This Week
Livestream
Reformation Sunday morning
8:00 AM
Reformation Festival afternoon
4:00 PM
The Beginning of the End: It's time to stay steadfast
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Jesus told his followers, “You will be hated by everyone because of me” (Matthew 10:22). So, the time between Christ’s first and second coming is going to be perilous for believers. Jesus himself said it would be this way.
We see a good example of this in Martin Luther. All that priest wanted to do was to clean up abuses in the church, so that the church would share the pure gospel with the world. For trying to do just that, both political and religious leaders wanted to end his life.
The Festival of the Reformation emphasizes our unfailing reliance on the Word of God. We give unflinching testimony to that Word even in the face of persecution. Today we pray that the Lord would keep us steadfast in the faith.
The Lutheran Reformation: The Truth Will Set You Free​​​​
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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.
Jesus told the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, then you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” This was a core principle of the Lutheran Reformation. God’s Word is truth, and we want to hold onto the entire truth of God’s Word without departing from it.
In the 21st Century, the truth of God is trivialized, relativized, discarded, and disregarded. This fact is rampant in the secular world. Sadly, even in visible churches today the truth of God’s Word is brushed aside in favor of man-made teachings that are more palatable or more reasonable. People want to be scratched where they itch, and today there is no shortage of teachers who will tell people what they want to ear.
The quality of a visible church is not measured by the size of its attendance, the eloquence of its speakers, or the beauty of its buildings. Jesus says, “If you continue in my word, then you are really my disciples.” We want to teach and preach and believe only what is true, for in God’s true Word alone is life.
Today we gather to observe the 509th 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.
