Tomorrow, Protestant churches around the world will be celebrating the anniversary of the Church Reformation. Tomorrow 499 years ago, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenburg Church, an action that sparked a movement of reform in the church.

We in the Uniting Church exist as a Reformed Church – a church stemming from the Reformation. This means that at our core, we name the affirmation: ecclesia semper reformands, semper reformanda: the Church is always reformed, always reforming. Our faith is forward, not backward-looking, and evolving rather than static.

The early Reformers affirmed five areas that must be constantly open to reform, in response to God’s call in an ever-changing universe:

• Sola Scriptura: Scripture governs our traditions, creeds and teachings – but Scripture is not to be idolised by receiving its words literally. We do not worship words; we worship the Living Word: Jesus Christ. Scripture is an open door, not a closed closet, and we are called to read and interpret Scriptures with imagination and intelligence.
• Sola Fide: we are justified by faith alone – but faith is not affirming things that we know to be categorically untrue scientifically, ethically or theologically. Faith is not strict adherence to doctrine, with damnation awaiting all who doubt; rather, faith at its core is about openness to experiencing the divine in the unfamiliar or unexpected. The apostle Thomas is a key figure here: one who is able to live with doubt, while still seeking greater insights into the truth.
• Sola Gratia: we receive God’s amazing grace, regardless of our current spiritual or ethical state. Grace is not “in spite of” who we are, but “because of” who God is. But receiving God’s grace is not passive; grace calls us to action, bringing forth our goodness and inviting us to partner with God in the work of reconciliation. The more we respond to God’s grace, the more God can achieve through us in the world.
• Solus Christus: Christ alone is our Redeemer and Saviour – but the Christ we worship is not bound by time or space. We worship a Risen Lord Jesus, who is ever-present among us. This means that we are liberated to find Christ here and now, in a myriad of places. We worship Christ alone, but our Christ is alive, and moving within us to fulfil His mission of healing, justice and compassion in our time.
• Soli Deo Gloria: we worship and glorify God alone; God is the centre of our lives and of all creation. As Isaiah says, “the whole earth is filled with God’s glory”, or in the words of Gerard Manly Hopkins, “the earth is charged with the splendour of God.” This means that we are called to live our whole lives directed towards the glory of God. Following the counsel of Mother Theresa, “do something beautiful every day for God.” This also means that we do not give glory to other gods, including money, power, celebrities, work, and acquisitions.

We are children of the Reformation, friends, so we are called to be constantly reforming, living our faith anew, and updating it constantly. This can feel like perpetual shaky ground – but in our constant reform, God remains constant.