Reformation Day

Today was a celebration of reformation day. About 500 years ago, Martin Luther nailed 95 "thesis" or complaints against the Church to the door of the Cathedral at Wittenburg. On that day, Luther protested (among other things) the practice of selling letters of forgiveness (indulgences) to poor Christians to fund church construction even though forgiveness is supposed to be a free gift. Luther’s action kicked off Lutheranism and pretty much the whole Protestant movement from the Roman Catholic Church.

This evening we decided to make it our own personal reformation day, and had the people write their own complaints against Christianity and our own church in particular. The main theme we came up with was the idea that we are bound up in old traditions that have little relevance to people outside the church. In some way, participating in church is reaching back to something ancient, something bigger than yourself… thousands of years old but still living. On the other hand sometimes we get caught up in the trappings of ceremony or personal piety, and put off those who come with spiritual seeking. Probably the worst thing a Christian can do is to put himself on a holy pedestal. Jesus himself condemned this hypocritical “show faith” in the book of Matthew:

"Their lives are perpetual fashion shows, embroidered prayer shawls one day and flowery prayers the next. They love to sit at the head table at church dinners, basking in the most prominent positions, preening in the radiance of public flattery, receiving honorary degrees, and getting called 'Doctor' and 'Reverend’. Don’t let people do that to you, put you on a pedestal like that. You all have a single Teacher, and you are all classmates. Don't set people up as experts over your life, letting them tell you what to do."

“Do you want to stand out? Then step down. Be a servant. If you puff yourself up, you'll get the wind knocked out of you. But if you're content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty.”

People from all branches of the church whether Lutheran, Episcopal, Baptist, or Catholic sometimes put tradition and piety before substance. God looks for the humble heart of a servant in all of us… one that puts the needs of our family, friends, and community before our own without an eye toward “looking holy”. I have to admit it is tough actually live that way, but an occasional reformation is good for the church.