REFORMATION SUNDAY

TODAY IS REFORMATION SUNDAY
ON THIS DAY
WE COMMEMORATE
LUTHER'S ACTION
OF POSTING HIS 95 THESES
ON THE CHURCH DOOR.

MUCH IS MADE OF THE DRAMA
OF THIS MOMENT
BUT REALLY
IN LUTHER'S MIND
AT THAT TIME
WAS HIS DESIRE
TO DEBATE WITH OTHER SCHOLARS
QUESTIONS OF THEOLOGY
AND CHURCH PRACTICE.

IN THOSE DAYS
POSTING A REQUEST FOR DEBATE
IN A COLLEGE TOWN
WAS AS COMMON
AS POSTING A BEAN SUPPER
ON A CHURCH BULLETIN BOARD.

THE ACTION WAS NOT DRAMATIC
BUT THE QUESTIONS WERE.
LET US REVIEW THE HISTORY
THAT BROUGHT LUTHER
TO THIS ACTION.

IN THE 14TH CENTURY
THE BUBONIC PLAGUE
HIT EUROPE.
TWO OUT OF THREE PEOPLE DIED.
YOU COULD BE WELL IN THE MORNING
AND DEAD BY NIGHT.
PARTS OF YOUR BODY WOULD TURN BLACK.
HENCE IT'S OTHER NAME
WAS THE BLACK DEATH.

IN THOSE DAYS
BEFORE MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE,
PEOPLE THOUGHT THAT GOD
WAS PUNISHING THEM
FOR THEIR SINS.

THERE EVOLVED A PICTURE,
NOT OF A LOVING GOD
BUT OF A SADISTIC GOD
WHO COULD NOT WAIT
TO DO HARM TO HIS PEOPLE
FOR EVEN THE SLIGHTEST INFRACTION.

BY THE TIME LUTHER
WAS BORN IN 1483,
THIS PICTURE OF A VENGEFUL GOD
WAS DOMINANT
IN CHRISTIAN THINKING.
IN FACT, A PLAYWRIGHT
HAS LUTHER SAY THIS
ABOUT HIMSELF.

WHEN I WAS A LAD
WHEN I WAS A LITTLE BOY
WHEN I WAS A CHILD LIKE YOU
I HAD BEEN TAUGHT
I HAD BEEN TOTALLY TAUGHT
BY THE LEARNED PEOPLE OF THAT TIME
PRIESTS IN THE PULPIT
PARENTS IN THE HOME
TEACHERS IN THE SCHOOL
BY THE TIME I WAS A YOUNG MAN
I HAD BEEN TAUGHT
THAT GOD HATED SIN
AND, THEREFORE, GOD HATED ME.

I WAS AFRAID OF GOD
I WAS TRAPPED LIKE AN ANIMAL
TRAPPED IN A ROOM WITH MOVABLE WALLS
TRAPPED IN A ROOM WHOSE WALLS HAD VOICES

ONE WALL CRIED OUT
CAN YOU BE FREE FROM SIN
NOOOOOOOOOOOO

ANOTHER WALL
IS THERE A DAY OF JUDGEMENT
YESSSSSSSSSSSSS


ANOTHER WALL
IS GOD INDIFFERENT TO SIN
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

THE FINAL WALL
WILL BE DAMNED FOR YOUR SINS
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

AND OVER MY HEAD LIKE THE SOUND OF THUNDER
WAS WHAT I WAS TOLD
WAS GOD'S VOICE
CRYING
VENGEANCE IS MINE
VENGEANCE IS MINE

THIS WAS LUTHER ON THE FIRST REFORMATION SUNDAY
A MAN AFRAID OF HIS GOD
UNTIL HE READ ROMANS AS IF FOR THE FIRST TIME
THAT HE WAS SAVED NOT BY WORKS
WHICH HE KNEW WERE NEVER ENOUGH
BUT BY GRACE
READING THAT,
LUTHER FINALLY REALIZED
THAT GOD WAS NOT HIS ENEMY
NOT A TORTURER
WANTING TO INFLICT PAIN
BUT A LOVER OF HIM
A LOVER OF HIM JUST THE WAY HE WAS.

THE REAL STORY OF REFORMATION SUNDAY
IS THAT A MAN AFRAID OF HIS GOD
FOUND OUT THAT GOD WAS HIS FRIEND
NOT HIS PUNISHER
AND IN THE PEACE OF THAT KNOWLEDGE
HE LIVED THE REST OF HIS LIFE.