Have you ever heard the phrase "you want to have your cake and eat it too"?  The meaning is: you have to make a choice between two options.  You can't have both.  In this Sunday's reading from Romans, St. Paul shows us how God does not make a choice between righteousness and mercy, but is able to have both.  On the one hand, God, pursues righteousness in commanding all humanity to keep the Law or suffer the consequences.   Starting with Adam and Eve, humanity has universally failed to keep the Law.  Now what?  Rather than punish Law breakers, God has assigned all of the demands of the Law and the penalty of sin to Jesus.  Through our Lord's sinless life and death, the righteous requirements of God are fulfilled and mercy is shown.  Through Jesus, God has both.                   

The question "Why do we celebrate Reformation Day?" has been asked from time to time.  Unlike other church feasts and festivals, Reformation is not focused on a figure or an event from the Bible.  So, why do we celebrate? While Reformation is not an event found in the Bible, it would be a mistake to think that it is not Biblical.  Reformation Day, as much as any other church festival, is about Christ and the forgiveness of our sins.  To be sure the people and the places are different from what we find in the Bible.  What is not different is the Biblically revealed human problem: sin.  What is not different is the Biblically revealed remedy: Christ.  On Reformation Day we do not celebrate Luther, but our Savior, Jesus Christ, and the forgiveness he brings to all people, in all times, and in all places.