http://revbrentwhite.com/2012/07/16/gods-grace-from-beginning-to-end/
Reformation Day
October 31, 1517,
Martin Luther nailed his ninety-five theses to the castle church door of Wittenberg. This was a common way of making announcements
at the time, and since November 1st is All Saints day, a day of
special observance, crowds were guaranteed to see the announcements.
At the heart of the 95
theses was a custom of the day, selling indulgences in order to raise money for
the church. The general idea was that
one could buy more rapid exit from purgatory for one’s self or a relative. In the famous words of Johann Tetzel, “Sobald der Gülden im Becken
klingt, im huy die Seel im Himmel springt,“
(as soon as the guilder in the box clings, hurriedly the soul into
heaven springs.“)
The Pope was
rebuilding St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome,
and needed money to work on it. He sent
Tetzel and others to raise money through the sale of indulgences. Martin Luther
found this reprehensible, and nailed his objections to the church door. (The 95 Theses can be found at: http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/wittenberg/luther/web/ninetyfive.html
Several points made by
Luther:
If the pope had this
power than he should let all people out of purgatory.
Money spent on charity
would do us more good than money spent on indulgences.
Repentance is
necessary.
The Pope had enough
money to repair St. Peter’s, and should have used his own money.
Martin Luther’s theses
were extremely important to the church and to Europe
and eventually the world. They lead to
challenging the Roman Catholic Church in other areas (such as holding church
services in languages which the people understood, the marriage of clergy and
many other factors. Most of the
Protestant Churches we have today are a direct or indirect result of this
challenge to the Roman Catholic Church.
The Roman Catholic Church indeed reformed itself to some extent, to win
back people lost to protestant churches.
Europe itself, became divided between the Protestant North (Great Britain, Scandinavia,
Prussia, Holland,
Latvia and Estonia), and
the Catholic South. Among the
Protestants was a great desire to know God’s word in one’s one language and to
apply it to one’s life. Europe was transformed, not only religiously by the
reformation, but economically as well.
Religious wars changed the face of Europe, and indeed had a great affect
on those who wrote the constitution of the USA. George Washington feared sectarian wars, and
for this reason the USA
did not recognise any one form of Christianity.
Tonight is also
Halloween, from All Hallows Even, meaning the evening before the feast of All
Hallows (i.e. All Saints Day). This
feast was originally held in May but was moved. There is some confusion as to just where the traditions regarding Halloween come from, but modern scholarship seems to indicate that on this night, poor children and adults would go door to door asking for soul cakes, for which in turn they would pray to the dead. Modern scholarship seems to indicate that there never was a relationship between All Hallows Eve, Celtic Festivals and Witchcraft. When studying such things, if one is careful, they are liable to find out that most things having to do with "Celtic," whether Pagan or Christian, have very little to do with reality, and more to do with romantics, or people who would discredit Christianity.
Collect: Heavenly
Father, on this day Martin Luther nailed his theses to the door of the Wittenberg
Cathedral, not to challenge the church, but to transform it into a true body
for mission. Grant us zeal in reforming
the church and translating scripture and liturgy so all may understand your
word, and be enabled for mission to the entire world. This we ask in the name of our Lord
Yeshuah. Amen. (white)
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