Reformation

This Sunday is Reformation Sunday when we will celebrate Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed up 95 Theses on church reform on the Castle Church doors in Wittenberg, Germany. Luther is the Lutheran church’s namesake, of course, even though he would shudder knowing there’s a denomination named after him. He preferred to be called an “evangelical”—what that meant 500 years ago is different than what it means in America today. “Evangelical” comes from the Greek word for “Gospel” or “good news.” The Reformation Luther precipitated was a recovery of God’s good news (“evangel”) of grace and mercy in Jesus Christ that we take hold of by faith alone. There’s a lot in that sentence! It was a theological shift in world-view that had ramifications in just about all areas of life.
Some say we are in need of a new “Reformation.” I disagree. Does the church need to change? Yes. But I don’t think our message needs to change that the Holy Spirit through God’s Word raises and forgives “sinners,” comforts those in despair, lifts up those bound by shame, and inspires the lifeless. And that God always comes down for us—in Christ, in the Spirit, through others. If anything, these Lutheran Reformation themes need to be heard more loudly.
I’ve talked to enough people to hear a need for this kind of message. When our own attempts fail at fixing ourselves and our lives—never mind the problems of the world!—then the bigger questions begin. Where is God in all this? What kind of God is looking down on me—a judging one or a merciful one? Where does my hope come from—from something I have to generate within me, or from a loving God outside of me? These are all timeless spiritual questions, ones Luther and his colleagues and followers recognized as such. Their theology is as relevant today as it was 500 years ago.

Peace,
Pr. Christian