On the last Sunday in October, Christians around the world remember the Reformation in the church in the 16th Century, in which the gospel of Jesus was restored to the heart of western Christianity. It was October 31 1517, when Martin Luther, a priest and scholar in the church, nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in the German town of Wittenburg.
Luther’s goal had been to reform the church from within, but in fact he was unsuccessful in this endeavour. What followed was a sharp divide between Roman Catholicism and what came to be known as the Protestant Church. The Protestants, led by men like Luther, Calvin and Zwingli in Europe and Cranmer and Tyndale in England, sought to return the church to the Bible’s message that salvation from sin and rebellion against God is not earned by doing good works, but can only be received as a free gift. In God’s grace, his undeserved favour, we can be saved from the penalty of sin and rebellion by faith in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.
Last Sunday was a great day! Sharing in Will & Shirley’s wedding was a special treat. Thank you to everyone who helped out with our slightly different Sunday and please keep praying for Will and Shirley as they adjust to married life together.
Last Sunday we also learnt something. We learnt how many people we can comfortably fit in the building – exactly as many as were here! Sure, there was a seat here and a seat there, but we reached the effective capacity of the gym. If one more family had walked in, they wouldn’t have been able to sit together. In fact, as the last few people joined us, the helpers who sit up the back gave up their seats and stood up for the service.
Mark your diaries now! CV Conference will be running on the October Long Weekend 2012. Clayton Fopp will be speaking from 1 Peter and Warwick de Jersey from St Matthias, Centennial Park in Sydney will be speaking on Titus.
On the last Sunday in October, Christians around the world remember the Reformation in the church in the 16th Century, in which the gospel of Jesus was restored to the heart of western Christianity. It was October 31 1517, when Martin Luther, a priest and scholar in the church, nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in the German town of Wittenburg.
