Something Strange Is Going On ...

No I did not pick going out as Doctor Strange, the Marvel Comics sorcerer supreme (that's supposed to be in caps too, something akin to "Sorceror of Sorcerors", but I have an allowance) to coincide with that movie's American premiere Friday -- though feel free to draw that conclusion. It goes back to last Halloween, when I felt miffed that Martha's sister's Margaret's boyfriend (I do have the apostrophes right, I just have to sound it out) Milton wore a costume for Halloween, and he is older than me! I want Martha to dress up with me and the kids one year and us go out as a cool family unit or foursome, but she keeps turning up her nose at the idea. Working and praying for her self-confidence to go way up.






And [Martin] Luther, who was an honest fellow, got so angry that he did a rash thing.


And to be honest, I haven't dressed in costume for Halloween in a few years. But this year I chose to as the Sorcerer Supreme, and it came to me last night and this morning. My tunic's my light blue jacket turned inside out, my cloak of levitation's my dark red robe turned inside out (it will be dark enough tonight I don't think anyone will complain it's not bright red), and the Eye of Agamotto's that gold thing at my neck which is supposed to be a clasp for the cloak, apparently -- in the comics at least; in the movie it's hanging like the charm on a necklace -- and it's a small red apple wrapped in gold foil held in place by my jacket. It looks pretty good to me, and in conjunction with Sarah as a winking and tongue-stuck-out emoji and Jeffrey as a red M&M, it ought to be an awesome time!


On the 31st of October of the year 1517, he went to the court church and upon the doors thereof he posted a sheet of paper with ninety-five statements (or theses), attacking the sale of indulgences.
These statements had been written in Latin. Luther had no intention of starting a riot.

Now I'm starting to excerpt from Hendrik Willem van Loon's book The Story of Mankind and its chapter on the Reformation. Today in addition to being Halloween, Samhain, and All Hallows Eve, it's also Reformation Day which commemorates the anniversary of the specific event many consider prompted not only questioning the Roman Catholic Church's doctrines pertaining to salvation but also unified, or at least began to unify, the opposition. Nobody unless they were seriously mentally disturbed (see below) wanted to throw God out of heaven or make Jesus Christ's sacrifice worthless or deny the Holy Spirit, but to a degree nearly everybody wanted answers the church then could not or would not provide.


He was not a revolutionist. He objected to the institution of the Indulgences [basically, so much time for a dead relative out of a limbo-like Purgatory between heaven and hell that you could buy then] and he wanted his fellow professors to know what he thought about them. But this was still a private affair of the clerical and professorial world and there was no appeal to the prejudices of the community of laymen.


Yesterday in Sunday school we had a serious of family stations that took events of Martin Luther's life, particularly in regard to the moment many people nail (pun intended) as the "founding" of the Reformation, and made games out of them. The Diet of Worms was a spaghetti-eating contest minus heat and sauce with your hands behind your back; Jeffrey and I took part in this one and the kids in that room tried to overload my plate, but I definitely got more down than my son did! Other stations were Pin The 95 Theses On The Door (think pin the tail on the donkey), an obstacle course, bird feeder making with cheerios, and Tossing Out Indulgences where two people on opposite ends of a towel had to throw a ball into a garbage can. I was told only one team all hour managed it.






Unfortunately, at that moment when the whole world had begun to take an interest in the religious affairs of the day, it was utterly impossible to discuss anything, without at once creating a serious mental disturbance.

And if that's not a statement for our own day, I don't know what is. People on both sides of a debate or issue refusing to concede that the other side has any redeeming qualities on their side whatsoever, that it's a matter of life versus anti-life (not necessarily death; not even life vs. death) ... ok, where was I? The sight of Martha attempting to twerk in a game of charades that we and the kids played yesterday -- it was so funny and fun that I'm glad for moments like that when we stay in, more than I used to like going out quite as much. If I take the issues of our household and our family a little more seriously and Martha a little less so, and we bring them to our Lord and our God to hash out, we've got a long time together in store.





Yes we do,






David