It’s October, which means leaves are changing color, trips are being taken to the pumpkin patch and many of you are gearing up for Halloween. But did you know that Reformation Day is in October as well?
On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. His actions sparked the Protestant Reformation and his teachings emphasized mans sinfulness, God’s grace and salvation through faith alone. Martin Luther wasn’t the only man to protest what was going on in the Catholic churches though. Men like Huldreich Zwingli (Switzerland), John Calvin (a French theologian), and John Knox (Scotland) were also influential in the Reformation.
From these reformers comes the Five Solas:
- Sola Scriptura: Scripture alone
- Sola Fide: faith alone
- Sola Gratia: grace alone
- Solus Christus: Christ alone
- Soli Deo Gloria: to the glory of God alone
You can read more about what Reformation Day is all about here.
Whether you plan on celebrating Halloween or not, you might want to think about celebrating the Protestant Reformation this October. Perhaps your church might consider holding a Reformation Day Celebration or you might open up your home to a few friends. If your schedule is already full of activities then you might find it easier to spend a few minutes discussing the Reformation with your kids and doing a small activity. No matter how you decide to remember the Protestant Reformation, I hope you’ll check out the links below for some ideas and resources to aid you in teaching your children (and yourself) about this important part of church history!
If you are hoping to invite friends and family over for a small Reformation Day party you can find some great ideas here and here.
And if you’re looking for activities, printables and resources related to the Reformation you can find them here.
Our family is reading Martin Luther: A Man Who Changed the World this month as we learn about the great reformers. (affiliate link) I’ll also be utilizing some of the resources from the links above to teach my kids about the Reformation this year. But I couldn’t end a post on the Reformation without sharing with you some pictures from a Reformation Day Party my parents hosted a few years ago!
Do you celebrate Reformation Day?
*This post contains affiliate links*
So interesting Janelle. David and I studied Martin Luther in Bible School while in Washington. He really understood the true Christian foundation as it should be.
I’ve never heard of this day. I’m definitely going to have to look into it some more. It looks like you had a good time celebrating it.
Thank you for the great ideas! Our church is planning another Reformation Day party and these ideas will be so helpful!
How wonderful that your church does a Reformation Day party! I wish more churches were able to provide the event for their church members and the community. I’m glad to hear my ideas will be helpful. Have fun!
Do you still have the link (or document) for Pin the Beard on the Theologian/Reformer that you would care to share? The link you posted seems not to be working. Thanks!
Unfortunately the link was to another website and I do not have an alternative document to share. So sorry! Try googling “reformers” or “reformers coloring page” or something similar. Hopefully you’ll be able to find an image that would work to use.