It was Christmas Eve in Thailand, 1972. Thanks to Armed Forces Radio “Silent Night” was playing in our room . . . but it was not really a “silent” night at all. I was a young Air Force wife visiting my husband serving that year in Southeast Asia—but even in my naïveté, I knew something big was imminent. Linebacker II was in progress—the 1972 Christmas bombing of Hanoi—and the constant sound of take-offs (“please, Lord”) and landings (“thank you, Lord”) from the Air Base was surreal in dissonance with the sweet music I was hearing on the radio. A rescue was in the works, and the POWs, so long tortured and confined in Hanoi, heard and felt the thunderous aircraft noise with great hope and expectation for their eventual release from captivity.
October 31st is Reformation Day!
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For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. — Ephesians 2:8,9
I do not consider myself a historian, but I do enjoy studying history . . . and an easy way to do that is to find out what happened on a particular day in years past. For example, when November 22nd comes around, I remember well it was the day President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas in 1963. I was in junior high school in Dallas at the time—and many of my classmates were downtown for the motorcade and were unwilling witnesses to the shooting.
Also, on that same day of November 22nd across the Atlantic, C.S. Lewis died. C.S. Lewis was a great theologian, scholar and writer—known for The Chronicles of Narnia, Mere Christianity, and Screwtape Letters . . . among other great books. With our weekly military Bible study, we recently studied Lewis’ biography—learning that Mere Christianity was actually a compilation of BBC radio messages Lewis delivered to encourage the British during WWII—addressing the fundamental questions of the Christian faith.
October 31st is the date most well-known for the holiday we call Halloween. In a 2007 report, the estimated economic impact of Halloween is between 4 billion and 6 billion dollars—and now estimated to exceed $8 million. In Al Mohler’s article “Christianity and the Dark Side—What about Halloween?” he quotes historian Nicholas Rogers as saying, “Halloween is currently the second most important party night in North America. In terms of its retail potential, it is second only to Christmas. This commercialism fortifies its significance as a time of public license, a custom-designed opportunity to have a blast. Regardless of its spiritual complications, Halloween is big business.”
But did you know that October 31st is also the anniversary of the day Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the church door in Wittenberg, Germany? Because Luther’s bold action initiated the vigorous debate which led to what we now call the “Reformation”, this day is known as Reformation Day. Robert Rothwell in “What is Reformation Day All About?” states, “This law student (Luther) turned Augustinian monk became the center of a great controversy after his theses were copied and distributed throughout Europe. Initially protesting the pope’s attempt to sell salvation, Luther’s study of Scripture soon led him to oppose the church of Rome on issues including the primacy of the Bible over church tradition and the means by which we are found righteous in the sight of God . . . Today, Luther’s legacy lives on in the creeds and confessions of Protestant bodies worldwide.”
Both Mohler’s and Rothwell’s writings end with valid challenges regarding the histories of Halloween and Reformation Day.
Mohler writes: “On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther began the Reformation with a declaration that the church must be recalled to the authority of God’s Word and the purity of biblical doctrine. With this in mind, the best Christian response to Halloween might be to scorn the Devil and then pray for the Reformation of Christ’s church on earth. Let’s put the dark side on the defensive.”
Rothwell concludes: “Today, Luther’s legacy lives on in the creeds and confessions of Protestant bodies worldwide. As we consider his importance this Reformation Day, let us equip ourselves to be knowledgeable proclaimers and defenders of biblical truth. May we be eager to preach the Gospel of God to the world and thereby spark a new reformation of church and culture.”
These messages are good reminders on October 31st—and especially as we enter November and the start of the holiday season in which we prepare our hearts for the celebration of Jesus’ birth and proclamation of the Gospel message.
Works Cited:
Christianity and the Dark Side–What About Halloween? – Dr. Albert Mohler
What is Reformation Day All About? – Robert Rothwell
Questions to Share:
1. In what ways do you view history as “His Story”?
2. Whether you first think of October 31st as Halloween or Reformation Day, commit to pray for revival—beginning in our own hearts first.
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