When you nail your questions to the Door!

What happens when you nail your serious Spiritual concerns and questions to the door of your Church? Well, if your name is Martin Luther, then you are seen to have started the Reformation. Even though the 31 October is marked as Reformation Day (and this year is the 500th Anniversary), Luther was not the first to mobilise radical changes in the Church, and nor will he be the last. In fact, some scholars argue that Luther's intention in nailing the 95 Theses to the door was to provoke debate, rather than 'draw a line in the sand'.

"The 95 Theses, were written in a remarkably humble and academic tone, questioning rather than accusing. The overall thrust of the document was nonetheless quite provocative. The first two of the theses contained Luther’s central idea, that God intended believers to seek repentance and that faith alone, and not deeds, would lead to salvation. The other 93 theses, a number of them directly criticising the practise of indulgences, supported these first two." - www.history.com

Luther could not have known where his strong beliefs and convictions would have taken him, but he was adamant that he needed to speak the Truth. He never wanted to see the Church divided by his actions, but it ended up that way. Reformation, Renewal, Revival - whatever we call it - is necessary at times and often there are painful changes that need to be made.

And so, as we all mark the 500th Anniversary of that eventful day, may we be challenged to ask the Spirit what needs to be Reformed in our hearts. Perhaps a Reformation needs to take place closer to home?

"I have held many things in my hands, and have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess." - Martin Luther

"Faith is a living and unshakable confidence, a belief in the grace of God so assured that a man would die a thousand deaths for its sake." - Martin Luther

Living in Grace
D3LM3