A Visit with Martin Luther...

From time to time, we have been blessed to have famous faithful people from past centuries come to speak with us in worship.

It all began in 20043, when we had a Visit from Fanny Crosby, the hymn writer…  Karen Greenawalt had invited all of the singers in "Ransomed" to a party at  her house where they were to come dressed as their favorite musician.  Judy and I were also invited and when Karen opened the door, she was dressed in a long black skirt, a long sleeved white blouse with a cameo at the neck, and tiny sunglasses.  "I bet you cannot guess who I am!" she said.  I answered, "Yes I can--you are Fanny Crosby, and Fanny has to come to church!"  I wrote a dialogue sermon that was liberally seasoned with Fanny's famous hymns, and the rest is history.
  

Over the years, we have seen other great figures here in our pulpit…  Other hymn writers such as Isaac Watts, Jane Laurie Borthwick, Lowell Mason and Charles Wesley.  Famous Americans such as Ceaser Rodney.  And some of the towering figures of the Reformation: John Calvin and John Knox.

This past Sunday, on Reformation Sunday, we had another illustrious figure from Church History who came and shared some of his life and ministry with us.  We listened to the man who many consider to have begun the Reformation itself.

His life is well known: a German friar, Catholic priest, professor of theology, and the leading figure of the Protestant Reformation.

He sought to make the church of his day more like the church he read about in the Bible, especially in the Book of Acts, and in the letters of Paul.  His many contributions to every branch of the Christian faith are universally recognized today. 

We hold Reformation Sunday on the Sunday nearest to Oct. 31st, which is the day when he sparked the Reformation by posting a long list of questions for debate on the church door at Wittenberg…propositions stated or put forward for consideration, to be discussed and proved or not...  

I mean of course Martin Luther.  Here is a photo of Dr. Luther, just before he spoke with the congregation. It was a great morning!