A Reformation Sunday to Remember!

Reformation Sunday, the last Sunday of October, marks the four hundred and 81st anniversary of an event which changed the church and the world.  On October 31st, 1517, a priest named Martin Luther nailed to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, a collection of 95 religious arguments for discussion about God and the church that got the world talking (please note:  the doors of their church were wood, not glass like ours so DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!) . 

This document, Martin Luther’s 95 Theses, questioned the unbiblical and hurtful practices of the church of that day, helping people to see their faith in a new, biblical light.  That new invention, the printing press, helped bring about the spread of this document and soon it was all over the continent.  As people were freed to read the scriptures for themselves, they saw that God is a LOVING and FORGIVING God, not one of vengeance and wrath; grace, not Law, was God’s hope for reaching humankind; peace and joy, not hopelessness and despair, were God’s gifts to us in faith; faith and love, not fear and dread, were the bonds that connected us to God.  God’s great love for us in Christ was spreading again!  The church, which had been caught in a web of sin and political power (they usually go together, don’t they?), was set free to hear God’s word and serve him with joyful, forgiven hearts! 

Every year we celebrate that same Reformation of the faith, renewing our commitment to the study of Scripture and re-affirming our involvement as a church and individuals to the spreading of the Gospel of forgiveness in Jesus Christ to the world.

This year we have a special way to do this – we’re celebrating the 50th anniversary of our School Ministry! This coming Reformation Sunday, October 25th, we are with thanksgiving to God remembering 50 years of Reformation ministry, bringing the biblical word of God’s Grace and Love in Jesus Christ to families in our community.  We have invited as many former students and staff as we could find and having a celebration of that ministry of evangelism which has touched so many lives in the past AND CONTINUES to do so today. 

A son of former Sr. Pastor Andy Anderson, the Rev. Paul Anderson (himself a graduate of our school) will be leading us in worship that Sunday and helping us to reaffirm our part in this evangelism-centered Reformation Ministry here at Trinity Lutheran. 

That whole Reformation Sunday weekend, October 23rd through the 25th, will be a time of celebration, of remembering, of re-dedication, and of worship.  We have an event for the leadership of the congregation (and spouses!) on Friday at 7 pm.  Saturday evening at 7pm the whole congregation is invited for a service of inspiration, worship and for a time of fellowship. And on Sunday, Reformation Sunday, we join together for worship (traditional worship with Communion at both services), for a celebration of 50 years of ministry through the school, and a potluck lunch at noon. 

It will be a wonderful, joyous, inspirational weekend. Many of your fellow members of Trinity are working very hard to make this a special and memorable time. We hope and pray that you join us in the celebration.

Serving Christ with you,

Pastor Larry Becker