Reformation Day
Reformation Day, anniversary of the day Martin Luther is said to have posted his Ninety-five Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany (October 31, 1517), later identified by Protestants as the beginning of the Reformation. (See Researcher’s Note: The posting of the theses.) Lutherans observe October 31 as Reformation Day and may keep the preceding Sunday as Reformation Sunday. The liturgical color is red. Many churches in the Reformed and the Evangelical traditions also mark the day, often with special services focused on the Reformation and its effects.
History of the date
The European Lutheran territorial churches at first commemorated the Reformation on various days, among them the anniversary of Luther’s birth (November 10), his death (February 18), and presentation of the Augsburg Confession(June 25). The centennial celebrations of 1617 focused attention on October 31. In the sesquicentennial year (1667), Elector of Saxony John George II decreed this date as annual Reformation Day in Saxony. German Lutheran and Union territorial churches have gradually come to follow this example and specify October 31 or the Sunday following (or preceding).
From the earliest days of our Republic, prayer and faith in Almighty God have stood as the foundation of our strength, the source of our unity, and the fount of our greatness. This Reformation Day, I send my best wishes to the countless Christians across our country commemorating the Protestant Reformation and its enduring message of salvation by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
Five hundred years ago, William Tyndale—inspired by the work of Martin Luther—advanced the Protestant Reformation’s devotion to Holy Scripture through the publication of the first New Testament printed in English, shaping the language of the Bibles that would fortify the faith and resolve of America’s founding generation. The Sacred Scriptures helped form the religious convictions that formed our young Nation’s founding ideals of God-given rights and individual liberty, a spiritual inheritance we honor as we continue to reflect on 250 glorious years of American Independence. The Bible remains a cornerstone of our Nation’s character and upholds our steadfast devotion to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
