The year 2005 marks the beginning of many 500th anniversaries in the life of Dr. Martin Luther. These anniversaries are important because they help us understand what it means to be a Lutheran. In 2005 Luther embraced the theology of the Roman Catholic Church by leaving law school to become a monk. He thought that such a career move would free his conscience from the guilt of sin. Later anniversaries show us that, try as he did, his conscience still troubled him until he rediscovered the Gospel through reading the Bible.

These anniversaries enable us to celebrate not Martin Luther, but GOD. We worship God for directing Luther to the truth that “a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ” (Galatians 2:16). We praise God for giving Luther the wisdom of the holy Scriptures which made him wise to salvation in Jesus.

The false teachings and heresies which Martin Luther had to deal with in his lifetime are still with us even after 500 years. How many Lutherans have abandoned the Gospel message that Martin Luther found through great struggles because they have not remained faithful to the Scriptures, fully confessed the truth, nor seriously studied the writings of Luther.

The observance of the 500th anniversaries of Martin Luther, beginning in 2005 with his becoming a monk to his death in 2046, should lead us to appreciate the blessed heritage that God gave us through Luther and the Reformation. We ought to learn the truths of Scripture, boldly confess them, and teach them to the next generation as Martin Luther did.

This year also marks the 475th anniversary of the presentation of the Augsburg Confession on June 25, 1530 to the Emperor Charles V. Our series of twelve articles will present the background and history of this important Lutheran confession as well as brief studies of a few of the most important articles of the Confession. Reading Scripture is vital to our faith as the source of all truth. Reading the Augsburg Confession this year is an important way to understand what truths God’s Word has revealed and what it means to be a Lutheran. We hope that one of your resolutions this new year will be to read and study the Augsburg Confession.

Merry Christmas

Perhaps during the past Christmas season you were disturbed as I was about the many news reports of stores, communities, and public schools banning any reference to God, Christmas, and Jesus’ birth. Years ago people would complain about those who “took Christ out of Christmas” by displaying signs saying “Merry Xmas.” Now there seems to be a concerted effort to remove Christianity from public discourse.

On the one hand, we should be dismayed that the growing secularization of our society will mean that many of our citizens will not hear about Christmas. On the other hand, this trend will make our celebration of Christ’s birth stand out more clearly so that people will hopefully notice the joy we have because Jesus was born.

How can we help our citizens not be afraid of religion and Jesus? This year we could dedicate ourselves to showing Christ’s love to those around us: helping the elderly and shut-ins, telling children Bible stories, being faithful spouses and parents, showing Christian love in our family life, mailing letters to church prospects, planning to send special Christmas cards next December, being kind to those who irritate us, and supporting the work our congregations are doing.

God has given us Jesus as the Light of the world. He gives us the great privilege of carrying that Light in our lives and giving that Light of truth to others. Jesus declared, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” (John 8:12).

This new year as we study the truths in the Augsburg Confession, celebrate the anniversaries of how God led Martin Luther to believe in the Gospel, and carry the light of the Christmas message into the world, let us pray God that through His Word He call many people to faith in Jesus as their Savior from sin, death, and the devil.

"Joy to the world, the Lord has come!"