October 31, 1517: the date that shall live in the Grace and lives of Christians everywhere.

Martin Luther, a monk in the Augustinian Order, priest, and professor, began to see a year or so before, some alarming problems in the Roman Catholic Church. It began for Luther with the selling of Indulgences. Indulgences are documents signed by the Pope to grant the purchaser a designated number of years off of their stay in purgatory. 

Luther’s mind, faith, and heart were continually opened by the Holy Spirit through the study of the Word of God. The more he studied, the more aggravated he became with the teachings and practices of the Catholic Church. And Luther was also offering a solution to the problems of the Church. He wanted to fix it. Better said, Luther wanted to reform it.

So on October 31^st, All Hallows Eve, the day before All Saints Day, Luther attached his “95 Theses” to the front door of the Castle Church in Wittenburg. What was meant originally a list of topics to be debated, the document was copied, printed, and distributed throughout Germany and beyond. The document fired up the Church. It began a movement.

And that movement still lives on in Christianity 509 years later, especially in many congregations like Faith that bear the name “Lutheran.”

Luther discovered and uncovered the basic truth that all mankind is saved from itself and its’ sin and given a new life by means of God’s grace alone, through Faith alone based upon Scripture alone. What we do in our lives does not contribute toward our salvation. That work is done by God alone through Christ alone. We are given a gift. That gift is Jesus. Luther also saw that the works on behalf of humanity that we do are done out of humble service. We are but slaves because of the righteousness of God. We do the works because God saved us and gave us a new life. 

So, let us let God change our lives through the work of Jesus. We are sinners saved by grace through faith. Dear God, send Your Holy Spirit to humble us deeply to the core of our lives. Holy Spirit, move us to see ourselves as sinners through and through. Lead us to repentance and the desire to receive the forgiveness of our sins. Lead us to confess to You that we are sinners in thought, word, and deed and that we cannot free ourselves from our sinful condition. Move us to see Jesus more fully and what He did in order to free us from the bondage to sin to the freedom that comes with Grace, and the willing service of our lives for others because of You. This we pray in Jesus’ name, amen.

Be a participant in the grace of God through Faith. Let us bless the Lord! Thanks be to God!