From the Desk of Pr. Dan Forsgren
November 2016
Reformation Again?
October 31, 2016 will mark the beginning of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.
499 years ago, a young priest, upset about what he believed were injustices that existed
within the church, posted 95 Theses on the doors to the Castle Church in Wittenburg,
Germany. These theses or sentences addressed issues and practices Luther saw were
contrary to the Gospel message. It was the invention of the Gutenberg printing press, along with the 95 Theses that
allowed the Reformation to take hold. There had been a number of earlier reforms attempted which had been put down,
usually with the demise of the one attempting the reform. Not to distract though, because Luther had the advantage of the
printing press, these ideas spread, and the Protestant Reformation began.
It is interesting to think about the actions of one man long ago which have had lasting effects even to our own day and
age. We are children of God; we are also children of the Reformation. Much of our identity as Lutherans stems from the
theology through which Martin Luther found so much freedom and experienced the vastness of God’s love.
I wonder however, what Martin Luther would think of the variety of denominations that bear his name? It is important
that we remember that Luther never, I repeat, NEVER wanted to break away from the Catholic Church. What he sought
was reform of the Catholic Church, but along the way he encountered resistance from the very system which he saw as
needing that reform. Luther, the dedicated monk, the Catholic Priest and teacher would probably not like his name being
attached to our church; he was after all, totally aware that all things were from God and God then deserved all the glory.
There was a time, not all that long ago when relations between Catholics and Lutherans were…tense. For whatever the
reasons, there has been animosity in our pasts, the idea of a Catholic vs. Lutheran mentality; this should not be. We have
so much more in common than we hold in difference. It is my hope that as we continue to recognize the need for reform,
because, let’s face it, the church is always in need of some type of reform, and is always reforming, the campaign of the
ELCA “Always Being Made New” speaks of our constant reforming as we continue to engage this world, as we continue
to bring the Word of God to an ever-changing world. My hope is that we can celebrate our differences, and bind ourselves
together even stronger on that which unifies us.
It is exciting to think about this next year, about what kinds of celebrations we could be a part of. Think of how we could
partner with other congregations celebrating the bold steps of one man that helped to change the face of religion in the
world; but not in an egotistical way, like, “look what Luther did! Aren’t we wonderful?” Instead, we rejoice with an
attitude of gratefulness that Lutherans and Lutheranism have something to offer the world…a word of grace and of love
from our God who loved the world enough to die for it, who loved the people of the world enough to die for those people,
for you, for me, for our brothers and sisters across the globe. It’s going to be an exciting year…now that’s a reason to
celebrate!
In Christ,
Pastor Dan