Why I Love Reformation Sunday

October is a beautiful month in so many ways. The air grows crisp, the trees paint the landscape with fiery colors, and the rhythms of fall bring both reflection and anticipation. But for me, October also carries a spiritual highlight, Reformation Sunday. Each year, it stirs my heart with gratitude and hope, reminding me why this day matters so deeply.

Reformation Sunday is not simply a history lesson about Martin Luther nailing 95 theses to a church door in 1517. It’s not just about red paraments or singing A Mighty Fortress Is Our God. For me, it is about the heartbeat of our faith. It’s a reminder that salvation is not something I earn, achieve, or hold together by my own efforts. It is the gift of God, by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Those words, so central to the Reformation, still carry life-changing power today.

There is something profoundly freeing in that message. Like many of you, I know what it feels like to fall short, to struggle with weakness, or to wonder if I measure up. On Reformation Sunday. I am reminded that my hope is not in my performance but in faith in Christ’s finished work on the cross. That truth sets me free to live with joy instead of fear, gratitude instead of guilt.

Reformation Sunday reminds me that faith is not static, it is alive, growing, and always turning back to the One who is the source of all truth.

This day also teaches me about the importance of God’s Word. One of the great gifts of the Reformation was the recovery of Scripture in the language of ordinary people. The Bible was placed back into the hands of the church, so that every believer could hear God’s voice directly. Isaiah 40:8 says, “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” That verse comes alive for me on Reformation Sunday. In a world where so much changes, God’s Word is the solid ground we can stand on.

But there is another lesson here as well. The Reformation wasn’t just an event in the past, it is a call to the church in every generation. The Latin phrase ecclesia semper reformanda means “the church is always being reformed.” That challenges me personally: Am I still being shaped by God’s Word? Am I letting Christ, not culture, direct my life? For me, this day is also filled with hope. If God could stir renewal in a divided and struggling church 500 plus years ago, He can certainly stir renewal among us today. The same Spirit who emboldened Luther to stand firm in faith is the Spirit who dwells in us now. Reformation Sunday whispers to my heart: God is not done with His people. He is still at work, reforming, renewing, and redeeming.

So, when the last Sunday of October comes and with wearing my red shirt, I hear the familiar hymns rise in worship, I feel that truth deeply. Reformation Sunday is more than a commemoration; it is a celebration of God’s grace and a challenge to keep Christ at the center of all we do. That’s why I love it. Because in a world that longs for hope, this Sunday proclaims a message that never grows old: Christ alone is our refuge, our strength, and our salvation. Reformation Sunday reminds me that faith is not static, it is alive, growing, and always turning back to the One who is the source of all truth.

Happy Reformation Sunday Fellow Lutherans,

Craig