Tuesday marks the 500th anniversary of Reformation Day, celebrated alongside Halloween, by Protestant Christians.
On Oct. 31, 1517, German monk Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-five Theses on the door of the All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg, Germany.
Pastor Alan Werk from St. Paul Lutheran Church in Batavia, said Reformation Day is an important holiday that marks the beginnings of the church body.
“It shows recognition that the Bible is God’s word and it’s our sole authority for what we teach and believe,” Werk said.
On Nov. 4th from 2 to 4 p.m., St. Paul Lutheran Church will hold a family-oriented Reformation Day Celebration. There will be stations for people to walk around to learn more about Martin Luther and Reformation Day. St. Paul's is located at 31 Washington Ave. in Batavia.
“The other important recognition is that we are saved by Jesus Christ, not by the things that we do,” Werk said. “Jesus did for us what we couldn’t do.”
Earlier in the month, St. Paul members gathered to watch a documentary about Martin Luther, to start the celebrations of Reformation Day.
Every year, the congregation celebrates Reformation Day on the last Sunday of October.
“It lets us live with a whole lot more joy and peace,” Werk said. “We remind ourselves about all things the Reformation stands for in terms of our faith and Scriptures.”
The three key points celebrated are Scripture alone, faith alone and grace alone, Werk said.
When Martin Luther nailed the Ninety-five Theses to the church, he did not set out to create a new church body, Werk said.
“What he was really trying to do was correct some things that he recognized from his study of the Bible, that the church had been doing wrong,” Werk said. “He wanted to make some adjustments and corrections.”
Werk said he ended up getting kicked out of the church, which prompted him to start a new church body.
“He wanted to call the church back to the things the Bible taught,” Werk said.
