Reformation Sunday

This Sunday marked the official 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation, sort of.  The actual anniversary is Oct. 31, but that's a Tuesday--will we see trick-or-treaters dressed as a monk on Hallowe'en?--, so we marked the day on Sunday. 
One of our members, Barb, added this plaque to our bulletin board in honour of the occasion.  Nice work, Barb!

You may recognize the titles of Rev. Irwin's last four sermons in the titles depicted on the "door."  This Sunday was "Glory of God Alone."  He began his sermon by quoting from the shorter catechism, from the Westminster Confession of Faith.

Q. 1. What is the chief end of man? A. Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

A short answer to the "why am I here" question that plagues some of us from time to time.  We are here to glorify God, plain and simple.  Our modern culture is more inclined to glorify Man than God, but that's not what scripture commands.  
This catechism was developed for the Presbyterian church, but since it relies on scripture, I'm sure Martin Luther would approve it. After all, he wagered his life on the authority of Scripture, over the authority of the church.

The Reformation is an enormous subject, much too large for this blog.  I've touched on a few highlights in the past couple of weeks, but you might like to watch this documentary from PBS for a more extensive course.

Meantime, Barb's "door" is a good summary of Luther's main arguments.