Romans 11:5-6 5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

In the year 1415, a gentleman by the name of John Huss was burned at the stake for speaking out about the pope and the wrong doings of the Catholic Church. He believed in the authority of the Bible over that of Canon Law and the Pope. For this, he was deemed a heretic and sentenced to burn. His last words are often recorded by historians as “in 100 years, God will raise up a man whose calls for reform cannot be suppressed.” Almost 100 years later, on All Hallow’s Eve in 1517, Martin Luther nailed the list of 95 Theses of Contentions to the doors of Wittenburg. It seems that the prophecy of John Huss had come true.

The 95 Theses were what Luther considered to be the sins of the church and the papacy at the time. The Catholic Church was in the midst of collecting money to build St. Peter’s Basilica, and collected money by selling indulgences. Often the relics that were viewed or bought with these indulgences were fake, leading the Catholics of the time to be nothing more than scammed out of their money. One such collector of these indulgences said “Every time a coin in the coffer rings a soul from purgatory springs.” The Catholic church was teaching that money was the way to heaven, and that nothing else mattered.

Martin Luther saw this, and realized that this was wrong. His readings of the Bible had enlightened him to realize that God’s grace is free, and that we are saved solely based on grace through faith. Through his study of the New Testament, mainly Romans, Martin Luther realized that God’s grace is sufficient enough, that nothing else needs to be done. However, we must have faith in the God that gives us this grace.

This coming Sunday we will celebrate Reformation Sunday. You will notice that things will look a little different than they have been. You will notice that the paraments will be red, along with my stole and chasuble. We use the color red to symbolize the work of the Holy Spirit in the Church (the same reason we use it for Pentecost Sunday). I encourage all of you to wear your red as well, proclaiming that not only are you Lutheran, but that you are a part of the continually reforming church. We will celebrate the Eucharist with one another, sharing in the Body and the Blood of our Lord as well. Let us come and celebrate this important day in the history of the Lutheran Church!

In our prayers this week: Ray Crawley, Brendan and Madison Fancher, Buddy and Ann, Chris and Michael in Iraq, and Linwood.

God's Peace,

 Pastor Judson