Print

Weekly Devotion

10-26-25

Life in the Spirit: Church & Community

The Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed: Sanctification

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins…

Luther’s Explanation:  What does this mean? 

What does this mean?

In the same way (the Holy Spirit) calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian church He daily and richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers. 

Pr. Steve’s Introduction: 

There is a lot that happens this weekend. We celebrate Reformation Sunday, and the scriptures point to a new relationship with God, written on our hearts by the Spirit, a relationship made possible by the forgiveness of God in Jesus, a relationship that leads to new life and freedom in Christ.

On this Reformation Sunday, a group of young people affirm God’s promises and call given in baptism. We have called it “Confirmation Sunday,” but better to say, “Affirmation of Baptism.” The light of faith is passed from the parents to these young people.

Luther’s teaching in the catechism makes explicit what is said in the creed: the Spirit of God forms the church. We know the Spirit of God by what the Spirit does. Rather than a description of what the spirit looks like, the Catechism describes what the Spirit does and how God takes action in the world. The Spirit is God as a verb. The Spirit is God Almighty active in the world. The Spirit calls, gathers, enlightens, sanctifies (makes holy), and joins people to Jesus. Christian Spirituality is a Christ centered spirituality.

Jesus is now present in the world through the body of Christ formed by the Spirit.

The work of the Spirit is often called sanctification or making holy. For Luther, this is not how I become holy for God, not how I show that I am a true believer for God. Rather, sanctification describes how the Spirit works to bring Christ to me in a daily experience of faith.

We live in an age where spirituality is often seen in individualistic terms. In the catechism and in the Bible, spirituality happens in community. As Jesus said, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am.” God is relational, and God draws people into relationship with one another and Christ through the Spirit. The church is many things, but above all, the church is community formed by the Spirit, where forgiveness of sins is given and received.

Why community? One to say, I confess, another to say, God forgives. One to put out their hand in communion, another to say, “the body of Christ for you.” The Spirit creates the Church so that we might experience the forgiveness of God in Jesus Christ.

Though we live in a time of many denominations, with different understandings of the Spirit, we confess that deep down, there is only one church, only one body of Christ, just as there is only one Lord and one Spirit. That means while we may hold on to our denominational differences, we hold them with a light hand.

Jeremiah 31:31-34

31 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 32 It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 No longer shall they teach one another or say to each other, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord, for I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more.

Romans 3:19-28

19 Now we know that, whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For no human will be justified before him by deeds prescribed by the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin. 21 But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed and is attested by the Law and the Prophets, 22 the righteousness of God through the faith of Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, 23 since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; 24 they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; 26 it was to demonstrate at the present time his own righteousness, so that he is righteous and he justifies the one who has the faith of Jesus. 27 Then what becomes of boasting? It is excluded. Through what kind of law? That of works? No, rather through the law of faith. 28 For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law.

Gospel: John 8:31-36

31 Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, ‘You will be made free’?” 34 Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever. 36 So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”

Opening Discovery

1. What is your personal story of involvement/participation in a congregation?

2. What kinds of experiences/engagements made it more compelling or meaningful?

3. Less compelling or meaningful?

Discover More

1. In the creed, the Holy Spirit makes the church: in quick order we confess in the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins. We experience God in community. How has that been true for you?

2. We are taught that the Spirit “calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies.”

a. How has God called you through the Gospel? How has the story of Jesus given you faith?

b. How has God gathered you? What is your experience of being two or three in Christ, and the sense of Christ is with you?

c. How does the Spirit enlighten you? How has God provided insight, intuition, wisdom, courage in your walk of faith?

3. This week we celebrate the Affirmation of Baptism, or as some say, Confirmation Sunday. Affirmation means “yes.” When we were baptized as infants, our parents and sponsors took responsibility to live the covenant of baptism. Affirmation means I hear the call of the Gospel and participate in the church, the communion of saints, and the forgiveness of sins. What do you remember of your confirmation, if you experienced that as a teenager?

4. Sanctification, being made holy, has been viewed in two ways in the history of the Christian church.

• One way describes how we draw close to God by the attitudes and actions we do to show we are growing in faith toward God.

• Another way describes how God draws close to us so that we experience in a daily way the truth of God’s forgiveness and life. We grow in faith, but rather than seeing it as a personal achievement, we bear witness to the movement of God in our life.

How has your faith deepened over the years?

Was there a certain time in the past when you felt more fully alive in faith. Why was that so?

Discover More Together

1. Why do you think it is harder to be the church today than when you were growing up? What are the challenges facing the church to be church today?