The Reverend Carl Johnson, pastor of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Kittanning, is shown re-enacting the nailing of the ninety-five thesis for Reformation Sunday. He has his hair cut specifically for the event to the chagrin of his wife and church family.
Those in the community that do not attend St. John’s Lutheran Church in Kittanning have seen a drastic difference in Pastor Carl Johnson’s appearance recently.
Rumors began to be circulated that Johnson was ill, perhaps even cancer, causing him to lose weight. It was even thought that he was getting cancer treatments because his hair balded and has now just began to grow back in.
The good news is that Johnson was never sick. He just pulled an intense sermon illustration on his parishioners for Reformation Sunday celebrated on the last Sunday of October. This was the 500th Anniversary of church founder Martin Luther, an Augustinian monk, who nailed his ninety-five thesis to the entrance of the Castle Church in the town of Wittenberg, Germany. Luther’s actions sparked intense discussion and confrontation within the church at that time that led to major changes in theology. Johnson felt he would dramatize the event in full costume.
“I had my hair cut in a tonsure - the old monk’s hair cut - in order to portray Martin Luther for the sermon for our 500th Anniversary service. I got a historical monk’s outfit and I pretended to nail up the ninety-five thesis as I talked about it in my sermon and how life was in 1517.”
Initially, only Johnson’s family knew he had his hair cut in the monk fashion. Wearing the traditional monk attire, Johnson came to church with the hood over his head.
“During the sermon, I dropped the hood and people gasped, then started laughing because of the silly hair cut.”
Johnson explained that the hair cut of that day was a way to humble one’s self.
“The true origin of the hair cut was that it was given as a punishment to people who had done bad in the village. If you did something bad and needed to be punished, they would take you out and give you this hair cut. Monks started adopting the hair cut in order to be in solidarity with the poor and the lowest of the low.”
In order to get the hair cut, Johnson went to a professional hair stylist.
“She shaved me bald in the center, a little ring of hair, then shaved underneath. That was the tonsure - a typical monk hair cut which Martin Luther would have been wearing when he nailed the ninety-five thesis upon the door.”
At approximately the same time, Johnson also had begun a diet, losing a significant amount of weight as per the recommendation of his doctor for general health reasons. Between the hair cut and the weight loss, the rumor mill was in high gear.
“I did not realize that people were going to assume I was sick.”
Parishioners are now waiting to see what Johnson comes up with for the special Christmas Eve services at 7PM and 11PM. Those services along with the regular Sunday morning worship services at 11AM are broadcast live over Family-Life TV, available on Comcast cable channel 23 and on the Internet at www.familylifetv.com.
What a remarkable thing to do for his Congregation.He must be a special pastor!