May 11, 2015 – “R” is for Reformation

The Protestant Reformation is a big deal for the Lutheran Church. We celebrate Reformation Sunday every year, yet it continues to lose its power and significance the further we get from October 31, 1517. The Protestant Reformation has been called a “16th century religious, political, intellectual and cultural upheaval that splintered Catholic Europe.” Other sites refer to it simply as “…the schism within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin, Huldrych Zwingli and other early Protestant Reformers.”

So what sparked this “Reformation”? Some say it was the nailing of the 95 Theses and their consequent distribution (thanks to Gutenberg’s Printing Press) that began the movement that would splinter the Catholic Church, eventually sparking denominations such as the Presbyterian Church, the Methodist Church, and the Radical Reformation that gave us leaders like Menno Simons,Thomas Müntzer, Andreas Karlstadt; and other groups like the Zwickau prophets and Anabaptist groups like the Hutterites and Mennonites.

Luther loved the church he was a part of, but he did not love some of their practices – especially the selling of indulgences. He posted the list of 95 complaints hoping to start a conversation – instead he began a time of real upheaval and conversation. He even had a contract out on him which drove him “underground” to live for a time at the castle at Wartburg when he refused to recant at the Diet of Worms.

As I said earlier, the celebration of Reformation Sunday has been losing its power and significance over the last 30 years. However, in the year 2017, we will celebrate the 500th anniversary of this significant social, political, and religious event. My hope is we will once again reclaim the significance of this event, which may lead us to reclaim a hunger for the Word of G*d.

Pastor Dave