Reformation Day

In the midst of all the Halloween festivities, I think it's important to remember that October 31 is a very important day in the history of the church. In the Protestant church, October 31 is called Reformation Day. It was on this day in 1517 that Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the doors (see photo) of the church in Wittenberg, Germany. It was this single act that most people point to as the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.
Here's a little bit more about this amazing man of faith from Wikipedia:

Martin Luther (10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest and professor of theology who initiated the Protestant Reformation. Strongly disputing the claim that freedom from God's punishment of sin could be purchased with money, he confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517. His refusal to retract all of his writings at the demand of Pope Leo X in 1520 and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms in 1521 resulted in his excommunication by the pope and condemnation as an outlaw by the emperor.

Luther taught that salvation is not earned by good deeds but received only as a free gift of God's grace through faith in Jesus as redeemer from sin. His theology challenged the authority of the pope of the Roman Catholic Church by teaching that the Bible is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge and opposed sacerdotalism by considering all baptized Christians to be a holy priesthood. Those who identify with Luther's teachings are called Lutherans.
His translation of the Bible into the language of the people (instead of Latin) made it more accessible, causing a tremendous impact on the church and on German culture. It fostered the development of a standard version of the German language, added several principles to the art of translation, and influenced the translation into English of the King James Bible. His hymns influenced the development of singing in churches. His marriage to Katharina von Bora set a model for the practice of clerical marriage, allowing Protestant priests to marry.

I hope you will join me in giving thanks for Martin Luther and his faith that helped to transform both the church and the world. For we who embrace Protestantism, in many ways he is our spiritual father. In fact it was upon hearing a reading of Martin Luther's preface to the Epistle to the Romans that John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, felt his heart "strangely warmed". For Wesley, this would be a turning point in his history and many point to this moment as catalyst for the Methodist church and Wesley's transformational ministry.
I hope you are having a wonderful weekend. Thanks for being a part of my journey!