Hi First Presbyterian Church,
It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! First, here’s a quick public service announcement. Impersonators are once again pretending to be Pastor Erin or me, sending you emails trying to get you to respond to them so you will give them money or gift cards. Always make sure to check the email address of the sender. If you receive an email from anyone who’s address is not either aaron.neff@pittsfordpres.org or erin.jacobson@pittsfordpres.org, then the email is not from us, and you should ignore it and report it!
This weekend I won’t be leading worship in Pittsford, because I will be leading a spiritual renewal retreat with many of you at the LeTourneau Christian Center. Pastor Erin will be leading a very special Reformation Sunday worship service in Pittsford and will continue our core values sermon series. At the later service, there will be choral music, hand bells, and brass instrumentalists. I hope you will worship with us!
October 31, 2025, will mark the 508th anniversary since a German monk named Martin Luther nailed 95 theses (which were statements and critiques of medieval Catholic beliefs and practices) on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. This event is recognized as the origination of what would become known as the Protestant Reformation. Many women and men across Europe would eventually join Luther in his desire to reform the Church. Not all those people agreed about everything, but, looking back, historians and theologians have summarized the major beliefs that they did share with the following five Latin phrases.
Sola Gratia (“Grace Alone”): People cannot be good enough on their own to earn salvation but receive it only because God freely gives it as a gift of grace.
Sola Fide (“Faith Alone”): People must have faith that God’s salvation comes as a free gift and that God is as good as the Gospel says God is.
Sola Scriptura ("Scripture Alone”): The Bible alone reveals the truest depiction of what God is like, which means people don’t need a religious authority to tell them what God is like. If you read a passage of scripture with a desire to believe and wrestle with it long enough, God’s grace will be revealed to you.
Solo Christo (“Christ Alone”): People don’t need any mediator between themselves and God except Christ alone. Christ has already done the necessary work for your salvation, and the work of Christ is sufficient.
Soli Deo Gloria (“For the Glory of God Alone”): Because the work of Christ alone is sufficient to secure our salvation, the entire direction of our life’s aim should be oriented toward giving God glory who saves us through Christ. Whatever brings God glory is for our benefit.
In these days leading up to Reformation Sunday, I encourage you choose one or two of these five phrases and reflect on what it means in your own life. Personally, I will be reflecting on the last phrase, considering which parts of my life have yet to be directed towards God’s glory alone and asking God to give me the grace to change that.
Peace to you,
Pastor Aaron