Night of Reformation
Book Review
by Mrs. Jennie Chancey
October 31st, 1517, was one of the turning-points in the history of the world. On that day Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenburg Church , and with that deed the Protestant Reformation was born.
?This was on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar. And on the fourteenth of the month they rested and made it a day of feasting and gladness. But the Jews who were at Shushan assembled together on the thirteenth day, as well as on the fourteenth; and on the fifteenth of the month they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness. Therefore the Jews of the villages who dwelt in the unwalled towns celebrated the fourteenth day of the month of Adar with gladness and feasting, as a holiday, and for sending presents to one another? (Esther 9:17-19, NKJV).
God created us to celebrate. Throughout history people have set aside holidays (?holy? days) and other special times to gather and rejoice corporately. Both pagan and Christian cultures make occasions to feast and celebrate. This is a reflection of the God who set apart times of joy, refreshment, and remembrance for the Israelites and who gave the greatest reason for Christians to celebrate when He sent His own Son to die for the sins of His people.
Unfortunately, we Christians seem to have forgotten how to remember, how to celebrate, and how to rejoice with ?gladness of heart? (see Numbers 10:10 , I Chronicles 29:22, II Chronicles 30:21, Nehemiah 12:27 ). In our day, many church gatherings are merely anemic shadows of other national holidays. Perhaps the best example of this is the common replacement of the pagan celebration of ?Halloween? with a ?Harvest Party.? To discourage families from going along with the regular ?trick or treat? on October 31, many churches substitute a party intended to replicate all the costumes, games, and food without the pagan encumbrances. Now, there is certainly nothing wrong with discouraging participation in a pagan holy day, nor is it wrong to hold a Christian celebration on the same day. But the sad fact is that pretty much everyone involved (especially the children) knows that they're just having ?Christian Halloween? at church. There must be a better alternative.
Happily there is a very robust and enjoyable option, and one church has laid it out so winsomely and effectively that other churches can find the celebration of Reformation Day (which happens to fall on October 31) a rich, full-orbed and delightful experience. A Night of Reformation: Celebrating the Reformation with Family and Friends (Doorposts, 2002) is more than just an outline for a church celebration; it is a resource kit that will walk you through all the details of a historically rich, family-centered, thoroughly engaging church feast.
The kit's binder includes miniature biographies of Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Martin Bucer, along with selections from the Geneva Psalter (complete with music) and reproducible worksheets to help your church set up its own Reformation feast night. The first chapter, titled ?Why Celebrate Reformation Day?,? gives a brief history of what motivated Reformation Covenant Church in Oregan City, Oregan ( www.reformationcovenant.org) to begin holding a yearly Reformation party. Pam Forster writes, ?The Reformation Party at our church was born in the hearts of parents who wanted their children to understand and appreciate the story of the Protestant Reformation . . . . How did God use the devoted lives of godly men and women to change the course of history? Parents who also wanted their children to have godly heroes?men and women who trusted God and obeyed Him, regardless of the cost.? While the initial Reformation Day parties were simple, they built solidly upon the desire to give children these godly heroes and heroines. The result is a church feast that communicates a vision of God's sovereignty, grace, and abundance to the entire church body.
At first glance, A Night of Reformation may seem overwhelming. The pictures of costumed participants and decorated booths along with the lists of activities might lead the reader to wonder what church has the time or resources to put together such a feast. But the folks at Doorposts have made this celebration quite doable; they have arranged their materials so that all you need to do to create the event is laid out for you step by step. Your church can go for the full experience with all the bells and whistles, or you can take just a few of the activity suggestions and keep things simple.
Project ideas for your own Reformation Day celebration include the following: reciting Scripture passages, poems, or quotations (perhaps from memory); singing Psalms from the Geneva Psalter; performing a Reformation play (one is provided); making a model of a cathedral; playing group games incorporating facts about various reformers; and setting up booths which feature activities to make the historical events and people of the Reformation even more memorable.
A Night of Reformation provides information on how you can create costumes from ordinary clothing or find patterns to make them from scratch. It also includes instructions for the kitchen staff, lists of items needed for the various booths, reproducible copies of Luther's 95 Theses and other Reformation documents, step-by-step instructions for various games and activities, a list of recommended resources on the Reformation, and more. The binder is jam-packed with everything you'll need to make a very memorable church celebration?a celebration that is filled with remembrance, recitation, thanksgiving, joyful feasting, and ?gladness of heart.? My hat is off to Reformation Covenant Church and Doorposts for creating this wonderful event and sharing the how-tos with the rest of us. A Night of Reformation is a must for the family library.
As Christians wake up to the riches we have lost in the whirlpool of pop culture, we need to find wholehearted ways of celebrating and enjoying the Lord with our children and our children's children. Instead of trying to sweep pagan holidays under the rug or decorate them with ?Christian? glitter, we need to make them irrelevant to our children (and our neighbors' children) through our own robust celebrations of God's goodness to His people throughout history. Doorposts has given us good tools to help us start building a culture of joy and celebration in our churches and families. Even as we strive to honor God on a daily basis, let us work to create special seasons of feasting that will become yearly markers for our children?living reminders that we serve a God who loves to feast with His people.
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