This Sunday is Halloween. But more importantly, it’s Reformation Day—when the church celebrates and commemorates October 31, 1517. It was on this day (a Saturday) that a 33-year-old theology professor at Wittenberg University walked over to the Castle Church in Wittenberg and nailed a paper of 95 theses to the door, hoping to spark an academic discussion about their contents. In God’s providence and unbeknownst to anyone else that day, it would become a key event in igniting the Reformation.
This weekend, excited children in all forms of fanciful dress, will approach neighborhood doors all across America with the traditional greeting of “Happy Halloween.” Boys and girls who can barely talk know that this little phrase is the not-so-secret password to get candy. However, within a few days the candy will be gone, the costumes put away, and life will return to normal. Yet, on one October 31st, about five-hundred years ago, an agitated German priest, dressed in the simple robes of his order, approached the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany to post a discussion paper with 95 points of contention. What happened that day set off a gospel revolution that is still of vital importance today.
The gospel must not only be proclaimed, but also defended in each generation. The paragraph at top is taken from a Gospel Coalition interview of historian Carl Trueman from 2010. I’d encourage you to read it through and perhaps discuss it with your family this week. Maybe October 31st will have a greater significance that just a day to have fun, dress up, and get treats. http://blogs.thegospelcoalition.org/justintaylor/2010/10/25/95-theses/
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. —Romans 5:1
–Pastor Dave