October 31, 2021
For you many of you goblins and ghouls, you might not realize the 31st of October represents another holiday that is particularly important for the Church. It’s Reformation Day. Many Protestant Christians remember this day, not as an ‘official’ holiday, but an informal one. For it commemorates the day in 1517, that Martin Luther, known as the father of the Reformation, sparked a fire that would not stop burning.
On that day in 1517, Luther took a hammer and nailed his ninety-five theses to the door of the castle church in Wittenberg, Germany. It was there the Protestant Reformation began. These theses were copied and spread across Europe as an appeal to reform the pope’s money making schemes that touted a quick buy for salvation. Luther, having studied the Scriptures for himself saw the necessity of salvation to be by grace alone and according to the Scriptures alone. He began to understand the Bible’s authority over church tradition as well as how man can truly be just before God. It would not be by faith plus anything else, whether given by the pope or church. But it would be by grace alone and through faith alone.
Luther was not the first to discover these ‘reformation’ truths, however. In 1517 it was a rediscovery that was sparked. One key part of the Reformation was evidenced with the translation of the Bible into German by Luther. The Bible was not to be only read and interpreted by those educated to do so. It was to be in the hands of the people. The Bible is the word of God given to man. Luther’s desire was for each man, woman, and child to be able to read the Word of God in their own language. This would be a key in igniting a passion for God and the Bible.
We could say much more about the Reformation. We will discuss a few of the implications in the upcoming weeks. But for now, while many are dressing up and carving pumpkins, let’s also remember the great work of the Lord on that pivotal morning in 1517.
Pastor Kelley