Pastor’s Manna

The Task of Reformation

Last month I was able to visit some of the sites of Martin Luther’s reformation in Germany and study the history of the locations and importance of what happened. This was done in anticipation of the 500 th Anniversary of the date Luther nailed the 95 Theses on the door of the church in Wittenberg.

I have written about the importance of this anniversary for the past several months,, because this historical event was a pivotal point in our churches history. It was the first, of many theological shifts in what would eventually emerge in our history as the Presbyterian Church.. Without Martin Luther,, the stage would not have been set for the other reformers who brought us to where we are today, and lead us to where we will be tomorrow.

You see, the reformation was not a one time event, or even a series of events in the past. The reformation is an ongoing event in the life of the Reformed Churches. We continue to reform ourselves as God works in our hearts and minds through the Holy Spirit’s guidance.

This doesn’t just happen in the church,, but in our own lives as well. We are to constantly be reforming in our relationship and understanding of the work of God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit as we grow in our faith.. Just as many of us no longer hold the exact same views we did when we were in first grade, our understanding continues to develop throughout our faith through a number of ways.

We develop through our community of worship as we gather and sense the presence of the Holy Spirit in our worship of God, together. This is why it is so important for us to come together each week. Not just for our time of fellowship, not just so we are not alone, but so that as gathered body we might lift up our Lord in worship, and allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives and the church.

We develop through our study of the Word of God. How much more difficult is it for the Spirit to work to reform us, if we do not know our story as God’s children, and the message of salvation contained within our Scriptures?

We develop through prayer and our quiet time with God. This is one of the reasons we pray together in worship, and invite you to pray throughout the week at home. Prayer helps us to speak our concerns to God, and allows God to work His concerns in our hearts.

We develop through our lives as well. It is key that as people of God our lives are changed, and other people’s lives are changed through our actions. We truly are the hands and feet of Jesus Christ,  and so we act as extensions of Jesus Christ in the world: carrying for those in need, ministering to them, and in turn finding ourselves ministered to as well.

May we continue to be reformed in our faith, and may our church continue to reform until that day when we all worship our Lord Jesus Christ face – to – face!!

In Him,

Pastor Jon