Yesterday, we celebrated Reformation Sunday. Back in the year 1517, on October 31st, Martin Luther (German monk and Catholic priest) nailed to the door of the All Saints' Church (also known as Castle Church) his 95 Theses, his theological writings that challenged current practices of the Catholic church. He was not endeavoring to start a new denomination but was working to reform the Catholic church from within. This act sparked the beginning of, what we call, the Protestant Reformation.
As we remember and commemorate this time, may we be willing to take a hard look at ourselves, as individuals and as the church. Where do we still need to be re-formed? In what ways have we lost sight of the called out community that Christ calls us to be? In what ways is God calling us to be re-formed and re-shaped in to the individuals and the church that God would have us to become?
Activity:
Using something like clay or Play-doh, as you shape the clay or Play-doh in your hands as an individual or a community, pray for yourself, for the church, the community, and the world. Where is God calling for reformation? Where is God calling for change, justice, peace, and surrender? In what ways have we stopped following God's ways and will for our lives? What would it look like to be surrendered to be shaped and formed according to God's purposes and God's will?
Surrendered Vessels -- A Prayer for Reformation
Gracious and Loving God
You are the Potter and we are the clay
Mold us, fashion us, and shape us
Center us according to your will and purpose
As the Potter's Wheel of Life Spins
Keep us centered on You
Cleanse us with Your Living Water of
Any impurities
Any self-reliance
Any injustice
Any corruption
Any pride
May we surrender all that we are
As individuals
And as a called out community
Mold, fashion and shape us into Your vessels
Fill us with
Humility
Surrender
Peace
Purity
Willing Spirits
Where we need to be reformed
Do not hesitate
Where we need to be redirected
Guide our steps
Where we need to be trimmed
Lovingly take away that in our lives which distracts us
And that keeps us from us becoming who we are called to become
Where we need to change
Help us bend according to Your will
Throughout the ages , Individuals and the church
Have needed and experienced reformation
Do whatever it takes for us to be willing to be transformed
Nudge, Whisper, and Hold Us
We joyfully surrender our wills to Yours,
Knowing that You, Our Heavenly Potter,
Want and know what is best for us
Help us to become more than just clay
May we be surrendered vessels
Yielding, Trusting, Free
In the Name of the One Whose Name is Love
Amen