How to Celebrate Reformation Day With Your Family

Now it’s dark and a little chilly outside. We’ve already sung “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” and, blindfolded, played “Pin the Theses on Wittenberg Door.” We’ve had a short devotion, geared to the attention span of youngsters. Now we light a candle and carry it with us as we head outside; it is our only beacon as we reenact Martin Luther’s earth-shaking deed on this same, historic night. Tonight, when trick-or-treaters come to our door, they encounter a poster that says, “HAPPY REFORMATION DAY! On this date in 1517, Martin Luther posted his 95 theses in Wittenberg, Germany.” One friend wrote to me last year, “I recently read another article on the evils of Halloween, but I still think we miss the boat if we don’t go beyond Christian dress-up and really think about and appreciate our Reformation heritage.” So here you’ll find out how our family celebrates Reformation Day. These are not random suggestions, but are presented in the order that they’re meant to be implemented.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Heavyweight paper and envelopes
• Poster paint or markers
• Multi-colored poster boards
• Masking tape
• Birthday cake and other refreshments
• Copies of the hymn, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God," and other songs
• Bandana for blindfold
• Candlestick, candle and lighter

1. A couple of weeks before October 31, invite other families and friends of your children to your Reformation Day party. Written invitations are effective and fun to make. Recruit your children to illustrate and add color to these invitations.

2. When October 31 arrives, start the fun by painting a large poster that is hung outside, beside the front door. Mom or Dad prints the letters, so that they’re big and legible, using poster paint or markers on poster board. In this way, the following message greets the trick-or-treaters who visit your house:
   “HAPPY REFORMATION DAY!
   On this date in 1517,
   Martin Luther posted his 95 theses
   in Wittenberg, Germany.”
   The children are free to add decorations to this poster, making sure to keep the message clearly readable. In addition, they should be encouraged to make other, colorful posters that reflect this historical theme.

3. Then get to work lettering copies of the “theses” that you’ll later use, both during the brief devotion, as well as when you reenact Luther’s action. Don’t really duplicate any particular part of Luther’s actual 95 theses. Instead, put each of the following statements on a separate piece of paper, which capture the various principles that reflect our Protestant heritage:
   A. The grace of God alone is sufficient for the salvation of sinners.
   B. Justification is by faith in Christ alone.
   C. The Word of God is our only authority.
   D. All believers are priests and saints.
   E. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we can change the world.
   
   These statements reflect five “slogans” that characterized the Reformation: Sola Scriptura; Sola Gratia; Sola Fide; Solo Christo; and Coram Deo.

4. When the party begins, serve refreshments, which include a very special treat: a birthday cake in memory of Desiderius Erasmus. Erasmus was one of the most influential voices during the Reformation, together with Luther and John Calvin. According to various traditions, he was born in Rotterdam, Holland, on either October 27 or 28, in 1466 (or 1469). In either case, the date of his birth coincides perfectly with the celebration of Reformation Day; hence, a birthday cake. Of course, also serve donuts and hot apple cider – plus other autumn-oriented snacks.

5. Then play some games, such as “Pin the Theses on Wittenberg Door.” As you might suspect, this game is an adaptation of Pin the Tail on the Donkey. Tape to the wall, about two and a half feet from the floor (so that children can reach it), a medium-size drawing of the door of the Castle Church at Wittenberg. Everyone, adults and children, takes a turn. Each one receives a small slip of paper, representing Luther’s theses, with a piece of masking tape attached. One by one, the players are blindfolded, spun gently, and released in order to attempt to place their slip of paper on the door, or as close to it as possible.
   
   Another game that’s ideal for children is based upon the five Reformation
   “slogans” listed above. Write in large letters each of the five Latin slogans on a separate sheet of large, colored cardstock. Then cut each piece of cardstock into pieces, creating a puzzle from each one. The party-goers are divided into five teams, and the object of the game is to be the first team to correctly reassemble its puzzle and read the slogan aloud.

6. Begin to settle down a bit, singing some songs and hymns, including, of course, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” which Luther wrote. Then share a succinct devotion that’s brief, geared to the attention-span of youngsters. In outline form, the devotion contains these basic elements:
   A. This is a time for personal dedication, reflecting on how God wants to use us for His glory and the extension of His kingdom. Today, as during the Reformation, we as Christians can have a positive influence in our world. One doctor once said, “Children should be brought up with a strong feeling that there are lots of problems in the neighborhood, the nation and the world, and that they’re growing up to help solve those problems.”
   B. A time of thanksgiving. We give thanks for the fundamentals of our faith that were handed down to us from the Reformation; for example, salvation by grace alone, through faith, which is a gift of God, not by works. Also, the priesthood of all believers, the authority of God’s Word, and its availability. Furthermore, we give thanks for the lives of men such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox, Desiderius Erasmus.
   C. Celebrate our complete victory in Christ over Satan and all forces of evil. For some segments of our society, this day signifies witchcraft, sorcery, magic and spiritism. However, we as Christians have no place devoting any of our attention to these things. As Luther declared in his famous hymn: “And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, we will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us. The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him; his rage we can endure, for lo! his doom is sure; one little word shall fell him.”
   D. To conclude this time, we’re all going to reenact the historical significance of this date. On this actual date in 1517, the last day of October, Martin Luther hung his thesis with 95 points on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. That simple deed ignited an entire movement, and its consequences have resounded throughout the world. So we’re going to walk outside, through the backyard to the side door of the garage, and there hang up our “theses,” just like Martin Luther did.

7. Hold up the five sheets you made earlier, each containing its own proclamation, and read the statements aloud. Then light a candle, held in a candlestick, which is your only source of light as you walk outside through the chilly darkness. (The candlelight is merely meant to illustrate that the Reformation occurred before the discovery of electricity.) Arriving at the door, the children hang up the papers with little bits of tape. (However, we once lived in a house that had a gate on which we actually posted our theses with a hammer and small nails.) In this way, you’ve taken a commemorative trip backward in history to a simple yet dramatic event 491 years ago that altered the status quo and determined the future of Protestant Christianity.

[smartfix]

on 7/27/2009 Love it, most Christians don't know anything about the Reformation, let alone reformation day. Good work

[Addonis]

on 10/3/2008 great work 5 stars