Celebrating Reformation
Friday, September 27th, 2024 | Uncategorized | Comments Off on Celebrating Reformation
By Pastor Phil Vickers
Last month our congregation celebrated its tenth anniversary. This month, we have another anniversary to celebrate.
On October 31st, we will celebrate the 507th anniversary of the Reformation. Halloween is an odd time to celebrate a Church anniversary you might think, and you have a point. Quite honestly, it’s pretty hard to get children to focus on the history of the Reformation with Halloween going on at the same time. But we are wedded to history, and it was on Halloween night in 1517 that Martin Luther is said to have nailed his 95 theses on the door of the castle Church in Wittenburg Germany, thus symbolically beginning the Protestant Reformation. He did this because the next day is All Saint’s Day, and he wanted to post his theses in time for all the Church goers to see them.
Luther, at the time, was not intending to split the Church or create a new Church. His theses were a call to debate and hopefully for change. The Church in the Middle Ages had become corrupt and misled. Most importantly Christ, grace, faith, and the scriptures were no longer at the center of the Church’s message and practice.
God works in mysterious ways. A German monk nailing some thoughts to a door 507 years ago led to a little Church in Tellico Village still having the name Lutheran on our sign. Even though a lot of people might not know the history, and might even be confused or thrown off by the name “Lutheran” (it is a little too close to “Lucifer” for good marketing practices), we still keep the name because we are still trying to do what Luther was trying to do, which is to keep Christ, grace, faith and the scriptures at the heart of all we do as a community. When we can do that, we tend to see that things go well.
We don’t celebrate the Reformation as a victory of one Church over another. We celebrate it because it is one example of how God keeps showing up to reform Churches, but also individuals. The Holy Spirit reforms hearts and minds so that we can live the lives we were intended by God to live, and that is surely something to celebrate.
We invite you this month to come and see what God is up to in our little community of faith. All are welcome to come and worship and also to participate in Holy Communion. We celebrate an open table because it is a reflection that God’s grace is available for everyone. Our service is easy to follow and everything you need to know is right in the bulletin. (That part was real important to me when I became a Lutheran, as I don’t like surprises). Basically, first you sit, then you stand, then you sit, then you stand, then you shake hands with the people around you, sit, take communion, stand, and then come have coffee and donuts in the fellowship hall. Also, if you have trouble standing up that part is optional too. For 507 years now as we have been standing and sitting and taking communion, the Holy Spirit has been coming to reform and bless lives, and for that we are indeed thankful. Happy Reformation month, and please do come see us.
Shepherd of the Lake Lutheran Church
143 Chota Center, Loudon, TN
(across from the POA office)
Phone: 865-816-4756
shepherdofthelaketn.org
