Shade Tree Wisdom 10/29/10

Ah, nice and cool this morning and we walkers all appreciate that. The first, let us fervently hope, of many more to come.

Tomorrow celebrates the nailing of the ninety five thesis on a Church door in Wittenberg, Germany, by an Augustinian monk named Martin Luther. The date, October 31, 1517. He struck this thesis as food for debate, not as a start of a revolt at all. There were things the Church was teaching and doing that he knew were not in keeping with the Bible. So Luther posted this series of topics for discussion in debate.

And this stirred up a storm, for it was coming to grips with some issues that the Church was using to control lives and even raise money for building projects. The sale of ‘indulgences’ by Johann Tetzel, for instance, especially raised Luther’s ire. Because Tetzel had been forbidden to work in Wittenberg, he set up shop near its border to sell, and Tetzel was a suburb salesman. He used a jingle that sold, and the reason this was successful is because most people could not read, the bible was a closed book to them, and they relied on words told to them for truth. So they accepted Tetzel’s jingle with no reservation.

Today we really find that hard to understand, because we can do what Christians have always done, “search the Scriptures daily to see whether these things are so”. Acts 17,11, as the Bible tells us the Bereans did. And as Lutheran taught the people of his day also. Read it for yourself, was his challenge. That is one reason, by the way, why Luther translated the Bible into the German language. His translation is still being used today. And also why he wrote the small catechism as a teaching tool, to make sure the people understood the foundation of their faith and the reason why Jesus is The Way, the Truth, and the Light. The gift God provided to suffer and die in place of sinners. ”He died for all, that they which believe in Him will be saved.”

And that is what we celebrate on Reformation Sunday. We know, by God’s grace, the truth to eternal life. It means we believe and accept Jesus' death on the cross as the only payment needed to save us. And for this we thank God. And we rejoice for His grace and mercy to us.

GPD 10/29/10