Still Reforming, Still Speaking - Reformation Sunday October 25, 2026

 

Scripture: John 8:31–32 | “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

 

Grace and peace to you today on this Reformation Sunday.

 

When we hear the word Reformation, our minds often wander back through the pages of history to October 31, 1517. We picture a young German monk named Martin Luther, hammer in hand, nailing his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. 

 

He wasn’t trying to break the church apart; he was asking questions. He was seeking truth, grace, and freedom from a system that had turned faith into a transaction and grace into something to be bought and sold.

 

Marin Luther’s spark ignited a movement across Europe. Ulrich Zwingli in Zürich, John Calvin in Geneva, and the Pilgrims who later crossed the Atlantic—all were bound together by a common discovery: that God’s grace is a free gift, that God’s Word belongs to everyone, and that no human institution holds a monopoly on the Holy Spirit.

 

The Heart of Our Story

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As members of the United Church of Christ, this history is in the church’s spiritual DNA. We are the inheritors of four distinct streams—

 

Congregational, Christian, Evangelical, and Reformed—

 

that came together to form one united and uniting church.

 

When Pastor John Robinson addressed the Pilgrims in 1620 as they prepared to set sail for the New World, he shared a truth that echoes down through the centuries to us today:

 

“God has yet more light and truth to break forth out of His holy Word.”

 

That insight became the foundation of our UCC commitment: “God is still speaking.”

 

The Reformation was never meant to be a single historical event frozen in 1517. The Latin phrase that shaped our ancestors remains our guiding light: Ecclesia reformata, semper reformanda—a church reformed, and always reforming.

 

So, what does a 16th-century movement mean for us sitting in these pews—or joining online—today?

 

From Fear to Grace

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The 16th-century reformers wrestled with fear—fear of judgment, fear of inadequacy, fear of an unforgiving God. Today, our world is still weary and full of fear. People wonder if they are worthy, if they belong, or if they are "enough." The Reformation reminds us of the radical truth of Jesus: Grace is free. You do not need to earn God’s love. Today, as an inclusive and welcoming church, our call is to extend that unconditional grace to every person who walks through our doors—no matter who they are or where they are on life’s journey.

 

Truth and Courage in a Changing World

 

Reformation required courage. It demanded that faithful people look at the status quo and ask: Is this reflecting the love and justice of Christ? Today, "always reforming" means we cannot become complacent. It means listening for God’s voice in modern struggles for justice, peace, inclusion, and the care of creation. It means standing up when systems oppress, just as the reformers did in their time.

 

Living as a "Still-Speaking" People

 

If the Reformation taught anything, it is that God did not stop talking when the last book of the Bible was written, nor when Marin Luther posted his theses, nor when our denomination was formed in 1957. God is speaking right now—through the cries of our neighbors, through the beauty of creation, through community, and through the quiet whispers of the Spirit in our own hearts.

 

Today, as we wear red, sing our historic hymns, and honor those who came before us, let us remember: we are not caretakers of a museum. We are participants in a living movement.

 

May we have the courage to keep asking questions, the humility to keep listening for "more light and truth," and the heart to offer Christ’s liberating grace to a world in need of healing.

 

Amen.