Good afternoon, friends, and welcome. It is so good to be gathered here for this special afternoon tea. We’ve not only come to enjoy fellowship and food, but also to reflect together on a part of our Christian story that, I suggest, continues to shape our lives today – the story of the Protestant Reformation.
This month, across the world, many churches pause to remember October 31st, 1517 – the day when Martin Luther, an Augustinian monk in Germany, nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the church door in Wittenberg. That single act is often seen as the spark that lit a fire which spread across Europe and beyond. But behind that event lay something far deeper and more important than an argument about church practices or corruption. At its heart, the Reformation was about a rediscovery – the rediscovery of the gospel itself.
To understand why that rediscovery mattered so much, we need to appreciate the world into which it came. The late Medieval Church was, in many ways, a world of deep devotion. People feared God, prayed often, and filled the churches and cathedrals. Yet it was also a world of deep spiritual darkness. The message of God’s grace in Christ had been clouded by layers of human tradition, superstition, and even exploitation. Instead of being comforted with the assurance of God’s mercy, many lived in constant fear of judgment, uncertain if they had done enough to earn God’s favour.
One man who knew this struggle well was Martin Luther himself. As a monk, he tried everything the church prescribed – fasting, vigils, pilgrimages, confession, penance – but the more he strove, the more he felt crushed under the weight of his sin and the holiness of God. He later said, “I hated the righteous God who punishes sinners.” What changed him was not more effort and striving, but the light of God’s Word breaking through. In reading Paul’s letter to the Romans, Luther discovered that the righteousness of God was not first a standard he had to meet, but a gift God gives freely to sinners who believe in Christ. That discovery set him free – and it would set countless others free as well.
So today, under the theme “Light in the Darkness,” we’re going to look together at how the gospel of grace was rediscovered in the Reformation. We’ll consider the darkness of the time, the breakthrough of gospel light, and the legacy it has left for us. But more than history, this is about hope: because the same gospel that brought light to the world 500 years ago is the same gospel that brings light to us today.
As we think back to that time, it’s important to realise that the rediscovery of the gospel didn’t happen in a vacuum. It came like light breaking into a dark room. To truly appreciate the wonder of what was discovered at the Reformation, we first need to see the backdrop – the spiritual darkness that may across much of the church in the late Middle Ages.
The Darkness Before the Dawn
If you were a Christian living in Europe 500 years ago, your life would have been filled with religion. You would have been baptised as an infant, gone to Mass regularly, confessed your sins to a priest, and observed feast days and fasts. But for all that devotion, there was something missing: the clear, liberating message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Instead of pointing people to Christ’s finished work on the cross, much of the church pointed them to their own works, their own efforts and the endless demands of religious duty. People were told that salvation was a ladder they must climb, step by step, through sacraments, penance, indulgences, and pilgrimages. Assurance of forgiveness was almost impossible, because you could never be sure you had done enough.
This created a culture of fear and anxiety. The question on many hearts was not, “Do I know Christ?” but “Have I done enough?” Ordinary men and women were kept in dependence on the priesthood, because only the priests had access to the Bible, and only the priests could administer the sacraments thought to bring grace. The Word of God was locked away in Latin, a language most people could not understand, and so the voice of Scripture was muffled, drowned out by layers of human tradition.
Perhaps the clearest example of this darkness was the selling of indulgences. In the early 1500s, certain church leaders were fundraising to build St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, and they sent out preachers to sell indulgence certificates. The message was simple: pay money, and your sins – or even the sins of your loved ones in purgatory – would be forgiven. One preacher even claimed: “As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, a soul from purgatory springs.” Imagine the fear, guilt, and burden this placed on people were already desperate for assurance of God’s mercy.
And yet, in the midst of this darkness, there were still glimmers of hope. A hunger for truth was growing. Some brace voices before the Reformation – men like John Wycliffe in England and Jan Hus in Bohemia – had already begun calling people back to the Bible. They were often silenced, even martyred, but they lit a spark. The world was aching for light.
It was into this world of fear, superstition and spiritual burden that the gospel of grace would break forth once more. The dawn was coming – and with it, the rediscovery of the good news that salvation is not earned but freely given through Christ.
The Breakthrough of Light
Into that world of fear and burden, God shone a light – through His Word. The Reformation wasn’t simply about a clash of ideas or politics; it was about people encountering the living truth of Scripture, and through it, the gospel of Jesus Christ.
At the centre of this rediscovery stood Martin Luther. We’ve already glimpsed his struggle: as a monk, he tried everything the church offered, but the more he confessed, fasted, and strove, the more he felt condemned. He once spent hours in confession, only to leave still crushed with guilt. He later said, “If ever a monk got to heaven by monkery, it was I.” And yet he had no peace.
The turning point came as he studied the Scriptures – especially Paul’s letters to the Romans. Romans 1:17 became his lifeline: “The righteous shall live by faith.” Luther had always thought “the righteousness of God” meant the standard of holiness God demanded of us. But suddenly, the Spirit opened his eyes: this righteousness was not something we earn, but something God gives – a gift received by faith. He described that moment like this: “Here I felt that I was altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through open gates.”
This rediscovery was more than personal relief; it was a theological revolution. At the heart of the Reformation was the good news that salvation is by grace alone (sola gratia), through faith alone (sola fide), in Christ alone (souls Christus). The Reformers insisted that nothing else – no indulgence, no priestly ritual, no human merit – could add to the finished work of Christ. His death and resurrection were sufficient, once for all.
The light of the gospel also brought freedom. Instead of endless striving, believers could rest in the assurance that Christ had done it all. Instead of fear of judgment, they could know the joy of being declared righteous before God. Instead of blind dependence on the word of priests, they could hear God’s voice directly in Scripture, now translated into the language of the people.
And this light spread quickly. The invention of the printing press meant that Luther’s writings and translations of the Bible travelled far and wide. What had once been hidden in monasteries and Latin texts was now being read in marketplaces, homes, and churches across Europe. Other Reformers – Zwingli in Zurich, Calvin in Geneva, Cranmer in England – took up the torch, each adding clarity and depth to the gospel message.
The darkness had not vanished – but the light of God’s truth was shining. The gospel, long obscured, had broken through again with power.
The Flame Spreads
Once the spark of rediscovery was lit, the flame spread quickly across Europe and beyond. What began in a small university town in Germany soon grew into a movement that changed nations, reshaped churches, and touched the lives of millions.
One reason for this rapid spread was God’s providence in timing. The printing press, invented only a few decades earlier, became the engine of the Reformation. Pamphlets, sermons, catechisms, and above all, translations of the Bible in people’s languages, were printed in thousands and circulated widely. For the first time in centuries, ordinary people could read the Word of God for themselves in their own language. The Bible was no longer a locked book.
Other Reformers arose in different regions, carrying forward the same gospel flame:
Huldrych Zwingli in Zurich, who emphasised the authority of Scripture over church tradition.
John Calvin in Geneva, who gave systematic depth to Reformation theology and trained generations of pastors.
Thomas Cranmer in England, who reformed worship through the Book of Common Prayer, embedding the gospel of grace in the prayers of the people.
Each context was different, but the heart was the same: a return to the gospel of Christ. The Reformation came to be characterised in five great “solas” or “onlys”:
“Christ Alone” – Christ alone is our Mediator and Saviour.
“Scripture Alone” – The Bible is our supreme authority.
“By Faith Alone” – We are justified by faith alone.
“By Grace Alone” – Salvation is by grace alone.
“Glory to God Alone” – All is for the glory of God alone.
These were not abstract slogans; they were battle cries of freedom. They meant that salvation was no longer in the hands of a corrupt system, but in the hands of Christ. They meant that every Christian, young or old, rich or poor, could open the Scriptures and hear the voice of God. They meant that worship was no longer a mysterious ritual performed at a distance, but the joyful response of a people set free by grace.
The flame also spread into homes and communities. Families gathered to read the Bible around the table. Children learned catechisms that taught them the gospel clearly. Congregations sang hymns and songs in their own tongue; voices lifted in praise not in fear but in confidence of God’s mercy.
The darkness was real, but now the light was undeniable. The gospel, once hidden, was spreading like fire, transforming individuals, families, churches and nations.
The Ongoing Legacy
The rediscovery of the gospel at the Reformation was not just a moment in history to be admired from a distance. It left a legacy that still shapes our lives and churches today.
First, the Reformation gave us the gift of the Bible in our own language. Most of us have multiple copies of the Bible at home, and we can open our phones and read them at any time. But that freedom came at a cost. Men and women laboured, even risked their lives, to translate and distribute the Word of God so that ordinary believers could hear God’s voice for themselves. Today, whenever we read Scripture in our own language, we stand in the debt of the Reformers.
Second, the Reformation gave us the assurance of salvation in Christ. No longer do we wonder if we’ve done enough to please God. The gospel declares that Jesus has done enough, once and for all, through His death and resurrection. When we confess with Paul that “by grace you have been saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8–9), we are echoing the heartbeat of the Reformation. That assurance continues to bring peace to troubled hearts, just as it did for Martin Luther five centuries ago.
Third, the Reformation gave us worship centred on the gospel. The Reformers reshaped services so that the Word of God was read, preached, sung and prayed in the language of the people. The sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper were restored to their biblical meaning – not as works we perform to earn grace, but as signs pointing us to Christ’s finished work. This legacy reminds us that worship is not about what we do for God but about what He has done for us.
Finally, the Reformation challenges us to cherish and guard the gospel today. Each generation must rediscover the gospel afresh. The danger of drifting back into darkness – of replacing God’s word with human traditions, or God’s grace with human effort – is always real. The Reformers remind us that the gospel is the church’s most precious treasure, and that we must never let it be hidden or obscured.
So, as we look back, we give thanks. But as we look forward, we take up the call. The light that shone in the 16th century is the same light that shines for us now: the light of Jesus Christ, the true gospel, the only hope for the world.
Conclusion and Reflection
We’ve traced the story of the Reformation under this theme of “Light in the Darkness.” We’ve seen the darkness of fear and superstition that weighed heavily on the church before the 16th century. We’ve seen the breakthrough of gospel light as God opened the eyes of people like Martin Luther to the truth of Scripture. We’ve seen how that flame spread across Europe, reshaping churches and nations, and how its legacy still blesses us today with the Word of God, the assurance of salvation, gospel-based worship, and a call to guard the treasure of Christ’s good news.
But the story of the Reformation is not just history. It is a reminder that the gospel is always God’s light in the darkness – and not only in the 1500s, but in every generation, including ours. The same gospel that set Martin Luther free is the gospel that sets us free. The same grace that gave peace to anxious hearts then is the grace that gives peace to our hearts today.
And so the question is not only, “What did the Reformers discover?” But “What difference does this rediscovered gospel make for me?” Have you found your assurance not in what you can do, but in what Christ has done for you? Have you discovered the freedom of resting in his grace? Are you living by faith in Jesus – the faith that makes you righteous before God, not because of your works, but because of His?
As we close, let us give thanks for the courage of those who risked their lives to pass on the light of the gospel. But even more, let us give thanks to the God who has shone His light into our world – and into our hearts – through His Son, Jesus Christ. May we too be people who live in that light and who carry that light into the darkness of our own world today.
Small Group Reflection
On the screen you will see this question: “What difference does the rediscovered gospel of grace make in your own walk with Christ today?”
I’d like to invite everyone to form pairs or small groups of three. Take a few minutes to share from your own experience what the message of God’s grace means to you personally, how it has shaped your faith, or how it continues to make a difference in your daily walk with Christ.
Let’s make this a time not only of reflection but also of encouragement, as we listen to one another and give thanks for the grace of God that continues to transform lives.
(Pause for Small Group Reflection)
Closing Prayer
Let us pray.
Gracious God, we thank You for shining the light of Your gospel into the darkness of our world. We praise You for the gift of grace rediscovered at the Reformation – that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. We thank You for the freedom and assurance we have in Jesus, that we do not come in our own righteousness but clothed in His perfect righteousness. Lord, keep us always faithful to Your Word, and let the flame of the gospel burn brightly in our lives. Help us to walk in the light of Christ day by day, and to carry that light into the world around us. To You alone be the glory, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
