When I think of October 31st, the first thing that comes to mind is not Halloween but Reformation Day. October 31, 1531, was the day on which Martin Luther—upset that the medieval Church had turned Christianity into something quite different from how the New Testament describes it—wanted to raise an in-house discussion among his fellow clergymen about how to fix the many errors that had crept into the Church. That is why he posted a long list of discussion points on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Saxony, much like we today might post local news on “Nextdoor.” Those 95 Theses, as they came to be known, were not yet “Lutheran”—not by a long shot. His true insight into what Christianity is about was still germinating in his mind, and he would not fully arrive at his Gospel insight until some three years later. But that first public statement of his, posted 506 years ago this week, paved the way to Luther’s rediscovery of the Gospel and the true Christian faith, which had been obscured by the medieval Church for centuries. Pure Christianity in Word and Sacrament is exactly what you get every Sunday from your LCMS pastor and is also what we LCMS missionaries share with people around the world. Lula and I thank you deeply for your continued support of our Gospel ministry—in our case, as I share the Gospel in Word and Sacrament with Iranian immigrants here in Germany every day and teach international students enrolled at Riga Luther Academy. We are grateful to follow in Luther’s footsteps across Eurasia—preaching, teaching, and sharing “Christ crucified” (1 Cor 1:23) with everyone we meet. Thank you so much for enabling us to do so!
The Tiews in Germany 