Celebrating Reformation Day

Here are a handful of ways you can celebrate the blessings of The Reformation with your family or friends! 

A sister shared these with me, recommending a few resources I'd seen (some I had not seen), but I'll start with one of my own. Some buddies delivering a sweet “Reformation Rap” – check it out here (this one is for Pastor Phil). 

The core doctrines of the Reformers (Luther, Calvin, John Knox, Tyndale) are wrapped up in the Five Solas (“Alones”) that hand on our banners in the auditorium[1]:

• Scripture Alone – Scripture alone is our ultimate authority and standard
• Glory to God Alone  - to God alone be all glory, none to us, in salvation and all of life
• Grace Alone  – The gospel of salvation is by grace alone, all of God, nothing of man
• Faith Alone - The gift of saving grace is received by faith alone, not our works or merit
• Christ Alone - Christ alone is Savior and should be the ultimate focus of all we do

Reformation Day is a great day to remember the truths of Scripture that were hard fought for by our brothers and sisters of the past. And today, we are the New Reformers! We stand on their shoulders, and proclaim the same saving Savior, alone! Here are some ideas…

READ SOMETHING[2]

If you want an overview of Church history to keep on hand as a reference…Simonetta Carr's Church History. Brimming with maps, timelines, and colorful pictures on every page, this engaging and well-researched guide tells the story of how God has preserved His church from Jesus' commissioning of the Twelve Apostles all the way up to the present day.

Trial and Triumph: Stories from Church History by Richard Hannula. This collection of 46 biographies will help you and your children get to know our brothers and sisters in Christ throughout history who have defended the faith, resisted heresy, and sacrificed to bring the gospel to the ends of the Earth. Each chapter takes about 10-15 minutes to read, making it a perfect way to include church history in your family devotionals or reading time. (You may want to preview first before reading to very young or sensitive children; some of the stories are intense, especially the early chapters on the persecuted Church). This book includes biographies of many Reformers, including Martin Luther.

There are several great picture books that tell the story of Martin Luther:

• Stand Strong: 10 Inspiring Men of God by Shirley Raye Redmond highlights heroes of our faith in a sturdy board book that's perfect for the little ones.
• Reformation ABCs by Stephen J. Nichols and New Bustard covers the people, places, and things of the Reformation in a colorful, engaging format, ideal for ages 5 to 10.
• Martin Luther by Simonetta Carr is part of the Christian Biographies for Young Readers series. I love how this series combines substantive text interspersed with pictures of the people, places, and historical artifacts you read about. Perfect for those of you ready to go deeper into Luther's life and historical

WATCH SOMETHING

Four minutes of stop motion awesomeness with Playmobil figurines, tells the story of Martin Luther’s conversion, convictions, and reformation adventures – did you know Luther went by “Sir George” for a time? Find out why. The narrator has a cool accent too…

SING SOMETHING

Here is a Spotify playlist of Reformation Songs that I put together: Reformation Day Songs –GCBC

Here is a blog post related to a number of the hymns in the playlist above that has downloadable sheet music, etc. 

Enjoy! And may we with the great Scottish reformer John Knox say, "O Lord Eternal, move and govern my tongue to speak the truth."

[1] Check out our “overarching guiding principles” re: the Solas 

[2] This section adapted from “The Homeschool Compass” newsletter