I was listening to Mendelssohn’s Symphony #5 today. That’s fitting because it is nicknamed “The Reformation.” The last movement is a setting of A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.
Even though i’m a former Lutheran (gee, it still feels odd to say that) i chose to celebrate today as the Festival of the Reformation. I must admit that i think of it differently now. Instead of a celebration of Lutheran pride it’s now a celebration of renewal. The Reformation was a movement and it’s best effect was a renewal of the church in many places. So the Festival of the Reformation now has meaning to me as a renewal celebration. It’s a call to return to the basics of the faith which for me a found in the Baptismal Covenant. So it’s only fitting that tomorrow that a former Lutheran leads an Episcopal congregation in the renewal of our baptismal vows.
