500 years ago this Halloween, a Roman Catholic monk named Martin Luther posted 95 theses (points of argument) on the door of his local church in Wittenberg, Germany. These articles of his faith were in response to a number of things he saw as abuses by the Church, including the selling of indulgences as a way to get out of Purgatory, the ascription of holy authority to the Pope instead of Holy Scripture, and the church’s teaching that one can do good works to earn salvation, instead of it being a gift of faith alone.
What started as an invitation to a debate became a controversy that still divides the church today. Luther argued his points publicly with fellow priests and monks, and their debates were widely read through the newly invented technology of the printing press (the medieval Facebook). Soon the Church took action and demanded that Luther recant. He refused, saying famously, “Here I stand. God help me. I can do no other.”
Luther was excommunicated for his refusal to recant, and along with other major leaders protesting actions of the Roman Catholic Church, the movement of their followers became the Protestant Reformation, forming the basis of most of the Protestant churches we know now. Many scholars now prefer to refer to it as the Protestant Reformations, since they weren’t all one organized movement. These include the Lutherans (guess whom they’re named after?), Presbyterians (who followed fellow Protestant John Calvin), the Reformed Church (following Calvin and Swiss reformer Huldrych Zwingli, which spawned several traditions you may know of including the Reformed Church in America and The United Church of Christ).
This October, we are remembering our history as a church that is called at times to stand in Protest because of our faith. We may no longer profess everything Luther stood for, but around us these days are many opportunities to stand for justice, for joy, and for life. They might include taking a knee at a sports event, calling congress on behalf of the poor and oppressed, speaking up when a racist, sexist, or homophobic joke is told in our presence. All of these and much more are part of our call to “Risk-taking mission and service.” It is the way of Jesus to call out injustice, and to invite all around to a greater life of joy.
Our annual stewardship campaign also takes place in October, so we are taking both Luther and other reformers as our inspiration. Why do we give to this church? Why do we share our resources with this place? What do we as a church stand for, and how might we work together to share in life abundant? These will be the questions we ponder this month.
It is said that the door of Luther’s church was painted red. It was a common tradition of the time, signifying the sacrifices of Christ’s blood, the blood of the Passover, and the Holy Spirit. It was also a signal to the poor and oppressed that this was a place of sanctuary and assistance.
This month you will see a red door in our sanctuary, and together we will post our Theses, our faith commitments on which we stand, on this door. In doing so, we remember Lutheran pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s claim that “Jesus does not call [us] to a new religion, but to life.” Together we will practice living and giving in justice and joy.
Ready to take a stand? Here we go!
Rev. Rachel
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