Whenever someone mentions Reformation Day in our Christian schools, I have a flashback. Every year at Fremont Christian we assembled for a movie (at least that is my recollection). It was a black and white 16 mm large reel. We loved those movies, because those were the really long ones. The whole school got together in the gym to watch Martin Luther nail 95 theses to the church door in Wittenburg, Germany.
What I remember most is the scenery. It seemed that they filmed the entire film on a rainy night. To this day I wonder why the producer and director thought that the Reformation event should be cast in a dark, depressing background. It did not set the Reformation in a good light for me. Who would want to be a part of something so eerie?
I don’t think much about the actual Reformation Day any more. Even reformed churches tend to downplay the event. On Saturday night our church will be reaching out to the Parchment community with Trunk-N-Treat instead of showing an encore edition of the dark Luther movie. That is ok with me and it is not.
It is ok, because the Reformation was not an event fixed in time. If we truly understand what it means to be reformed, we understand that reforming is not an event but a continual process. We are God’s agents of renewal. We are called to be constantly reclaiming the world for Him. His kingdom has come and is also coming and we are part of that process. The Reformation is so consistent with Christian education. We are in the business of reforming lives and transforming His world. We know that the Creator made a Creation that isn’t stagnant, but is full of life and change. We are stewards of it. We may disagree as to whether the globe is warming, but we cannot disagree that God calls each of us to use resources for Him and for our neighbor’s good. We serve Jesus our Redeemer by redeeming every part of it for Him.
It is not ok because Reformation Day is a good reminder for us to remember the blessings and sacrifices of those who opened the doors of renewal in the church. But every day should be reformation day for those who believe that Jesus is Lord of every subject, of recess, of sports, of our relationships, of everything. That is a fundamental and distinctive characteristic of reformed Christian education. Kuyper had it right, “there is not one square inch of Creation of which He does not say, ‘this is mine’!”