Minute for Mission: Reformation Sunday

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John Knox (Pearl Digital Collections PHS)

On Reformation Sunday, Presbyterians celebrate the tradition that grounds their faith. 

In Scotland, the Protestant Reformation was led by the great reformer, John Knox (1514–1572). During his life in the 16th century, Knox was a tutor, a galley slave to the French, a royal chaplain of King Edward VI, a sword-wielding bodyguard, a scholar and writer, and a preacher of fiery sermons at Old St. Giles in Edinburgh. He was a leading figure in the Scottish Reformation, during which time Protestants fought for religious freedom in countries ruled by the Catholic faith. Knox instilled in his fellow countrymen the duty to oppose unfair government to bring about moral and spiritual change.

In 1559, the leading group of the Reformation movement, the Lords of the Congregation, militarily occupied various cities, including Perth and Edinburgh, where they elected Knox minister of St. Giles Cathedral. Later that year, after hearing Knox’s Thanksgiving sermon, the Lords of the Congregation asked Knox and his colleagues to write a confession of faith. They obliged, and four days later offered up “The First Book of Discipline” of the Scots Confession. The Confession was adopted by Parliament in 1560 and remained the Scottish churches’ official theological doctrine until 1647, when it was superseded by the Westminster Confession.

The adoption of the Scots Confession did not mean total freedom — rather, the return of the Catholic Mary Queen of Scots in 1561 erected a few more roadblocks for the emerging Reformation. But the flames of the movement had caught, and John Knox’s influence continued to spread by and large as the Reformation forever changed the Scottish landscape.

McKenna Britton, Communications Associate, Presbyterian Historical Society

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff:

Michael Fallon, Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, Finance, The Board of Pensions
Margaret Farmer, Senior Facilities Specialist, Building Services, Administrative Services Group 

Let us pray:

On this Reformation Sunday, as we remember the bold acts of our forebears in the faith, let us reclaim anew the watchword that is shared by Presbyterians and other Reformed Christians, that we are a Church “reformed and always reforming” through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Minute for Mission: Reformation Sunday

October 27, 2024

Photo credit: (provided)

Forty years ago, the Dutch Reformed Mission Church (DRMC) in South Africa adopted Belydenis van Belhar — the Confession of Belhar — in its first reading. Belhar was an outgrowth of the DRMC’s effort to grapple with the church’s participation in and defense of apartheid and touches prominently on themes of unity, reconciliation and justice. The DRMC adopted Belhar in its final form in 1986.

Although the Confession of Belhar is inextricably connected to its South African context, its message extends far beyond. The PC(USA) describes Belhar as a powerful statement of belief for the Christian faith that, in part, bears witness to the gift of unity and the church’s obligation to it. Interest in Belhar grew internationally around 2006, including among reformed traditions in the United States, where the PC(USA) established the Special Committee on the Confession of Belhar. On the recommendation of this Special Committee, the 222nd General Assembly (2016) approved the inclusion of Belhar in the Book of Confessions because of the clarity of its witness and its capacity to serve as a model for the PC(USA) to “speak and act with similar clarity at a time when it faces division, racism and injustice.”

The Confession of Belhar is a unique voice among the predominantly European and North American confessions. It elevates the witness of Reformed Christians living under different circumstances and serves, even now, as a springboard to discuss its key themes of unity, reconciliation and justice within a wide range of current issues.

For more on the Reformation, visit history.pcusa.org/rs.

Kristen Gaydos, Director of Communications, Presbyterian Historical Society

Today’s Focus: Reformation Sunday

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Tonia Trice, HR Generalist, Human Resources, Administrative Services Group (A Corp) 
Kate Trigger Duffert, Director for General Assembly Planning, Office of the General Assembly 

Let us pray

Gracious and loving God, help us listen deeply to all our siblings in Christ as we strive toward unity and justice. On this day, we give thanks for the Belhar Confession as one important source of your reconciling light in this world. Amen.

Minute for Mission: Reformation Sunday

October 29, 2023

Photo credit: (provided)

Forty years ago, the Dutch Reformed Mission Church (DRMC) in South Africa adopted Belydenis van Belhar — the Confession of Belhar — in its first reading. Belhar was an outgrowth of the DRMC’s effort to grapple with the church’s participation in and defense of apartheid and touches prominently on themes of unity, reconciliation and justice. The DRMC adopted Belhar in its final form in 1986.

Although the Confession of Belhar is inextricably connected to its South African context, its message extends far beyond. The PC(USA) describes Belhar as a powerful statement of belief for the Christian faith that, in part, bears witness to the gift of unity and the church’s obligation to it. Interest in Belhar grew internationally around 2006, including among reformed traditions in the United States, where the PC(USA) established the Special Committee on the Confession of Belhar. On the recommendation of this Special Committee, the 222nd General Assembly (2016) approved the inclusion of Belhar in the Book of Confessions because of the clarity of its witness and its capacity to serve as a model for the PC(USA) to “speak and act with similar clarity at a time when it faces division, racism and injustice.”

The Confession of Belhar is a unique voice among the predominantly European and North American confessions. It elevates the witness of Reformed Christians living under different circumstances and serves, even now, as a springboard to discuss its key themes of unity, reconciliation and justice within a wide range of current issues.

For more on the Reformation, visit history.pcusa.org/rs.

Kristen Gaydos, Director of Communications, Presbyterian Historical Society

Today’s Focus: Reformation Sunday

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Tabatha Peach, Trust Administrative Assistant, Presbyterian Foundation
Charlene Peacock, Reference Archivist, Presbyterian Historical Society

Let us pray

Gracious and loving God, help us listen deeply to all our siblings in Christ as we strive toward unity and justice. On this day, we give thanks for the Belhar Confession as one important source of your reconciling light in this world. Amen.

Minute for Mission: Reformation Sunday

October 30, 2022

Forty years ago, the Dutch Reformed Mission Church (DRMC) in South Africa adopted Belydenis van Belhar — the Confession of Belhar — in its first reading. Belhar was an outgrowth of the DRMC’s effort to grapple with the church’s participation in and defense of apartheid and touches prominently on themes of unity, reconciliation and justice. The DRMC adopted Belhar in its final form in 1986.

Although the Confession of Belhar is inextricably connected to its South African context, its message extends far beyond. The PC(USA) describes Belhar as a powerful statement of belief for the Christian faith that, in part, bears witness to the gift of unity and the church’s obligation to it. Interest in Belhar grew internationally around 2006, including among reformed traditions in the United States, where the PC(USA) established the Special Committee on the Confession of Belhar. On the recommendation of this Special Committee, the 222nd General Assembly (2016) approved the inclusion of Belhar in the Book of Confessions because of the clarity of its witness and its capacity to serve as a model for the PC(USA) to “speak and act with similar clarity at a time when it faces division, racism and injustice.”

The Confession of Belhar is a unique voice among the predominantly European and North American confessions. It elevates the witness of Reformed Christians living under different circumstances and serves, even now, as a springboard to discuss its key themes of unity, reconciliation and justice within a wide range of current issues.

For more on the Reformation, visit history.pcusa.org/rs.

Kristen Gaydos, Director of Communications, Presbyterian Historical Society

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff

Sy Hughes, Mission Engagement Advisor, Mission Engagement & Support, Presbyterian Mission Agency
Lacey Hunter, Manager, Finance & Administration, Director’s Office, Compassion, Peace & Justice, Presbyterian Mission Agency

Let us pray

Gracious and loving God, help us listen deeply to all our siblings in Christ as we strive toward unity and justice. On this day, we give thanks for the Belhar Confession as one important source of your reconciling light in this world. Amen.

Minute for Mission: Reformation Sunday

October 31, 2021

Image of Martin Luther from Pearl Digital Collections. Courtesy of the Presbyterian Historical Society

Up until 1521, it had been relatively safe to show an interest in the writings and teachings of Martin Luther (1483–1546). When Luther refused to recant his writings in opposition to various doctrines and practices of the Roman Catholic Church, the Edict of Worms was signed by Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor, on May 25, 1521, officially declaring Luther a heretic and an outlaw.

The decree “forbid anyone from this time forward to dare, either by words or by deeds, to receive, defend, sustain, or favor the said Martin Luther.” The Edict declared Luther to be an obstinate heretic and banned the reading or possession of his writings. It further called for his capture.

Luther escaped to safety at the Wartburg Castle under the protection of Frederick the Wise, Elector of Saxony, where he proceeded to translate the New Testament into German. Luther had become a prolific writer, fully embracing the new technology of the printing press to widely disseminate his teachings. Attempts to carry out the Edict were largely unsuccessful and the movement for Reform swept across much of Northern Europe, forever changing the face of Christianity. We owe a debt of gratitude to all who have fought for their convictions and beliefs at any cost as we continue the work of building the Kingdom of God. 

For more on the Reformation, visit history.pcusa.org/rs.

Kristen Gaydos, Communications and Development Associate, Presbyterian Historical Society

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Cherrie Burch, Senior Accounting Clerk, Presbyterian Foundation
Becky Burton, Data Representative, Relationship & Development Operations, Presbyterian Mission Agency

Let us pray

God of grace, support us in the work of reform you call us to. Enhance our abilities to listen and care for each other. Strengthen our commitment to re-form our human world in the way of your son Jesus Christ. Amen.

Minute for Mission: Reformation Sunday

October 25 2020

(Photo Credit: Presbyterian Historical Society

Two hundred years ago, William Dunlop, a professor of church history at the University of Edinburgh, published two volumes of confessions that had enjoyed “public authority” in Scotland since the Reformation. While the Westminster Standards (1647–48) filled the first volume, more than 10 earlier confessional documents — including the Geneva Catechism (1542), the Scots Confession (1560) and the Heidelberg Catechism (1563) — filled the second. By placing Westminster in the broader tradition of Reformed (“Calvinist”) theology, Dunlop honored a distinctly Reformed custom: He compiled a book of confessions.

The Reformation produced many catechisms and confessions. Reformed churches did not try to formulate one universal creed. They held to an earlier tradition that each faith community — be it in Zurich, Geneva or Edinburgh — should draft a statement unique to its time and place. Communities declared their solidarity with each other, not by adopting the same words, but by affirming that they heard in different words the same witness to Christ.

Reformed theologians believed that a kind reader could hear the voice of Christ speaking in each confession, and that this would provide the unity that any one confession lacked. And they allowed that the need for new confessions would not end, as the Theological Declaration of Barmen (1934), the Confession of 1967 and the Confession of Belhar (1986) — adopted by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) General Assembly in 2016 — richly demonstrate.

Rev. Kenneth J. Ross, Philadelphia

Download Reformation Sunday resources, like the above church bulletin insert for 2019, from the Presbyterian Historical Society. Learn more about this year’s insert at the PC(USA) website.

Let us join in prayer for: 

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Jashalund Royston, Administrative Services Group (A Corp)
Cindy Rubin, Presbyterian Mission Agency

Let us pray:

Eternal God, we give you thanks for Reformation history and for the histories of all your people. Help us to learn the lessons of the past and to live in our time in faithful service to the Word.