This Coming Worship October 25, 2026 Reformation SUnday

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Join us at 11:00 a.m. as we gather to celebrate Reformation Sunday. On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther posted 95 thesis that initiated a debate on the nature of salvation, the Gospel, that changed the church.  Salvation is not achieved by human effort or religious works but by grace alone, received by faith alone, on account of the work by Jesus Christ alone. Below are brief explanations of the readings and the hymnody for the day. We invite you to join us in hearing these life-giving Scriptures, in singing the Word in hymnody, and receiving Christ’s gracious gift of himself in the Lord’s Supper. 

First Reading: Jeremiah 31:31-34

The text comes from what is known as the “Book of Consolation” within the Book of Jeremiah. For decades, Jeremiah proclaimed God’s judgment on Judah for breaking the Mosaic covenant, symbolized by the Ten Commandments, and between 587 and 586 BC, Jerusalem fell and the people lost the “promised land.” Now, however, God announces a new covenant that radically differs from the old. Whereas the old covenant operated according to the principle of retribution, the new covenant is governed by the principle of forgiveness. God will write the “law”—now understood as the new covenant itself—on the people’s hearts, establishing a new relationship in which all know the Lord as the God who forgives their iniquities and remembers their sins no more. Jeremiah proclaims that God’s sovereignty is rooted in freedom: God is free to replace the covenant of retribution with a covenant of grace, grounded not in the consequences of sin but in God’s radical freedom to forgive.

Psalm: Psalm 46

The Psalm is traditionally associated with the Sons of Korah, Levite temple musicians, and may reflect the miraculous deliverance of Jerusalem from the Assyrian siege of 701 BC. Although the Northern Kingdom of Israel had fallen to Assyria, the Southern Kingdom of Judah survived, inspiring the psalm’s confident trust in God, expressed in the refrain: “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.”

Second Reading: Romans 3:19-28

Paul writes to the Christians in Rome, whom he has not yet visited, to explain the gospel he proclaims. Central to his message is the distinction between law and gospel, God’s two contrary ways of dealing with humanity. Through the law comes the knowledge of sin and its deadly consequences; through the gospel comes redemption and justification by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Christ’s atoning sacrifice makes this redemption possible, and faith receives its benefits. Remarkably, justification by faith addresses not only the plight of sinners but also challenges to God’s own righteousness. God’s forbearance has allowed sin to go unpunished, raising what philosophers call the problem of evil. Paul’s answer is that God demonstrates his righteousness by justifying sinners through faith in Christ, not on the basis of their works or how well they have fared in life. For all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. Therefore, no one can boast: sinners will receive the consequences of sin under the law, while believers will receive justification as a gift of grace. 

Gospel: John 8:31-36

Jesus is teaching in the temple in Jerusalem and addressing people who had believed in him but were now falling away. Some scholars think John may also be describing what was happening in his own church, as people left to return to their former faith. Jesus urges them to “continue” (literally, abide) in his word and remain his disciples, for his word is truth, and this truth will set them free. They argue from their ancestry and faithfulness to their heritage: they are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. But Jesus is not talking about being held captive by someone else’s beliefs or ideas. He is talking about a more practical kind of bondage: the fact that they still commit sin and cannot free themselves from its power and consequences. They may be faithful to their ancestors’ beliefs, but no ideology or religious heritage can save them from sin. They need a real Savior, and Jesus, the Son, is that Savior. He alone can free them from sin and death, for he will bear the world’s sin on the cross and conquer death through his resurrection. If they abide in his word, the Son will make them truly free.