Pastor's Pen - October 2008

Dear Friends in Christ,

The last Sunday of October has traditionally been celebrated as Reformation Sunday. Reformation Day itself is October 31^st, the day in 1517 when Martin Luther posted 95 statements for discussion regarding the state of the church on the castle church door. To move the date to a Sunday is to make the celebration and its message as available to people as possible. One concept that is central to the message of Reformation is change.

One cannot be reformed if one is not willing to undergo change. No matter how much we may think that all is fine just the way it is, the inevitable apathy that comes with such a feeling in and of itself must be changed. Change is a constant in life and it should be no surprise if we profess that God is a God that is alive and active in the world. As God is about the work of new creation, we are to be reformed by the new ways in which God is at work in the world around us.

To change, to be reformed, is not an easy process. We become accustomed to certain patterns and ways of life. Having often done something in a certain way can bring a sense of comfort and security. To change that pattern of behavior or way of doing something even if it is for the best is difficult because it moves us into uncharted places. Change calls us to exam what we have so long taken for granted and to be open to new possibilities for the future. At the time of Luther and the Reformation, there were those people and institutions that were open to change and those that were not. The same still holds true today.

The changes brought about by God's creative activity are not change for change's sake. They are changes that move God's people along the path of God's redemptive work in the world. They are changes that open hearts and minds to the wholeness that God would offer to all. We know that such change will come with us or without us. As we once again mark the Reformation, may the Spirit be at work in us to free us to live in a world of change in the certain hope of the love and grace of God that never changes