A Local Reformation

When we talk about the Reformation, we generally refer to that period of history that began when Martin Luther posted a notice on the local church door (and it was not an advertisement for a rummage sale or pot-luck dinner). His list of 95 things wrong with the Catholic Church sparked a movement that forever changed the world spiritually, politically, and socially.

However, it is interesting the Luther himself would have never used the term “reformation” to refer to this movement. Instead, he used the term eschatologically, that is, that reformation refers to what will happen in the end times. For Luther, a reformation is what God will do when he creates a new heaven and a new earth.

For us today, a reformation occurs whenever it’s time to reform, or change something. We talk about reforming education, healthcare, and Wall Street as long as the change doesn’t cost us anything personally. Let’s fix it, but the improvements better make my life easier and richer.

True reformation should indeed bring about an improvement, but there will always be costs. Sacrifices must be made. Change is painful. Traditions and habits must be examined. Authorities and allegiances must be questioned.

And if it is your own life you are trying to “reform,” the authority you start with is you.