A Mighty Fortress is Our God • T4G Live [Official Lyric Video]
“The Protestant Reformation was the 16th-century religious, political, intellectual and cultural upheaval that splintered Catholic Europe, setting in place the structures and beliefs that would define the continent in the modern era. (www.history.com/topics/reformation)”
October for me always signals the hunt for my video, Martin Luther. We watched it every October and my children watched it with me every year. The new version has Valdemort’s brother as the Luther character, much to the delight of my children! We even showed the older version to our pastoral students in Kenya. They loved it. They would watch it on their own several more time. A single monk with his Bible stands up to the political and religious powers of his time, and changes the world. What a story. Martin Luther then goes on to translate the Bible into German that was printed on the newly invented printing press. People had never had the Word of God in their own language, in their own hands. Absolutely unimaginable for a literate person like myself!
It is probably not surprising that I married someone headed to Africa to translate the Bible for a tribe that had no written language and no scripture in their own language. To my young mind there was no greater gift to be involved with than enabling people to be able to read God’s Word in their own language in the privacy of their own home and to then relate to what God revealed. The New Testament was translated into Rendille, dedicated August 18, 2019, and distributed from camels bringing in to the people from across the desert.
Possibly the most famous hymn of the Reformation and actually most translated hymn in history is Martin Luther’s, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God.” The hymn is based on Psalm 46. The psalm starts out, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though the waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with surging. (Psalm 46: 1-3)” We may not see ourselves as refugees like those gathering at our borders, seeking entrance, but the truth is that we all need a place to run to when life threatens to overwhelm us. Let us spend time this morning praying for protection for ourselves, our loved ones, and our world from the evils of Covid, war, famine, environmental change and injustice. God is our refuge. Then let’s sing verse 1.
A Mighty Fortress is Our God
A mighty fortress is our God
A bulwark never failing;
Our helper he, amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe
Does seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great,
And armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.
On the Way to Wonder 