Reformation Day service dares all to ‘live continual reformation’

On Oct. 27, United Church of Christ General Minister and President Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson, along with several UCC leaders, joined members of the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) at the Elmslie Memorial Church in the center of George Town, Grand Cayman, for a Reformation Sunday worship service.

After opening the service with Martin Luther’s “A Mighty Fortress is Our God,” often known as the battle hymn of the Reformation, WCRC president, the Rev. Najla Kassab, delivered a message urging those of the Reformed faith to journey together and keep reaching the marginalized in the world.

Using the story of Zacchaeus, the tax collector sitting in a tree to see Jesus and who was spotted by him and called to come down, Kassab said “it is time to recognize even we as the Reformed need to set down from the tree and allow Jesus to shape us.”

Kassab added that Reformation Day is not just about celebrating the past; it is about “the now.”

It was on Oct. 31, 1517, that Martin Luther nailed to the Castle Church door in Wittenberg, Germany, a list of changes needed in the Church. While the intent was to get a conversation going, that list, known as the Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses, was the spark that ignited the Reformation. That spark has yet to die out.

“The Holy Spirit is alive in us today. This is why we dare to live continual reformation,” said Kassab.

Interim General Secretary of the WCRC Rev. Dr. Setri Nyomi, echoed Kassab’s call to continual reformation, observing that 507 years ago, “God called some people to read the signs of the times and to see there was something wrong and that the Church could not remain silent.”

“That transformation that took place at that time is what we are living today,” he said.

Nyomi invited all to read the signs today, asking, “What is God calling us to do in our broken world today?”

Assembly focuses on perseveration and action

The Reformation Sunday service was part of WCRC’s Caribbean and North American Council Assembly. The assembly, which concludes Oct. 30, is hosted by the United Church of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. This year’s theme is “Persevere in Your Witness.”

Thompson moderated one of the panels on “The State of the Church: Today and Tomorrow.”

“While a large topic, the presentations brought from multiple perspectives were insightful and hopeful while framing challenges,” said Thompson in a Facebook post that include more event pictures.

The UCC is one of 235 member churches of WCRC, which includes 109 countries.

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