WARC – Twenty years ago, Christians in the former East Germany gathered in Wittenberg to celebrate Reformation Day at the church where on Oct. 31, 1517, Martin Luther is said to have nailed his list of demands for reformation of the Roman Catholic Church. Ten days after the gathering, the Berlin Wall fell, and a new era of reform began.
This year, the celebrations in Wittenberg featured a ceremony at which representatives of different branches of Christianity planted a tree in Luther’s Garden. The event signals the beginning of a decade of activities which will culminate in 2017 with celebration of the 500th anniversary of Luther’s historic act.
The idea of the garden was inspired by words attributed to Martin Luther: “Even if I knew that the world would end tomorrow, I would still plant an apple tree today.”
Churches around the world are invited to plant a tree in their communities as a symbol of the influence of the Reformation and as a sign of reconciliation and interconnectedness among the branches of Christianity.
