In celebration of Reformation Day, on Sunday, October 31, 2021, Good News Church had a surprise visit from the father of the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther! Drue dressed in full monk attire and recited this script that he wrote in 2017 in celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation (1517). Whether you do or don't know much about Luther and the Reformation, you'll enjoy reading through this script! You can view the corresponding slides in the PDF file titled, "Martin Luther Reformation." Feel free to share and use these resources however you'd like.
We'd also encourage you to watch the 2003 movie, "Luther," available via the attached YouTube link.
WHAT IS REFORMATION DAY?
In April of 1521, the Roman Church held an assembly (aka "diet") in Worms, Germany, known as the "Diet of Worms," for the expressed purpose of calling Martin Luther to account for the 25 writings (including his 95 Theses) that the church believed to be heretical. On April 17th, Martin was asked to respond as to whether or not these were indeed his writings and if was willing to recant and revoke these heresies. Knowing that his life most likely depended upon his answer and that he risked being burned at the stake as a heretic, Luther asked for time to seek counsel and pray before giving his answer. The assembly granted his request and gave him 24 hours. On April 18th, after much agony and long hours of prayer, Luther appeared before and responded to the counsel with this statement, "Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. Here I stand, I can do no other. May God help me. Amen.” Upon hearing Luther's statement, the counsel began deliberations, and on May 25th, the counsel declared Luther to be an outlaw, banning his literature, and requiring his arrest: "We want him to be apprehended and punished as a notorious heretic." The counsel also made it a crime for anyone in Germany to give Luther food or shelter, and permitted anyone to kill Luther without legal consequence. Shortly after the counsel's ruling, Frederick III (an influential figure in the Catholic Church and proponent of Martin Luther) protected Luther from the Pope's enforcement of the edict by faking a highway attack on Luther's way back to Wittenberg, by abducting him and then hiding him at the (at that time 500 year old) Wartburg Castle in Eisenach, Germany. It was here that Martin Luther translated the New Testament into German, making the scriptures accessible for the first time to common people, and thus fueling the Protestant Reformation and breathing a fresh new wind into the great gospel message of salvation, known as the Five Sola's, by scripture alone (sola scriptura), by faith alone (sola fide), by grace alone (sola gratia), through Christ alone (solo Christo), to the glory of God alone (soli Deo gloria).