An Unforgettable Leap into the Past
Reflections on the Reformation 500 Celebration

by John Moore, July 14, 2009

Last week I had the distinct pleasure of volunteering to work with the video team of Vision Forum Ministries, with the purpose of documenting and preserving memories from the Reformation 500 in Boston. Traveling to the event, I had high expectations. I was aware of the work that had gone into the event; the costumes for dozens of studied reenactors, the lectures from renowned teachers and historians, even the venue was something that required a lot of preparation, with a replica liberty bell in the lobby, and several gorgeous ballrooms readied for the coming crowd.

Anticipations

I’ve been to a lot of conferences in my life; and I do mean a lot. In fact, I have trouble remembering those portions of my life that were not part of a conference in some way! Art, science, business, politics — you name it, somebody has a conference for it. So when it was announced that the 500th birthday of John Calvin would be receiving a historic conference all of its own, I wasn’t surprised. John Calvin has left an unmistakable mark in history; something that our founding fathers wisely noted. Months in advance, I determined to attend and participate in any way possible.

Technically speaking, this event was going to be a far cry above the norm, and I was expecting that much. The Boston Park Plaza Hotel is remarkably elegant, and provides a wonderful ambience for an occasion like this. But from a distance, this event was still just about historians wiping five hundred years of dust off of the opinions of some stuffy theologians, right? We shouldn’t think that way, I know better, but somehow that feeling always sneaks it’s way into the back of my mind.

A Flame Rekindled

What I could not have foreseen, was the organic way in which the history came alive for attendees! The opening ceremonies began with the express purpose of preparing the audience for the coming week. The families who had traveled hundreds or even thousands of miles to attend the event were enthusiastic and attentive, hanging on every word of the speakers as they introduced themselves and their lectures for the coming week. Dr. Joe Morecraft, in his slow and deliberate southern way, spoke of the legacy of John Calvin, and the purpose for our assembly; to rekindle the flames of reformation in families and churches across the nation.

Every day, tours were taken through the city of Boston, and brilliant men with years of research would walk through historic locations like Copp’s Hill, where the Mather family is buried, the old North Church, where the lamps were lit to launch Paul Revere on his midnight ride, the Boston State House, and the U.S.S. Constitution. As large groups of us moved together, reverently treading on the ground where our forefathers stood, preached, fought, and gave their lives, other tourists would occasionally stumble into our group, awestruck by the uncommon love for history displayed by even the youngest in the crowd.

Friday evening, we all packed in to watch a heated and comically played debate between Charles Darwin and John Calvin. Two men with completely separate and diametrically opposed faiths: one worshiping the Creator, the other worshiping the creation. The debate was fabulous, and the whole audience left the room charged with new information and new passion.

Every moment brought more excitement and new energy, and the fact that we could listen to a rousing session on the friendships of the Reformation, then walk into the lobby and meet those very same reformers, gave us a completely different outlook on the way history should be approached. History is the retelling of the providence of God in the lives of His people. When we realized this, we began to understand why we were together in Boston.

Behind the Scenes

During this time, I had been working with the teams who worked so hard to put the conference together, and heard private discussions between leaders about ways to make the event more meaningful and more special to those in attendance. Seeing these men, even under pressure, spending their hidden moments as nobly as they do elsewhere, was inspiring and fulfilling. The effort put into the week was evidenced by the amount of information available and the excellence with which it was presented in the lectures. I was already looking forward to listening to the CD’s and reliving some of these moments. Three days in, the event was beautiful, an unforgettable leap into the past, and the week wasn’t yet over! The best was yet to come....

Saturday, July 4th, the culmination of the entire week, was best expressed by the Children’s Parade, in which families marched together. The symbolism of future generations being in lock-step with the generations of centuries past was quite extraordinary, and as we passed through the Boston garden into the halls of the Boston Plaza Hotel, I realized that I should have been more emphatic to my friends about attending this event. This sentiment was solidified when we gathered in the lobby to ring the liberty bell 13 times, in honor of the thirteen colonies. With every ring as loud as a gunshot and reverberating through the entire hotel, it attracted the attention of every guest and employee in the halls of the Boston Plaza. I had the sudden urge to grin....

A Final Moment

Boarding the airplane to fly home was bittersweet. On the one hand, I was heartbroken to leave; to go away from such an amazing week back to ‘normal’ life, almost seemed anti-climactic. But what we started there in Boston isn’t over; the last thing the concierge said to me before I left the plaza, was “Thank you all so much for coming here! We’ve never had anything like you people before, and we don’t want this to be the last time.” Almost on cue, we stared at the Liberty Bell together. “Neither do I,” I responded slowly. “Somehow though, I have a feeling that this is only the beginning.” He smiled at me, shook my hand firmly, and I walked out through the doors of the Boston Plaza.

Of this I am certain: The Reformation 500 Celebration and its panel of finales — from the Children’s Parade and an address from George Washington, to Charlie Zahm’s ballads and ringing the Liberty Bell in the lobby — will be remembered by those of us who attended for the rest of our lives.