Rev. Jonathan Steiner

At the end of October, we will once again celebrate the Reformation. Centuries ago, Martin Luther led the movement to change how the church works. One major factor was that the church had made poor decisions in the midst of a pandemic, the Bubonic Plague. The church had made choices that strayed from the Gospel, and Martin Luther called them out on it. Through disagreements, violence, and schisms, the church was re-formed into something new.

Yet God was with them. The Gospel did not fail. It even grew more clear, and led to resurrection out of the death of the old.

Now that we are in our own pandemic, we have been reshaped once again. A new reformation is taking place around us, but also through us and our decisions. We will continue to be confronted with tough situations. We will find ourselves disagreeing with each other. We have already seen violence and brokenness.

Yet God is with us. The Gospel will not fail. This is our time to cling to the Gospel, to proclaim the love of Christ that will not go away. 

This is an opportunity to invite people to find the peace and comfort of God’s promises as the world around us shifts under our feet. Our call as Christians is to go into the mess of the world, and share the promise that God is with us. The Holy Spirit gives us the strength to do these things, and unites us with our neighbors to change the world, building a little bit of God’s kingdom here and now. 

We are being reformed. It is not easy. But God is still at work. Peace be with you!