Celebrate the Reformation with a single service on October 29 at 10 am! Learn about our Lutheran history, enjoy special music, and spend time in fellowship after service as we reflect on 506 years.
The Protestant Reformation was a religious reform movement that swept through Europe in the 1500s. It resulted in the creation of a branch of Christianity called Protestantism, a name used collectively to refer to the many religious groups that separated from the Roman Catholic Church due to differences in doctrine.
The Reformation began in Wittenberg, Germany, on October 31, 1517, when Martin Luther, a teacher and a monk, published a document he called Disputation on the Power of Indulgences, or 95 Theses. The document was a series of 95 ideas about Christianity that he invited people to debate with him. These ideas were controversial because they directly contradicted the Catholic Church's teachings.
Luther's statements challenged the Catholic Church's role as intermediary between people and God, specifically when it came to the indulgence system, which in part allowed people to purchase a certificate of pardon for the punishment of their sins. Luther argued against the practice of buying or earning forgiveness, believing instead that salvation is a gift God gives to those who have faith.
While Luther's intention was never to divide the church, his objections to the indulgence system paved the way for other challenges to the Catholic doctrine throughout Europe.
The Augsburg Confession, the 28 articles that constitute the basic confession of the Lutheran churches, was presented June 25, 1530, at the Diet of Augsburg to the emperor Charles V by seven Lutheran princes and two imperial free cities. The principal author was the reformer Philipp Melanchthon, who drew on earlier Lutheran statements of faith. The purpose was to defend the Lutherans against misrepresentations and to provide a statement of their theology that would be acceptable to the Roman Catholics.
The Reformation was, first and foremost, all about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It was then, and it still is now. The task of reformation never ends — for every person, in every generation, needs to hear the good news of Jesus Christ and God's saving grace. So on Reformation Sunday, we do not celebrate a singular event but the continual act of God in repentance, revival, and relationship.
On Reformation Sunday, we will use words from the Augsburg Confession to guide us through service to remind us of the things we believe about God, about the Trinity, about original sin, confession, absolution, justification, and prayer.