Psalm 46
Years ago a young woman asked to have the hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” sung at her wedding, explaining that it had been a favorite of her deceased father’s. It then fell to me as the minister to make sense of the matter for folks who attended the wedding. Why would a young woman be thinking about fortresses and bulwarks on her wedding day? Why would she request a hymn with the words, “Our helper, He amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing”? What meaning on this particular day might she find in the words, “Let goods and kindred go, This mortal life also…”? Yet the more I thought about it the more sense it actually made to me. Here was a young couple bringing their lives together, facing a lot of uncertainties in themselves and in each other, wondering what the future would bring. What better time to lay claim to God’s work for humanity in the person of Jesus Christ, even if it did come in a rather foreboding musical style?
Martin Luther wrote “A Mighty Fortress” — a classic of the Reformation –– based in part on Psalm 46 and the words, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). Luther himself faced many difficult challenges in his life and obviously took great comfort from the psalmist’s assurances that God protects and defends God’s people. This was good news indeed for a man who was willing to challenge the Roman church in all of its power and glory. As the psalm reminds us, “Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea” (v. 2). As Luther knew, it is Jesus Christ in whom we encounter God-with-us. It is Jesus Christ who lived in such a way as to demonstrate that God is in control, that God is a mighty fortress, “our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” It is Jesus Christ who reaches out to us in the pages of scripture, who is willing to die for us, and who invites us to trust and believe in him.
Our God is a mighty fortress, when “the mountains shake at the heart of the sea,” when our lives teeter on the brink of uncertainty; or when we enter into new relationships, even if we have a pretty good idea of where we are headed. Whether we seem threatened by the forces of this world, or we find ourselves living in relative safety and peace, God remains a mighty fortress for us, come what may.
Prayer: Lord, give us your guidance and protection, all the days of our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Showing posts with label Martin Luther. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Martin Luther. Show all posts
Monday, January 7, 2013
Monday, November 21, 2011
Indescribable!
1 Peter 1:1-12
Justification by grace through faith is one of the hallmarks of the Reformation and one of Martin Luther’s great contributions to Protestant theology. There is nothing we can do to secure our own salvation, Luther assures us. We are completely dependent on God’s grace and on the faith which itself is a gift from God. The author of 1 Peter helps to make this point. “Although you have not seen [Christ], you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8-9). We are receiving the outcome of our faith. We are being overwhelmed by salvation through God’s grace. When we recognize what God is doing in our lives there is no other possible response but rejoicing “with an indescribable and glorious joy…."
Of course we are not always joyous. We spend much of our time lost in a sort of spiritual malaise where God seems to be the furthest thing from our minds. Is this God’s doing as well? No! This is what we might call “sinful forgetfulness,” what happens when we allow our worldly concerns to creep into our consciousness and to overwhelm our senses. The best antidote to this condition is to regularly exercise our faith with Bible study, corporate worship, prayer, and care for others. When we flex our muscles and keep ourselves focused on God we are less likely to forget or to fall into what John Bunyan calls the “slough of despond (swamp of despair).”
Today (and all days) remind yourself of God’s grace in your life, of the faith that has been given to you, of the joy that comes from knowing Jesus Christ. Remember and be glad “with an indescribable and glorious joy.”
Prayer: Lord, open our eyes to your love and grace and to the faith that you have given us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
The Very Meaning of 'Martyr"
Revelation 12:7-17
Luke 11:53-12:12
Our reading from Revelation today continues the apocalyptic struggle between good and evil, one which God’s people will ultimately win. “But they have conquered (the accuser) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not cling to life even in the face of death” (Revelation 12:11). This tying together of one’s testimony and the willingness to die is the very essence of martyrdom. The Greek word for martyr is the same as the English word for witness, one who is willing to offer testimony as to what they believe, even when threatened with death. According to the author of Revelation, those who trust in Jesus Christ as the Messiah and in the good news of the gospel are the ones who will not fear death.
In his ministry Jesus offered a similar word of encouragement. “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more” (Luke 12:4). In his hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” Martin Luther writes,
Let goods and kindred go,
this mortal life also;
the body they may kill;
God’s truth abideth still;
his kingdom is forever.
Something to consider today, as you go about your normal activities, is the value with which you hold the gospel. Are you willing to die for your faith? Do you trust in God’s salvation and have confidence enough in God’s word to “not cling to life even in the face of death?” For some of us this is question is merely a mental exercise. But for many this is a real and pressing issue, one that hits close to home, for there are men and women who this very day may find themselves persecuted for their faith and who, by the grace of God will stand firm in their convictions. Perhaps those of us who will face no such struggle should honor our brothers and sisters who do by taking our faith more seriously this day and every day. Perhaps we can be more attentive to the claims of discipleship and to living a life in Christ in those places where it is taken for granted, so that those who must risk everything for the gospel will not stand alone.
Prayer: Lord, give us the strength and courage we need to stand as your people, to risk everything for the truth of the gospel, and to offer our testimony to your Son Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.
Luke 11:53-12:12
Our reading from Revelation today continues the apocalyptic struggle between good and evil, one which God’s people will ultimately win. “But they have conquered (the accuser) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not cling to life even in the face of death” (Revelation 12:11). This tying together of one’s testimony and the willingness to die is the very essence of martyrdom. The Greek word for martyr is the same as the English word for witness, one who is willing to offer testimony as to what they believe, even when threatened with death. According to the author of Revelation, those who trust in Jesus Christ as the Messiah and in the good news of the gospel are the ones who will not fear death.
In his ministry Jesus offered a similar word of encouragement. “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more” (Luke 12:4). In his hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” Martin Luther writes,
Let goods and kindred go,
this mortal life also;
the body they may kill;
God’s truth abideth still;
his kingdom is forever.
Something to consider today, as you go about your normal activities, is the value with which you hold the gospel. Are you willing to die for your faith? Do you trust in God’s salvation and have confidence enough in God’s word to “not cling to life even in the face of death?” For some of us this is question is merely a mental exercise. But for many this is a real and pressing issue, one that hits close to home, for there are men and women who this very day may find themselves persecuted for their faith and who, by the grace of God will stand firm in their convictions. Perhaps those of us who will face no such struggle should honor our brothers and sisters who do by taking our faith more seriously this day and every day. Perhaps we can be more attentive to the claims of discipleship and to living a life in Christ in those places where it is taken for granted, so that those who must risk everything for the gospel will not stand alone.
Prayer: Lord, give us the strength and courage we need to stand as your people, to risk everything for the truth of the gospel, and to offer our testimony to your Son Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.
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