It’s fun throughout the year to explore how the many seasons, feasts, and festivals are celebrated throughout the year.

The month of October happens while we are still in the long season of Pentecost. As Lutherans, we celebrate the Reformation in October. Reformation Day falls on October 31st, marking the day Martin Luther posted his Ninety-five Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg.

Normally, the Reformation is celebrated on the nearest Sunday rather than on a weekday. Lutherans have been celebrating the Reformation since the 16th century.

In fact, Luther wrote the following to Nikolaus von Amsdorf on Nov. 1, 1527: (Luther's Works): "Ten years after the indulgences have been destroyed, we drink in memory of them and are comforted at this hour."

In the 1800s, when Lutherans came to America, they also started to celebrate the Reformation. In fact, the Reformation became a day to remember for the majority of American Protestants.

The Reformation should be a positive holiday—one in which we thank God for the many gifts he has given to us. These include the Scriptures, salvation by grace, and the universal priesthood of all believers. These are some of the things that Luther championed in his day, and we can champion them in our day as well.

[The following sources were used:

Luther's Works, Volume 49, pp. 175–177. Letter to Nikolaus von Amsdorf (November 1, 1527).

And Kleinhans, Theodore J. The Year of the Lord: The Church Year: Its Customs, Growth & Ceremonies. St. Louis: Concordia Pub. House, 1967.]