A woman in a parish I served in New York once told me about how her childhood church celebrated Reformation Day. She said that after the Sunday morning worship her Sunday School would gather with the Sunday Schools of all the Protestant congregations in town. They would be joined by a band made up of members from the same congregations, and march to the large Roman Catholic Church where they would sing “The Church’s One Foundation is Jesus Christ Her Lord”. This competition between Roman Catholics and Protestant denominations has existed since the time of Luther.
Fortunately, in recent decades we have learned to talk with each other, discuss our differences, and learned to appreciate each other. Lutherans still celebrate Reformation Sunday. However, we don’t do this to put down other kinds of thinking, but to proclaim again to the world our belief that salvation comes to us as a gift from God.
Lutherans are unique among world religions in the emphasis we place on grace. We believe that we are unable to earn salvation no matter how good we are, or how much we accomplish, but God in endless love forgives our sin and restores us to wholeness. This is the theology we celebrate this Sunday. This is the message we offer the world. God loves us even knowing all our sins.
Thanks be to God.
Pastor Bill