Devotional – October 31, 2014

“God’s Word forever shall abide,  No thanks to foes, who fear it;
For God himself fights by our side  With weapons of the Spirit.
Were they to take our house,   Goods, honor, child, or spouse,
Though life be wrenched away,  They cannot win the day.
      The Kingdom’s ours forever!
Stanza 4, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”
Text & Tune:  Martin Luther
From The Lutheran Book of Worship

Reformation Sunday, followed immediately by All Saints’ Sunday, are a powerful and unique pairing of festival days in our Lutheran Church calendar.   We hear the same words from the Book of Romans that Martin Luther read, studied, and pondered.  The Apostle Paul wrote to the new Christians in Rome:  “We hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law.”  (3:28)  The more he struggled with this concept, the more Luther came to understand that our very faith is a gift from God, and our human efforts cannot earn us salvation.  Fulfilling all kinds of laws and requirements, or what in the present day we might consider “jumping through hoops” is not what God wants from his people.  Rather, we are called to do God’s work on this earth as a witness to the salvation Christ earned for us by his ministry, death and resurrection, and in gratitude for this incredible gift.

The music of Reformation is so sturdy and strong, with a straightforward message telling us of God’s never-failing protection.  Stanza 4 of “A Mighty Fortress” is so solid and assuring that it gives me a lump in my throat. Every day we hear the news of terrible things human beings are doing to one another, and wonder how the spirit of truth and goodness can even survive, much less prevail.  Then these words echo over the centuries, telling us God himself fights by our side,  that those forces do not have the power of God on their side, and they cannot win the day.  If we feel overwhelmed by the bad news of violence and evil that is almost beyond our ability to comprehend, we need to read, sing or say these words aloud.  The Kingdom’s ours forever!

Your friend in Christ,
Mary Rogers