What is Reformation Sunday?
Over 500 years ago a man named Martin Luther (not to be confused with Martin Luther King) lived in Germany serving as a monk whose main duties were to preach and teach. He came to reject several of the Catholic church's teachings and practices of the time, including having to work for one's salvation and the selling of indulgences, which were pieces of paper that got a loved one out of purgatory - a kind of holding place before one's fate was decided, either heaven or hell. Luther instead taught what he saw in scripture - our salvation is a free gift through God's grace. He challenged the authority of the pope and taught that all Christians are a part of the "holy priesthood". He translated the Bible into German - the first-time ever scripture had been in the language of the people, and wrote many hymns still used today. Luther was known to be a fiery person, but also a person who loved deeply and longed for people to love God and know they were eternally loved as well. FAITH is a Lutheran church because we adhere to the theology of Luther and many of the practices Luther lived. Today the Lutheran church can be found all over the world and includes millions of people. We wear RED on Reformation Sunday to acknowledge the Holy Spirit is everpresent and still reforming God's church today!