Most of you probably know October 31 by the day of Halloween. For many of my faith tradition, we also know this day as Reformation Day. It's a day that carries a great deal of significance toward understanding God and His actions in this world, and in some ways, observes a day that had a great deal of influence in shaping the world we know today.
In ancient days, November 1 was set aside as a day to remember those who had died. For Christians, this day was one in which those who had died in faith would be remembered. They had received the inheritance of their faith: eternal life with God because they had been forgiven through Jesus and the cross. So the day was called All Saints Day, as God's people would remember those who had gone on in faith before them.
Several traditions sprung up from that. In many towns and villages, the night before, a person or two would dress up as a devil or demon, and the townspeople would chase that devil or demon out of town. They would then be rewarded for doing this. (I'm sure you can see how this would later on lead to the current observance of Halloween, with people dressing up and looking for treats.)
For Christians, November 1 would be a very high celebration day. Special worship times were set aside to remember God's promises of grace and forgiveness, and many would gather for those times of worship. So, in the early 1500's, when a young monk by the name of Martin Luther wanted to initiate some discussion on the teachings and practices of the church, he went to the door of the local church in Wittenberg, Germany, to post his 95 different thoughts, or theses, upon which he desired discussion.
That began a movement that has had both good and bad repercussions. On the one hand, Luther and a number of his colleagues wanted to get back to what the Bible said about God, Jesus, and salvation, rather than things that were decided by group vote at council-type meetings. The message of Good News that God gave in the Bible should be the focus, they maintained. This led to a movement to look to the Bible for the truth, rather than other places.
On the other hand, though, it created a great rift between people who held to the Christian faith. Some people were kicked out of the church at that time, which led to their gatherings being separate from other Christians. Over time, those differences have led to more and more "splinter groups" of Christians, forming what are the many denominations, each of which have different understandings of what God says in the Bible, and how it impacts our life.
For those of my tradition, who have Luther's name attached to our churches, and who study his thoughts in how to understand the Bible, October 31 has always been a special day. It is the day that essentially started the whole Reformation process. That's why, in Lutheran churches throughout the world, special times of worship were held yesterday or today which remember those events that have given shape and form to how we understand God and His work.
In ancient days, November 1 was set aside as a day to remember those who had died. For Christians, this day was one in which those who had died in faith would be remembered. They had received the inheritance of their faith: eternal life with God because they had been forgiven through Jesus and the cross. So the day was called All Saints Day, as God's people would remember those who had gone on in faith before them.
Several traditions sprung up from that. In many towns and villages, the night before, a person or two would dress up as a devil or demon, and the townspeople would chase that devil or demon out of town. They would then be rewarded for doing this. (I'm sure you can see how this would later on lead to the current observance of Halloween, with people dressing up and looking for treats.)
For Christians, November 1 would be a very high celebration day. Special worship times were set aside to remember God's promises of grace and forgiveness, and many would gather for those times of worship. So, in the early 1500's, when a young monk by the name of Martin Luther wanted to initiate some discussion on the teachings and practices of the church, he went to the door of the local church in Wittenberg, Germany, to post his 95 different thoughts, or theses, upon which he desired discussion.
That began a movement that has had both good and bad repercussions. On the one hand, Luther and a number of his colleagues wanted to get back to what the Bible said about God, Jesus, and salvation, rather than things that were decided by group vote at council-type meetings. The message of Good News that God gave in the Bible should be the focus, they maintained. This led to a movement to look to the Bible for the truth, rather than other places.
On the other hand, though, it created a great rift between people who held to the Christian faith. Some people were kicked out of the church at that time, which led to their gatherings being separate from other Christians. Over time, those differences have led to more and more "splinter groups" of Christians, forming what are the many denominations, each of which have different understandings of what God says in the Bible, and how it impacts our life.
For those of my tradition, who have Luther's name attached to our churches, and who study his thoughts in how to understand the Bible, October 31 has always been a special day. It is the day that essentially started the whole Reformation process. That's why, in Lutheran churches throughout the world, special times of worship were held yesterday or today which remember those events that have given shape and form to how we understand God and His work.
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