The week was almost over and the routine of coming to these sermons was becoming a bit predictable. The day’s schedule had to accommodate the whole affair and sometimes the message was not exactly uplifting. But the sameness could not hide the fact that history was being made. Heinrich wanted to put each sermon into an outline to see what was behind Luther’s plan; perhaps he would do that tomorrow. For now, the time to leave was approaching and everyone went along together.
Luther began: "Yesterday we heard about the use of this holy and blessed sacrament and saw who are worthy to receive it, namely, those in whom there is the fear of death, who have timid and despairing consciences and live in fear of hell. All such come prepared to partake of this food for the strengthening of their weak faith and the comforting of their conscience. This is the true use and practice of this sacrament, and whoever does not find himself in this state, let him refrain from coming until God also takes hold of him and draws him through his Word.
We shall now speak of the fruit of this sacrament, which is love; that is, that we should treat our neighbor as God has treated us. Now we have received from God nothing but love and favor, for Christ has pledged and given us his righteousness and everything he has; he has poured out upon us all his treasures, which no man can measure and no angel can understand or fathom, for God is a glowing furnace of love, reaching even from the earth to the heavens.
Love, I say, is a fruit of this sacrament. But this I do not yet perceive among you here in Wittenberg, even though you have had much preaching and, after all, you ought to have carried this out in practice. This is the chief thing, which is the only business of a Christian man. But nobody wants to be in this, though you want to practice all sorts of unnecessary things, which are of no account. If you do not want to show yourselves Christians by your love, then leave the other things undone, too, for St. Paul says in I Corinthians chapter 13, “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” This is a terrible saying of Paul. “And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.” Not yet have you come so far as this, though you have received great and rich gifts from God, the highest of which is a knowledge of the Scriptures.
And if you will not love one another, God will send a great plague upon you; let this be a warning to you, for God will not have his Word revealed and preached in vain. You are tempting God too far, my friends; for if in times past someone had preached the Word to our forefathers, they would perhaps have acted differently. Or if it were preached even now to many poor children in the cloisters, they would receive it more joyfully than you. You are not heeding it at all and you are playing around with all kinds of tomfoolery which does not amount to anything.
I commend you to God.”
It was over just like that; another quick one. But Heinrich and Sarah, like probably many others in attendance, were puzzled by the contrast and the negative tone to the message. Love was extolled on one side and “no love” found on the other with a threatening pronouncement on those who insisted on “tomfoolery.” Was it aimed at everyone? Everyone left with guilt hanging over them.
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