Our museum will host a school group today. I have to think that these students from Immanuel Lutheran School in Perryville are not visiting us because it is Halloween. They must be coming because they want a bit of Reformation history. Because of their visit and my need to be at the museum to help welcome these students, I have decided to republish an old post this morning.
The attached post first appeared on this blog on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation which notably began on October 31, 1517 when Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the church door in Wittenberg, Germany. For us folks in Altenburg, Missouri, October 31st also has historical significance. It was on October 31, 1867 that Trinity Lutheran Church dedicated their new church sanctuary on the Reformation Day when the Lutheran world was celebrating the 350th anniversary of the event that took place in 1517.
Back in 2017 when I wrote this post, I highlighted the fact that it was Rev. Theodore Brohm who came to Altenburg in 1867 to preach the dedication sermon on October 31st. By the way, in 1867, October 31st was on a Tuesday, so a rather large group of people were gathering for a special worship service on a weekday. One of the things I wonder about is whether that worship began in the old 1845 church building and then processed to the new church. Trinity Lutheran Church is the place where three special artifacts are located. The communion chalice, the carved crucifix, and the baptismal tray all came to America on the ships that came to this country in 1839. Were those artifacts carried from the 1845 church to the new one to be placed in their new location. I suppose if I had a decision-making role back in those days, that’s what I would have suggested.
One of my favorite things to do on Reformation Day at the museum is to place one of our Little Marty figures standing by the church door of the scale model of the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Wittenberg, Missouri. That scale model happens to be in the 1845 Trinity church building. It seems so fitting for a day such as this.
Happy Reformation Day 2024 from the folks at the Lutheran Heritage Center & Museum in Altenburg.