Reformation’s reverberations
Churches will mark 500th anniversary of Protestant faith.
On Oct. 31, 1517, a monk transformed Christian theology by nailing a series of theological questions on the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany. The changes wrought by Martin Luther's 95 theses were to have far-reaching implications that still reverberate today.
"What Luther started was like a fire that quickly spread," said the Rev. Barrie Henke, senior pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Edmond.
"He posted it on the campus bulletin board, which just happened to be the church door. He did it because the next day was All Saints Day and there would be a gathering. The timing was impeccable."
Luther's questioning of the theological topics and practices of the Church sparked what came to be known as the Reformation or the Protestant Reformation.
In the coming days and weeks, numerous Oklahoma churches, including Henke's, will mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation with musicals, festivals and other special gatherings. St. John's Lutheran Church in Moore will host a Reformation Fair on Oct. 28, and Lutheran Church of
Our Savior in Bethany is planning a German Dinner Sunday on Oct. 22.
The Rev. Mark Muenchow, senior pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church, said his church will host what is predicted to be
one of the largest Reformation anniversary gatherings in the metro area. Messiah Lutheran will be the site of the 500th Anniversary Reformation Festival Worship Service set for Oct. 29. The event is hosted by the Central Region of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, Oklahoma District.
Muenchow said the commemorative gatherings are important because the Reformation was a reawakening of the Church.
“God used Martin Luther as a powerful force to reawaken the Church to three important doctrines (often called the three solas): Scripture Alone, Grace Alone and Faith Alone,” he said.
The concept of Scripture Alone holds that the Bible as God’s inspired, inerrant Word is to be the source of doctrine and practice.
This was so important to Luther that he translated the Bible into German for the first time so that the people could read the truths of scripture for themselves, Muenchow said.
Grace Alone means that believers are saved completely as a gift from God based on what Christ did for them in His sinless life, sacrificial death and victorious resurrection, Muenchow said. He said Faith Alone means that a believer’s faith in what Christ has already done, (not in the good works they do), is what brings the salvation won by Christ to the believer.
Henke’s church has held a lecture series that brought in speakers from across the country to discuss different aspects of the Reformation. Henke, who is president of the Oklahoma District of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, said his congregation and others in the metro area have responded to the series so enthusiastically that the church plans to continue the series through November.
Activities here and abroad
Henke said Germany has become an extremely popular destination in the wake of the Reformation anniversary as Lutherans gather there as part of their faith expression and to “walk where Luther walked.” He said other Protestants are looking to travel there as part of their faith expression, as well.
Some metro-area church leaders and churches have traveled to Germany in recent months for Reformation-themed tours.
Some leaders and members of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church recently took one such trip and Muenchow at Messiah Lutheran said he plans to depart for Germany soon.
The Rev. Jonathan Meyer, associate pastor at Henke’s Holy Trinity church, participated in a choir that sang at several sites in Germany in June.
Meyer said individuals who were part of the choirs at two Lutheran seminaries in America were invited to audition for the traveling choir and he was chosen for what was called the Joint Seminary Alumni Choir.”
He said a highlight of the trip was singing in the Castle Church at Wittenberg about 30 feet from where Luther is buried.
“That was neat moment just realize that this is where it all began,” Meyer said.
Meanwhile, the Rev. Paul Kirbas, senior minister of Westminster Presbyterian Church, said the Reformation has been the focus at his church since
September.
Kirbas said he leads a pastor’s Sunday school class that has focused on the Reformation personalities like Luther, John Calvin and a man important to Presbyterians, John Knox.
Kirbas said a Wednesday evening study is focusing on a book called “The Protestants.”
Then, on Oct. 29, the church will host a Festival of Hymns related to the Reformation.
“It’s a very important anniversary of the roots of our Protestant faith,” Kirbas said.
“I think people are very interested because it’s an important anniversary, but it’s also a great connection to what’s going on in the world.”
Relevance of Reformation
Henke said the Guttenberg press served to publicize Luther’s 95 theses to the masses. He was the most circulated writer of the time and was famous because of the temerity he showed in challenging the Church.
Luther was concerned that people were being encouraged to pay money to be forgiven for their sins, among other Church practices he considered corrupt. Henke said he was a scholar and theologian but he also knew how to talk to non-academics.
Like Muenchow, Henke said it is significant that churches are taking the time to focus on the Reformation. He said it is still relevant in today’s society.
“I think it’s a call for all of us to get back to what the Word of the Lord says, not just to pat ourselves on the back but to focus on the Word being made prominent,” Henke said. “That’s something that is being lost in today’s society, especially the authority of the Word. Scripture has to be our authority. If you have no authority, it’s free for all.”
The Rev. Mark Bersche, senior minister at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Moore, said one of the integral themes from the Reformation was that people didn’t have to earn salvation because it was given to them through faith in Christ. “The Reformation was really where the Church was put back on track,” Bersche said.
“For worldly thinking, if something has value, then you have to pay for it, and that’s true in the world. But God gives us the gift of eternal life through Christ. We, as human beings, are incapable of doing it so God did it for us in the person of Jesus.”
Kirbas said it is important to remember the Protestant Reformation motto, which is “Reformed and Always Being Reformed.”
“It’s not just celebrating a moment in history but our belief that God is always reshaping the Church to be relevant to the world,” he said. “Reformation is not just about the past. It’s about our future.”