“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” — Matthew 22

Please join us this Sunday for our Reformation Sunday service at 10:30 a.m.  All are welcome and invited! Our service will be led by Fr. Phil Shaw and this week our Reader is Dindy Harbeson. The importance and history of Reformation Sunday begins in the year 1517. During that year, the Roman Catholic Church was engaged in a great fundraiser for the Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome.  The funds were being raised when a person, for contrition for their sins or as a sign of repentance, would make a financial gift and in return the Roman Catholic church would furnish that person with a certificate acknowledging their gift and also promising that they or their loved ones would be freed from a portion of the misery expected in the afterlife (Pugatory) before heading to heaven. This was called an indulgence.

As you may know, November 1st is known as All Saints Day on the church’s calendar and it was also a particularly important time for selling these indulgences.  The day before, on October 31st, a German Monk named Martin Luther posted a list of 95 Theses on the Castle Church doors in Wittenberg, Germany.  This was a list of 95 reasons that he objected to this practice of selling indulgences. Along with other writings by Martin Luther, those 95 Reasons went viral.

Luther insisted that we are not forgiven because of anything we do – including the purchasing of Indulgences or doing enough good work. Instead, he argued that we are forgiven because of who God is. He believed we are loved and forgiven because God is full of grace and mercy.

As you can imagine, Luther’s teachings and writings got him kicked out of the Roman Catholic church. But there were many others who agreed with him, and after his death those who agreed with Luther became known as Lutherans and also as Protestants.  And every Protestant church today can trace its roots back to this moment in 1517.

St. John’s is in located in the heart of historic Williams, Arizona. We are a welcoming and affirming church.  We particularly invite those who are looking for a new home church and all those who are visiting our beautiful area.

If you cannot join us but would like to have access to the prayer of the day (Collect) and the four scripture readings for this Sunday, please click on this link. Proper-25A-Track-1 (PDF)

Please join us after the service for coffee and a sweet treat!