Reformation
8:00 AM
East Valley Area Reformation
4:00 PM
Live like you'll live forever: Live a life of courageous witness
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Jesus repeatedly told his followers that living as his disciples would bring hardship. Living life according to God’s Law is going to make one appear odd in the eyes of the world, perhaps even evil. Sharing a message of mankind’s sin and God’s gracious salvation can cause offense. So why not just stay silent if that makes life easier? Why not keep our faith private?
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Answer: because we are going to live forever.
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In gratitude for Christ saving us and giving us eternal life, we share the gospel with others, hoping that they will believe and be saved too. Since we know we are going to live forever in the perfection of heaven, we don’t worry if being a witness for Christ brings hardship or even death.
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Martin Luther wanted to reform the false teaching of the church. He stood firm in the truth of the gospel, knowing it might cost him his life. But Luther knew that thanks to Christ, he would live forever.
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So will we. Therefore, like Luther, let us live a life of courageous witness.
Sing to the LORD a new song!
Today we celebrate the Festival of the Reformation of the Church. The heart of the gospel is the forgiveness of sins, purchased and won for us through the innocent death of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who was slain for the sin of the world. The teaching of the Christian Church is based on Scripture alone. Neither church traditions, the decrees of popes and councils, nor emotion or reason can replace the pure Word of God as the foundation of truth.
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Our theme today celebrates the 500th anniversary of the first Lutheran hymnal, the Etliche Christliche Lieder (Some Christian Songs) and often referred to as Achtliederbuch (A Book of 8 Songs). It was published in 1524 in Wittenburg, Germany, home of so many important Lutheran events. This hymnal’s purpose was simple: to allow the people to participate in singing and preaching the truths of the gospel. Lutheran adversaries complained about this idea of a songbook, saying, “The whole people are singing themselves in his [Luther’s, based on Holy Scripture’s] doctrines.” Such an observation beautifully summarizes the purpose of our singing in Lutheran worship.
To thank and praise God for the gift of a hymnal, we will sing the texts of 7 staunch Lutheran poets from over the centuries: Nikolaus Decius, Johann Franck, Martin Franzmann, Paul Gerhardt, Martin Luther, Michael Schultz, and Paul Speratus. Three hymns today were in this first Lutheran hymnal: “Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice,” “Out of the Depths, I Cry to You,” and “Salvation unto Us Has Come.” Singing the Christ-centered words of composers whose head and heart are grounded in Scripture and in full agreement with the doctrines of our Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod gives us great comfort and joy.
Today we gather to observe the 507th anniversary of the beginning of the Lutheran Reformation. We celebrate the grace of God who reformed his Church and brought back the pure, simple, beautiful truth of the gospel of free forgiveness and eternal life through Jesus our Savior.
