It is October, 2017 and this month we celebrate 500 years since Luther took a bold stand against issues in the church of his day. He posted ninety-five theses, points for debate, in Wittenberg, Germany on October 31, 1517. That moment was like the first domino to fall in a series of events, debates, decisions, and writings that transformed the landscape of western Christianity.
Early in his days as a monk, he longed for righteousness and knew he was sorely lacking in and of himself. He confessed his sins for hours and tried to achieve a righteous life through his efforts and self-punishment.Luther’s breakthrough moment came through reading Romans 1:17. His mind was opened through this scripture and he received God’s grace. That grace was needed by everyone and Luther finally understood it!
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Romans 1:17(ESV)
For in [the Gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
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As we mark the anniversary of the 95 Theses milestone we recognize the accomplishments of the Reformation. Luther restored the Gospel of Jesus as the central theme of the church. He renewed the gift of grace to all who believe. He recovered a faith-based relationship with Jesus. In short, Martin Luther reminded the church that it is all about Jesus!
In our worship services for the month of October we will use a series of messages entitled “RE.” All the sermon titles will be words that begin with those letters: Repent, Renew, Rejoice, Reform… We celebrate what Luther did, but in a way that honors him – by worshiping Jesus for what our Lord has done and the grace we receive in Him!
There are other activities this month to mark the Reformation. A joint worship service with other area Lutheran churches is planned for October 8. The recent Luther movie will be shown at the theater at the Great Mall on October 18. A presentation of Luther’s life will be shared at First Immanuel in San Jose on October 20. And Reformation Sunday will be October 29!
Celebrating five-hundred years of Grace,
Pastor John