We are Reformation People

I have to be a seminary nerd for a bit, because...well...that's what I am. Growing up Lutheran I probably had more exposure to the concept of the Protestant Reformation than most kids. Really, how many 3rd graders do you know who come home from Sunday School with scrolls of the 95 Theses? That was me. And my church. And I loved it. I knew from an early age that Martin Luther wrote A Mighty Fortress is Our God, that it was the battle hymn of the Reformation, and knew that every year at this time we'd get to sing it. The bright red banners and vestments would come out (red = the color of the Reformation), and well, at the time, that was about all I knew. Today at Fuller we celebrated the Reformation, as this past Sunday was Reformation Sunday. Walking into chapel this morning, seeing the bright red banners, hearing the trumpet soloist playing the beginning of A Mighty Fortress, seeing clips from the movie Luther projected onto the screen gave me my usual shiver of anticipation, the feeling that we are about to enter into something bigger than us.

Dr. Clay Schmidt preached this morning. He's our professor of preaching, and an ordained Lutheran pastor (ELCA, not LCMS for those family members wondering--Fuller is way too liberal for an LCMS pastor to want to come here...it's really not, too liberal that is,...but well...that's another conversation...). Dr. Schmidt preached about how we are a "Reformation people," we are who we are today because of the Reformation, and we have to remember that. In many churches and denominations we ignore anything "traditional" like celebrating the Reformation, and remembering where we as a people have come from, but I think when we ignore this, we are losing sight of our history, we are forgetting the men and women of faith who have stood up to things that they believed were wrong, who have given their lives for the preaching of truth and grace. I felt like I'd walked into the Hall of Faith this morning as names like Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, Knox, and Melanchthon were mentioned. Our past is worth celebrating, worth remembering. Happy Reformation week everyone!

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,

On earth is not his equal.

That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.
~Martin Luther 1529