Welcome
Let me welcome you this Reformation Sunday with a quote from Martin Luther, “To gather with God’s people in united adoration of the Father is as necessary to the Christian life as prayer.” And that is why we are gathered here today – to gather with the church for the worship of God.
Today is Reformation Sunday – a day in which we mark the anniversary of an event that ignited the fire of the Protestant Reformation. On October 31, 1517, a German monk named Martin Luther protested the selling of indulgences in his Ninety-Five Theses and nailed it to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. Though he was branded a heretic by the church and an outlaw by the state, Luther’s treatise, which was echoed and amplified by other protesting voices, unleashed a doctrinal revolution that resulted in the Reformers breaking away from the Catholic Church.
Luther and the Reformers stood their ground on the conviction that truth is not determined by popes nor councils, but rather by God’s Word. That’s a conviction that we here share today.
We believe that Truth is not determined by politicians nor celebrities, nor by Facebook likes or Twitter retweets. Truth is not determined by the ballot box nor by those yelling the loudest in the streets. Truth is not determined by rank on best-seller lists. Rather, truth is found in the person and work of Jesus, revealed to us in the pages of God’s enduring Word. God’s truth is unchanging. His promises are sure. His word is eternal. His Kingdom is unshakable.
Guests, if today you’ve come in search of something to drop an anchor on, some unchanging foundation on which to ground your life, then we invite you to join us in the worship of an eternal God and enter into His unshakable Kingdom.
Call to Worship from Hebrews 12:28-29
Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.
(Hebrews 12:28–29 ESV)
Let’s pray.
Prayer of Preparation
Heavenly Father, help us now to center our minds’ attention and hearts’ affections on the person and work of King Jesus and His coming Kingdom. Holy Spirit, lead us in worship that is acceptable, with reverence and awe. May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing to you, O Lord.
Amen.