Reformation Day

Not widely celebrated in the States, but celebrated world wide, Reformation day in Sarajevo this year was the first of its kind. For the first time the evangelical alliance in Sarajevo, which has members from all of the protestant churches in Sarajevo, was able to put together a program and advertise it throughout the city. The celebration started with a book exhibition and then a choir sang a few traditional hymns. Then, three of the pastors from different denominations got up and spoke a little bit about the reformation and how their denomination fit into the protestant movement. The three pastors reminded the audience that each generation is in danger of losing its path. Whenever our traditions or Christian culture get in the way of the word of God then we have lost our way. Each church needs to continually reform itself from within.
After the speeches were finished, snacks were available and the guests were invited to another church for a concert. The concert could have been mistaken for a rock concert as two bands, fully equipped with drums and electric guitars, played under a light show of purple, red and green. It was overall a wonderful time and expressed, I believe, the spirit of Martin Luther’s message through our enjoyment of our freedom in Christ.
This reformation celebration served a second purpose. The Bosnian protestant church really needed such a celebration, if nothing else, to give the church a face in the city. There are less than 1000 protestant believers in the whole country, and the average Bosnian has no idea who we are or what the protestant church believes. I think the local believers who took part in this celebration were encouraged as well as they thought about the millions of evangelical Christians around the world who also celebrated this day.