A WORD FOR TODAY, October 22, 2025
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, October 22, 2025
Lectionary Scriptures for October 26, 2025, Reformation Sunday: Revelation 14:6-7; Psalm 46; Romans 3:19-28; John 8:31-36
“If therefore the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36, WEB
We are beginning a brief study in our adult forum class about the Nicene Creed, which was first used one thousand seven hundred years ago. The work of developing the Nicene Creed began 1700 years ago. There were a few additions in the ensuing years, but the confession of belief was developed to establish a foundation for the common faith of the Christians. It was necessary because there were so many questions in the early days of the Church, and there were some who were spreading ideas that did not stand up to biblical scrutiny. As part of the study, we are going to talk about why we do some of the things when we gather to worship our God.
The readers of this writing come from a wide variety of backgrounds, many of which do not use creeds or follow the liturgy. Some of you are probably even bothered by it. I understand, although I personally find great comfort in the rhythm of the liturgy and the unity of our voices as we join together through time and space proclaiming the incredible grace of God as has been revealed in Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. The ancient creeds, the beautiful hymns, the liturgy brings it all together under the watchful gaze of our great and glorious God.
One of the reasons why we are pursing this study is because I was recently asked about certain aspects of our worship. Why do we do this? Why do we do that? What does that mean? The friend who asked had noticed that our paraments (the coverings on the furniture in our sanctuary) were different colors but had not realized that there was a pattern that the changes reflect the rhythm of the church year.
The paraments in our church on Sunday will be red, and the congregation is encouraged to wear red as well. Why? For many churches, particularly those considered Protestant, Sunday is the day we remember the day Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-five Theses on the Wittenberg Church door, beginning the Reformation.
So, why red? Red is often the liturgical color for martyrs, symbolizing the blood shed for their faith, but Martin Luther was not martyred for his faith. Oh, he suffered. He was ostracized. He was threatened. He was rejected. But he managed to live a relatively long life, dying from medical issues in his sixties. He had struggled with his health for many years. One month before he died, he complained about his infirmities. “I, old, weary, lazy, worn-out, cold, chilly, and, over and above, one-eyed man.” He then sighed, “Half-dead as I am, I might be left in peace.” Sadly, he didn’t find that peace in this world, even in the waning years of his life, Martin Luther had to deal with crisis after crisis, in the church and in the secular world in which he lived.
The red we wear on Reformation Day isn’t necessarily about blood or martyrdom, although we can identify the red with the blood of Christ, which was the focus of the reformers all those years ago. Our life, our faith, our reconciliation with our Father came by the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We were bought with a price, the very high price of His crucifixion. The writings of Martin Luther bring to mind our inability to live up to God’s expectations and Jesus’ ability to overcome the world so that we will inherit His kingdom.
Red is also the color of the Holy Spirit. It is the color of flames, a symbol that represents the tongues of fire that came upon the disciples on the day of Pentecost, another day we wear red. That same Spirit has always been part of the church, guiding God’s people to stand according to His Word. He was there 1700 years ago when the theologians debated the basis of our doctrine about the Trinity and the character of God. He was there five hundred years ago when the reformers were trying to restore what had been lost. He continues to be with us through every struggle, whether the crises were internal or external, within the church or from persecution. The Spirit fills us, as He filled Christians throughout time and space, to do the work of God, the work of the Church, to bring the Gospel in word and deed to the world.
Red can also represent sanctuary. The doors of churches in Europe during the middle ages were often red, including, perhaps, the door on which Luther posted his theses. The red doors were a beacon for the poor and the oppressed, calling them to the one place where they find grace and peace. The Church, and church buildings, was a place of sanctuary. We wear red to remind ourselves that we are in communion with those who came before us and those who come after us, gathered and unified by the Holy Spirit that burns in our hearts, enlivening and enlightening us, so that we will stand together in God, in love and as witnesses to His grace.
It is ironic that we would talk about unity on Reformation Day when it seems as though Martin Luther was anything but a unifier. Luther never wanted the church to split; he simply wanted some aspects of the church to be restored to the way they had been in the beginning. He always wanted reconciliation, even if he refused to concede the points that he believed mattered to the Christian faith.
The Christian faith is about reconciliation and forgiveness, and the universal Church has tried in every generation to find common agreement. It happened in 325 when the Nicene Creed was written. It happened in 1517 when Luther posted his Theses. It happens today as churches try to work together to find our common bonds. None of us are perfect, including Martin Luther, so even while we continue to disagree on so many things about the faith we confess, we need to find a way to forgive one another and seek God’s grace. He has been working for more than two thousand years, helping Christians believe in what matters: Jesus.
Why does any of this matter? Why should we bother to learn the history of division when we have found our own sense of peace in our faith? Martin Luther never wanted division; he wanted reformation and restoration. Our ultimate goal, even today, is for unity in Christ's Church. It may be difficult, it might even be impossible, but the Christian faith is founded upon forgiveness and reconciliation. If we can't forgive our brothers and sisters in Christ, how will we ever preach forgiveness to the world? The lessons we learn from the texts chosen for this Reformation Sunday are applicable to all of us, the entire body of Christ, no matter our differences. The texts, which focus on God's saving grace, are the foundation of our faith.
Martin Luther was an educated man who studied the scriptures and had a good sense of God’s love, but he was so riddled with guilt that he spent hours confessing his sins and seeking forgiveness. He was a priest, and he was afraid that if he was not justified before God, then his entire congregation would be condemned forever. He included every minor and trivial thought, word or deed that was not perfect. He suffered great pains spiritually. He tried to be perfect, but when he was not perfect, he obsessed over receiving forgiveness for himself for the sake of his congregation.
One day, however, Martin Luther realized that he could never confess himself into salvation. He rediscovered the foundation of the Gospel message in Romans 3: it is not by our works that we are saved, but the amazing grace of God saves us.
When Martin Luther read the passage from Romans 3, he rediscovered the foundation of the Gospel message: it is not by our works that we are saved, but by the amazing grace of God. It is so much easier for us to do good works than to accept the humbling reality that we can never make ourselves good enough to enter into the presence of God. We don’t want God to see our imperfections, and we fear what will happen when He does. It is much, much harder for us to cry out to God in our imperfections because we are truly afraid of what He might say. Yet, the true path, the better path, is to cry out in faith knowing that God is gracious and merciful, full of forgiveness. There is nothing we can do to earn His grace, but in faith we can boldly approach Him with our needs. He will listen. He will heal. In Him and in Him alone, we experience grace and peace. We are comforted by the reality of God’s faithful love that we confess when we gather to worship Him.
The turning point for Luther’s faith was the reminder of God’s grace. He realized that there was nothing he could do to make himself right with God. He was a sinner in need of a Savior, and only Jesus Christ could bring justification and sanctification to his life. This knowledge made Luther free. It makes us free, too, to live and love and work according to God’s righteousness, following the passions of our heart which by faith will be in line with God’s will. He calls us from the inside; we receive the gift of faith by which we believe in Jesus. God changes us by that faith and our new attitude makes us long to be actively involved in God’s creative and redemptive work. We are not forced to be righteous according to some man-made expectation. God has made us righteous and, in His righteousness, we do what is right. He has set us free.
Martin Luther’s act of nailing the Ninety-five Thesis on that red door in 1517 began something that he never intended: division in the body of Christ. But on this Reformation Day, we can talk about forgiveness and reconciliation with our brothers in sisters in Christ across the national and denominational boundaries. We are bound together by something that cannot divide us: the grace of God. We can, as John wrote, “Fear the Lord, and give him glory, for the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and the springs of waters!” together in our own time and place, in our own way, despite our differences. The God who formed the earth has saved us and given us the faith to live in the here and now until that day when we will be reconciled with Him and one another for eternity.
In the texts for today we see a strong and powerful image of God. He is “our refuge and our strength.” We need not fear, because God is a very present help in trouble. It was Psalm 46 that Martin Luther used as the basis for one of his most important works: the hymn “A Mighty Fortress.” God is always with us. He is a fortress in times of difficulty and a refuge in times of need. When things look bad in the world in which we live, as they must have looked to Luther in 1517, we can rest assured that God is present, active and faithful.
The Old Covenant included laws that were required for righteousness. Leaders demanded obedience, and they made threats or bribes to keep the people in line. The leaders laid heavy burdens on the people, and the people failed. That’s why God made the New Covenant that gives the believer the faith to live according to God’s Word.
Jesus told those listening that the truth would set them free, but the Jewish leaders didn't understand what he was talking about. “We are Abraham’s offspring, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How do you say, ‘You will be made free’?” They relied on their heritage; they relied on Abraham and Moses for their salvation. But since it is impossible for sinful human beings to keep the Law perfectly, they would always fail to live up to the expectations of that Law. Jesus said that whenever you sin, no matter how small or insignificant, you are a slave to sin. This is what Martin Luther discovered when he was trying to confess himself into salvation.
The New Covenant reforms our thinking about God’s Law and God’s Word. In faith we respond to the call of God. The Old Covenant, which comes from outside, is replaced with a covenant that comes from inside. The Law still has a purpose, in that it helps us to see our need for the Savior. When we hear the Gospel, God’s Word is placed in the heart; faith is given so that we can act out of love rather than fear. We are no longer burdened by that Law, but we are set free to live out God’s Word by faith.
I once listened as a church leader give a message about stewardship using the theme of loyalty. He demanded that every member be loyal to that church, to that building, and to that ministry. He missed the mark in that speech, and in doing so laid a heavy burden on the congregation. Our loyalty is not to a building or a pastor or a denomination. Our loyalty is to God. It is good that we find a place to practice our faith with others who have similar ideas, enjoy similar worship, and are able to focus our faith on the same things. It is good to join together in the rhythm of the liturgy and the unity of our voices through time and space proclaiming the incredible grace of God as has been revealed in Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is good to join our offerings, our good works, and our gifts with others of like mind so we can work together for a common purpose. In the meantime, people in other places with other ideas and styles and focus will do things together, too, all for the glory of God. But we have to remember that we are not serving the church or even the people; we are serving God and doing these things for Him. When we focus our loyalty on the world, we lose touch with God, and we are once again a slave to sin.
There is a rock opera based on the life of Martin Luther, written and performed by the group Lost and Found and based on a graphic novel published by Dr. Rich Melheim. The songs tell the story of the beginnings of the Protestant Reformation and ends with a song to make the listeners consider how the Reformation continues today. The refrain is, “If I knew that the world would end tomorrow, I would plant a tree today. There is hope amid the sorrow and there’s joy along the way. There’s a world in every moment and a moment when we find that the tree of life is growing all the time.”
We might wonder whether the Reformation is still relevant. What do the thoughts of a 16th century German monk have to do with us today? Why do we continue to celebrate the day Martin Luther posted Ninety-five theological arguments on a church door?
We point to Martin Luther as the catalyst for the Protestant Reformation, but the work began long before his time. In the early 15th century, a man named John Hus was burned at the stake for speaking the same ideas that Luther put forth a hundred years later. Before him, John Wycliffe published the New Testament in English. Wycliffe also argued against the hierarchy of the Church. Though he died of natural causes in 1384, he was declared a heretic in 1415 and posthumously excommunicated. His body was exhumed, his bones burned to ashes and thrown into the River Swift. We might consider Martin Luther one of the most influential men in history, we have to remember those who went before him, as well as those who encouraged, supported, and worked with him as He fought the good fight. He served God in many ways as an individual, but he always knew that he was part of something much bigger.
The name Hus meant goose in German, and John Hus wrote from his prison cell, “Today you all roast a goose, but more than a hundred years from now a purer swan will come, who will finally sing you a different little song.” There aren’t many people who would call Martin Luther a swan; as a matter of fact, there are many who have nothing good to say about the man. He was arrogant in many ways, also brash and bold and loud. I can only imagine what he’d have been like if he’d had Twitter during his life. He was a sinner in need of a savior.
What made Luther the swan was that he never wavered in his faith and held firmly to the truth no matter what others did to him. He struggled with so many crises, but he stood firmly on the Word of God. He lived in the grace that God has so freely given to each of us. Too many of the reformers were martyred at the hands of those who feared the destruction of their power by the reforms suggested by men like Martin Luther, but thanks to God and those around him, Luther survived to accomplish incredible things. He risked his life, his home, his family, and even his vocation to stand for the truth that he saw in the scriptures. He was excommunicated, threatened, and forced into hiding. He lived through war and famine, disease and other disasters. He suffered from physical ailments, too. Through it all he believed. If there is anything that truly makes the Reformation still relevant for us today, it is Luther’s understanding of faith.
The Reformation was not about making things new but about re-forming the world to be as it was meant to be. We all stray. You can see that throughout the story of God in the Bible. God created everything and it was good. As a matter of fact, after He created mankind, He called it all very good. Yet, it didn’t take very long for Adam and Eve to turn from God. The patriarchs had many good attributes, particularly faith, but they all failed in some way. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and Solomon all wandered from the right path, but they cried out to God, turned to Him in repentance and were transformed by His grace.
The nation of Israel was just like those individuals. They had good moments when they were faithful, but it never took very long for them to turn away from God. The kings would turn to idols or seek help from the pagan nations and the people followed. They forgot the God who was their salvation. After a few generations, God raised a new king to reconcile them with their God, and God always renewed the promises He had made to their forefathers. Though they sinned, God never abandoned them. Sometimes God had to let them suffer the consequences of their unfaithfulness, but He never let them go. He was always their refuge and strength. After a season of struggle, they cried out to Him, He restored them to Himself, and they were re-formed into the nation He intended them to be. Sadly, it never lasted more than a generation or so.
Isn’t that what happens with us? We turn from God, suffer the consequences of our sin, cry out to Him, are forgiven and transformed, but eventually we turn from Him again. This is not how it is meant to be, but we are sinners even as we are saints. We have faith, but we are not always faithful. The same is true of the Church. She might be right with God in one generation, but it doesn’t take long for her to turn from Him. Again and again, human beings go from faithfulness to faithlessness to repentance and God is always there for us, always ready to make us new again. He re-forms us into the people we are meant to be. One day, when time ends and we have entered into eternity, we will finally be restored to Him fully and completely forever. Then we will no longer need the Reformation. For now, however, we are, as Luther so eloquently put it, “simul justus et peccator” which means “simultaneously saints and sinners.” We need to be constantly re-formed.
God’s Word will continue to re-form His people and restore us to Himself whenever we wander off His path. This is true of us as individuals and of the Church. The Reformation is certainly still relevant today because we constantly need to be re-formed into the people and the Church God has created and redeemed us to be. We need to be reminded of God’s grace, of His forgiveness, of the hope that only comes by trusting in Him.
One of the stanzas from that song from the rock opera I quoted above goes like this: “Stumbling through the dark, when this all began, seeing what was wrong, yet without a plan. Now, we’ve come so far, it seems as though we’re done, but God’s reforming word has only just begun.” Every day is a day for reformation. Every day is a day to trust in God. Every day, even the final day, is a day to plant a tree, always hopeful and joyful that God will keep the tree of life growing for eternity because God has set us free to truly live as we were meant to live.
I sometimes wonder if it is time to have another Reformation, and there are others who think the same. Unfortunately, the focus of a new Reformation for many is a personal freedom to do what they feel is best according to their hearts. However, the Reformation we need is the reminder that we are sinners saved by grace and that God has mercy on us so that we might glorify Him with our lives. We need to recognize God’s grace. We need to remember that God’s grace does not set us free to live as we want; He sets us free to live to His glory. In that grace we are called to live in a manner in which our faith will grow and that our love for one another will increase.
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