While October 31 is the day that most of America celebrates Halloween, our family (along with four other families) gathered this evening for a Reformation Day party. Perhaps many of you are asking yourself, "what is Reformation Day?" Well, on this date in 1517, a monk by the name of Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, and in doing so sparked the Protestant Reformation which would change not only the church, but the whole world. As Presbyterians whose roots are in the reformation with men such as Calvin and Knox (who, in turn taught the same gospel of grace that Jesus, the apostle Paul, and St. Augustine taught), we use this day to teach our children about Luther, John Tetzel and the indulgences he sold, Pope Leo X, the Diet of Worms, and the like. We also thank God for the incredible witness of those men and women who in the ensuing years would lose their lives for the sake of the gospel of Christ.
So-what did we do at the party? Well, there was a relay race called "trash the indulgences",
bobbed for apples, played "pin the theses on the door at Wittenberg", ate a "Diet of Worms" cake,
and had the kids hit a pinata that was disguised as the 95 Theses (and filled with candy, of course!).
Post Tenebras Lux, "After Darkness, Light"
Links for further reading:
Here I Stand- a phenomenal biography of Martin Luther
Luther- an entertaining movie on Luther (2004)
Martin Luther: A Man Who Changed the World- excellent resource for teaching younger children about Luther
The State of the Church Before the Reformation- an article from Modern Reformation magazine. Excellent!
The Cambridge Declaration- another great article from Modern Reformation. This one covers the Five Solas of the Reformation (Sola Scriptura, Solus Christus, Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Sola Deo Gloria).
