THE CHRISTIAN YEAR – REFORMATION DAY
The 31st of October is “Reformation Day”. On that day in 1517, Martin Luther, a professor of theology at the University of Wittenberg in Germany, posted on the door of a prominent church an invitation to a debate on the church’s practice of selling “indulgences” in order for people to receive forgiveness of their sins. The invitation also stated Luther’s own position in 95 points, and thus came to be known as his “95 Theses”. That event sparked an upheaval in the church — a period of debate, conflict, and reform that lasted for more than 100 years, and came to be known as the Reformation. Many Protestant churches (including the Presbyterian Church) came into existence during that time.
Another prominent figure in the Reformation was John Calvin, from France. In the 1540s and 50s, he established in Geneva, Switzerland, a separate branch of the Reformation from Luther’s. Now known as the Reformed Tradition, this branch of the church is the one to which our own Presbyterian Church in Canada belongs, along with the United Church, the Christian Reformed Church, and many other denominations around the world.
Reformation Day is not only an occasion to commemorate the accomplishments of the Reformers, but also to recognize that the church always needs reforming in order to stay true to God’s wishes and purpose for his people. The symbolic color for Reformation Day is red, in recognition of the fact that a great many people lost their lives during the turbulent years of the Reformation.