this is no longer my blog

It is a good thing that we remember Reformation Day. It reminds us of our roots, of how the Protestant faiths got their start from the deep and rich history of the Catholic Church, and how when people thought that the church was becoming corrupt and losing sight of the Gospel they boldly spoke out, risking excommunication, and brought to light what they saw as the evils and heresies enacted by the church. So we, as Lutherans, claim to be a Church of Reformation... a church of change, of allowing the Spirit to work in us to renew us and to enliven us and to guide us... Yet my experience in many Lutheran churches is that we've settled. We've become comfortable often to the point of complacency. We're fine with the way things are, which is they way they've always been done, and anything else is obviously different and therefore wrong. But where would we be if everyone thought that way? We'd be sitting in churches while the priests spoke in Latin, and we'd be buying certificates at greatly inflated prices to ensure that our loved ones weren't stewing in purgatory. But thank God there were people who were willing to take a stand, to raise their voices, to say "this is wrong and it needs to change." And as a result we have Protestants. PROTESTants. The name suggests raising your voice, speaking out against injustice and oppression. But are we protestants? Or are we That-sounds-good-as-long-as-I'm-not-inconvenienced-ants? Was the Reformation, which took place around 500 years ago the only change we needed, or is the Spirit still calling us to be vibrant and alive and open to change and willing to speak out? It is easy to think that Luther and his peers were great reformers, and that it takes someone special to do that sort of work, but I firmly believe that we are all called by God to be reformers - to work for change in areas and institutions that we see injustice... To raise our voices for those who are silenced... To be the hands of feet for those who cannot help themselves... To bring the vibrant and living Word of God to the world...
Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to go eat some cheetos and drink some root beer with my friend Green Luther. Thanks for reading.