OKTOBERFEST

On October 12, 1810, Prince Ludwig of Bavaria married Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. All the citizens of Munich were invited to attend the festivities held on the fields in front of the city gates, and Oktoberfest was born.

The next year, 1811, the celebration was repeated, and Oktoberfest became an annual tradition. The celebration grew over the years, attaining a carnival like atmosphere. In 1850 a parade was added to celebrate the 40th wedding anniversary of the King and Queen.

Two centuries of war and peace in Europe have brought changes to the celebration. The greatest change occurred in 1887 when local breweries joined the parade, and beer consumption in excess began, and continues down to the present time. Other countries, especially those with German immigrants, have adopted the custom of Oktoberfest, combining it with a celebration of the fall harvest. Bavaria continues to be the largest attended celebration in the world, with over 6.5 million people in attendance last year.

I want to direct your attention to another October event birthed in Germany exactly 500 years ago.

In 1516, Johann Tetzel, a Dominican friar and papal commissioner for indulgences, was sent to Germany to sell indulgences to raise money to rebuild St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. According to tradition, Tetzel was known for reciting the couplet, "As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs."

On October 31, 1517, An Augustinian Monk named Martin Luther wrote to his bishop, Albert of Mainz, protesting the sale of indulgences. He enclosed in his letter a copy of his "Disputation of Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences," which became known as the Ninety-five Theses. Tradition says that he posted his 95 theses on the door of All Saints' Church in Wittenberg.

There is a reason Luther chose October 31. Ecclesiastical calendars honor a saint on every day. In addition, November 01 is reckoned as All Saints' Day to honor all saint's known and unknown. October 31 is All Saints' Eve, or the Hallowed Even, or Halloween. We still celebrate two saint's days today, February 14, St. Valentine's Day, and March 17, St. Patrick's Day, but for different reasons.

Luther taught that salvation and, consequently, eternal life are not earned by good deeds but are received only as the free gift of God's grace through the believer's faith in Jesus Christ as redeemer from sin. His theology challenged the authority of the Medieval Church by teaching that the Bible is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge from God, and all baptized Christians constitute a holy priesthood.

All Christian traditions, Protestant, Orthodox, and Catholic have been affected by the Reformation. Initial followers of Luther's teachings were called Lutherans. However, Luther himself insisted that Christian or Evangelical are the only acceptable names for individuals who profess salvation through faith in Christ.

It is our dependence upon the vicarious death of Christ on the cross as an atonement for our sins that unites us in His body, the universal Church. This day in October, and every day, let us remember that Salvation is through Christ alone.

J. Duane Beals, Ph.D., Pastor, Bremen (IN) Bible Church (Bremen Community Service, 10-08-17)

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