On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses (statements, complaints, and even hopes) to the church door in Wittenberg, Germany. The church door of Luther’s day served as a community bulletin board. We can imagine his 95 Theses posted there next to a notice about a lost dog, an upcoming concert, or maybe a horse for sale. Historians point to these 95 Theses as the genesis of the protestant reformation in Germany. It also marked the beginning of the Lutheran Church (Martin Luther would most likely not approve of a church named after him, his vision was of a church known by how it shares the good news of God’s love). At Reformation, we celebrate the good news of God’s love for all. Martin Luther experienced a deep awareness of God’s unconditional love for all, a mercy that comes from God and is for you and for me. It is that “for you” that some scholars say defines Lutheran theology and a shared message. For Luther, God is at the center. God is the subject, the giver, and we are the grateful objects or receivers of this love and mercy. As grateful receivers, we live with a deep sense of prayer, praise, and thanksgiving. On this Reformation weekend, we are filled with gratitude for what God has done for us. We give thanks for our church home and all the ways we gather for worship, week in and week out, to receive the good news of God’s unfailing love in Word and Sacrament. We give thanks for pastors like Pastor Judith who has been a messenger of this love in our midst and who now retires (and will remain a member here at Central but no longer on the pastoral staff). We give thanks for our life together and all the ways we are messengers of this good news of God’s love in our daily lives and specific callings. For me, the prayer of the tax collector in the Gospel lesson opens up these themes on this Reformation weekend. He prays for mercy, which in the original languages of the Bible, is always the prayer for God’s steadfast love, grace, and renewal. May we all give thanks for God’s continual reforming presence that loves us into new possibilities and the ways of mercy for one another and the world. Yours in Christ Jesus, Pastor Peter
