Remembering our Lutheranism

I am rather excited. I will be in Wittenburg, Germany, at the end of this month on the 31 October (Reformation Day). I will be at the place where Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the door of Wittenberg Castle Church.

These were 95 statements that disagreed with what the Catholic church was doing at the time. They were not written to condemn the church but to initiate discussion. Luther never wanted a denomination named after him; however, through his writings and understanding of the righteousness of God, we have the statement of the stance of the Lutheran church: We are saved by ‘grace alone, faith alone, the word alone and through Christ alone.’ It is all God’s actions – not our own!

The Longest Lutheran Lunch used to be a time to celebrate with our congregations and the local community to share the love of God. Bring back this community time and share Christ’s love through the heritage of Luther’s teachings. We love each other because of God’s actions and love for us.

Lutheran Tract Mission (LTM) has many resources to help you understand God’s grace and forgiveness and what it means to live a Christ-like life. Our faith is a gift of God, and we need to continue to grow in it daily.

God has promised us grace and love every day – live like it!

Have a look on the LTM website at www.ltm.org.au and search Lutheranism.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8,9).

Anne Hansen is Lutheran Tract Mission’s Tract Development Officer.