We celebrate the Reformation to make much of Christ, not the Reformation. We do not venerate men. We do, however, acknowledge God’s gifting and mighty work through instruments of His choosing for His glory. We worship God alone and praise Him for His grace toward us through this pivotal period in history that unleashed the gospel afresh on a dark and forgetful world.
The Protestant Reformation is a sacred providence that outstrips the likes of any history since the time of Christ and the apostles. It is a history that, rightly understood, extols the praises of God in the vastest convergence of divine grace outpoured in nearly two thousand years. It is not about men, governments, economies, or culture, but it changed all of these because it is supremely about God and His gospel—and this is supremely relevant for us all.
Not to overstate the matter, but the world in which we now live cannot be conceived rightly apart from the redirecting course of events in this history, which was administered through the invisible hand of the Almighty. The Reformation is preeminently an occasion to exalt God and extol His graces administered in the providence of a time and place made ripe and ready.
History must not be left to the past; it must live. We are stewards of history. If we are to steward this history well, we must celebrate the power and gracious workings of the Holy Spirit in and through the lives of mere fallible mortals. We attribute the greatness of the Reformation to the goodness of God alone and humbly acknowledge and willingly bind our hearts to be good stewards of this sacred history. May we not be remiss in our stewardship. Christ is worthy.
Let us steward the history of the Reformation to glorify God and increase our joy in Him.
For more resources and teachings on the Reformation, visit ReformationStewards.com
Join us for a special Reformation Celebration on Thursday, October 31 at 7:00pm (learn more).