one of following ever ritual and practice of the church to the T.
He partook in ever sacrifice and practice one could imagine looking for peace and fulfillment and justification with God.
Luther began to pour over the scripture as if he was looking for something he had missed.
Upon discovering that "faith", his outlook changed.
In 1521, at the Diet of Worms, he gave this response to those who would call him a heretic because of his writings.
But, it's not so much that he wanted his "diet" to be 'scripture alone', but what his outlook became once on that diet.
I can sympathize with Luther's feelings, as I think I understand them.
Have you ever felt like you've been lied to?
You've wanted to do and say the right things in life only to find out everything you've been taught was misleading?
That's how I interpret Luther. Maybe you've been in the same boat.
Now that we've heard God speak clearly and we know we are doing the right thing, we want to do it all for His glory.
As Paul would suggest from 1st Corinthians - (paraphrase, my own)
"Sure, I could do whatever I want to do, act however I want to act, say whatever I want to say - but is it healthy? Is it the right thing to do?"
Luther would say NO. His diet changed and so did his outlook.
Paul would say NO. "But, whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
It's 12:40 AM as I type this and somebody just posted something about tacos on Twitter.
Man, I want to make a Taco Bell run so bad.
Think I'll just wait for tomorrow.
Not many words I've seen that go through so many changes.
From noun to verb to adjective and back to noun.
Four different ways to use it and in such varying ways.
The simple idea of nutrition, which I'm guessing most of us already felt we knew, is central.
Have you ever stopped to think about what we do in the church, on the job, in our legislature and politics as "diet"?
With what we do and how we conduct ourselves we are actually feeding a situation or a job/career or a nation with the fuel it either needs to succeed or fail.
In the 10th Chapter of 1st Corinthians, if Paul is making any kind of point here, it is that what we put into the body will eventually come out and have an effect on the world around us.
He starts by making the case from the standpoint of Israel's History.
1 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.I'm blown away when I read the scripture from John 6.
It follows the same theme Paul speaks about here.
Jesus just fed 5,000 men plus their wives & children, most likely.
Fed 5,000+ out of a simple offering of bread and fish and they still can't believe in who He is.
What they were looking for as nourishment was off a teensy hair in the spiritual state.
They were looking for a king to come and set them free from Roman rule.
He wanted to be the King of their hearts and show them that their sin was the reason they were under Roman rule in the first place.
There needed to be some sort of separation from their way of thinking and what Christ wanted to show them.
28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
Paul wanted to show his readers in 1st Corinthians that they could not keep up a diet of partaking in their old life of pagan rituals and still partake in the new life of communion with the Lord.
14 Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf.It was no different in the life of Martin Luther.
At the heart of Luther's writings, what he wanted was for the church to simply stop and take a long hard look at what it believed and why it was doing the things that it did.
He was not looking to make changes in the papacy or at some political level.
He wanted theological and philosophical change; to affect a life of spiritual polity and practice within the Christian life.
Prior to reading those words of Paul's in the opening chapter of Romans, "the righteous shall live by faith", Luther's life had been one of following ever ritual and practice of the church to the T.
He partook in ever sacrifice and practice one could imagine looking for peace and fulfillment and justification with God.
Luther began to pour over the scripture as if he was looking for something he had missed.
Upon discovering that "faith", his outlook changed.
In 1521, at the Diet of Worms, he gave this response to those who would call him a heretic because of his writings.
Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. May God help me. AmenLuther sought to fill himself with Scripture and to let that be his final authority.
But, it's not so much that he wanted his "diet" to be 'scripture alone', but what his outlook became once on that diet.
I can sympathize with Luther's feelings, as I think I understand them.
Have you ever felt like you've been lied to?
You've wanted to do and say the right things in life only to find out everything you've been taught was misleading?
That's how I interpret Luther. Maybe you've been in the same boat.
Now that we've heard God speak clearly and we know we are doing the right thing, we want to do it all for His glory.
As Paul would suggest from 1st Corinthians - (paraphrase, my own)
"Sure, I could do whatever I want to do, act however I want to act, say whatever I want to say - but is it healthy? Is it the right thing to do?"
Luther would say NO. His diet changed and so did his outlook.
Paul would say NO. "But, whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
It's 12:40 AM as I type this and somebody just posted something about tacos on Twitter.
Man, I want to make a Taco Bell run so bad.
Think I'll just wait for tomorrow.
