Reformation Day 2017

I wanted to take a little time to talk about Reformation Day, which is celebrated on October 31st.  This was one of the neatest things we did this month.  I honestly haven't read much about Martin Luther, but after studying about him, I am so thankful he was willing to step out, take persecution, and stand up for truth.  I'm certainly no expert, but I will share a little about what we learned this year.

As I've written about before, we've decided not to participate in any Halloween related activities.  We have prayed about this and studied, and we are at peace about the decision we have made with God!  

"He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son," Colossians 1:3

This verse, for us, is a reminder that He delivered us from the domain of darkness.  We don't want to choose to participate in anything that is part of that darkness.  We decorate with pumpkins and enjoy the change of seasons, cooler weather, and beauty of God's creation.  It is certainly not always easy to go against the grain of culture, but it is often what we are called to do.  It brings blessings in unthinkable ways, even amidst persecution, judgment, or rejection.

Our neighborhood decided to host trick-or-treaters this year.  They haven't in the past because there were so few children.  We prayed about it and decided to pick up dinner and go spend the evening at the Cherians house.  We left all of our lights on and left Proverbs devotional books for people to take with a note from us.

The girls dancing in the Cherians kitchen!

After dinner, Sheeba shared about Martin Luther and why many Christians celebrate Reformation Day on October 31.  This year is actually the 500th anniversary of the day he took a stand against the leaders in the Catholic church at the time.  As he read the Bible for himself, he learned that our salvation is a gift of God, not given because of our works, but by grace (Ephesians 2:8). The just shall live by faith, as we read in Romans 1:17.  In 1517, he posted a document on his church in Germany with 95 items he wanted to discuss regarding discrepancies he saw between the Bible and the way the church was being run.  He was sentenced to death and had to run away and change his name.  He then translated the New Testament from Latin into German in 11 weeks!   This made it possible for common people to read God's Word...to read the TRUTH!!  We are eternally grateful for his willingness to stand up for truth, which changed the course of history!  If you're interested in learning more, this little video was helpful to us: https://youtu.be/kKQWNgjdS9Q

The kids made "hammers" (because Luther hammered his 95 theses on the church) out of pretzel sticks and marshmallows, in addition to making little Bibles out of Hershey chocolate nuggets, paper, ribbon, and a portion of Romans 1:17.  You'll see them working on the crafts below.

The craft supplies!

Sheeba teaching them how to glue their little Bibles together

Making their little hammers

Showing the finished product!

One of the little Bibles

Next, Sheeba talked to the children about Colossians 2:14...

We talked about how He took our sin on His body.  He, having never sinned, suffered unimaginable pain so that we, through faith in Him, can be free.  It's almost unbelievable, yet, those who follow Jesus know that it's truth!  Each of us wrote our names on a little piece of paper over the word "sin," and hammered it to a cross.  It was very powerful.

Lastly, we talked about Matthew 17:20 and what it means to have faith like a mustard seed.  Sheeba gave each of us little tiny mustard seeds.  We were encouraged to think of someone who doesn't know Jesus yet and hold our mustard seed and pray for them.  We spent time praying and brought our seeds home as a reminder to continue praying for those God brought to our minds and hearts.

All of us (except Nikita)

All of our hands holding our mustard seeds

We came home filled up with the love of Christ, having learned more about His Word, while spending time with dear friends in fellowship and in prayer. We didn't want to sit at home, turn off our lights, and wait for November 1st.  We know that is not our calling.  We are called to be light in the dark times because we have the light of Jesus in us!  I encourage you to meditate on these verses and let me know if God reveals anything to you.  We (the Halls) don't always get it right or have all of the answers, but our heart is to honor God in all that we do!