CULDEE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH DR. JOSEPH WASHBURN JUNE 19, 2016 PSALM 46 GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS: A MIGHTY FORETRESS IS OUR GOD SO WHAT: In all that we face, encounter, and experience the one truth is that God is always with us and in fact carries us and sustains us. The reality of our faith is that there is nothing in this world or all of creation that will ever be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. The Devil, the originator of sorrowful anxieties and restless troubles, flees before the sound of music almost as much as before the Word of God. These words of Martin Luther reflect his view of the role of music hymns in particular in the church. He also said, I wish to compose sacred hymns so that the Word of God may dwell among the people also by means of songs. In our day we too often limit the role of music to that of entertaining us or simply filling the silence in a room. But throughout the history of the Church hymns have been much more than entertainment or something to pass the time they have been vehicles to teach scripture and theology to believers of all ages as well as proclaiming who God is and giving Him praise. It is precisely the importance of hymns in the life of the Church through the years that undergirds our current sermon series looking at some of the great hymns of the faith. Today we will be looking at what could be argued as one of the truly great hymns of the Church, A Mighty Fortress Is Our God by Martin Luther. Martin Luther is a name that many Christians are familiar with at least with part of his role within the Reformation. Luther, who was born in Germany, became an Augustinian monk, teaching philosophy and theology at the University of Wittenberg. While Luther is best known for his act of nailing his ninety-five theses to the door of the Cathedral of Wittenberg on October 31, 1517 a day that is sometimes called the 4 th of July of Protestantism. He is also remembered specifically 1
for his doctrine of salvation by faith alone and the belief that the Scriptures should be translated into the people s language. But as I have mentioned before, he was adamant about the necessity of congregational singing during worship. While the list of hymns Luther wrote is pretty extensive, there is perhaps no better known hymn of his than A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, written between 1527 and 1529, as a paraphrase of Psalm 46. This hymn is often referred to as the battle hymn of the Reformation. Albert Bailey writes concerning the hymn that it was sung by poor Protestant emigrants on their way to exile, and by martyrs at their death. It was, during this period of Church history, a source of assurance in times of duress and persecution. As we sing the hymn at the conclusion of the service, note that the first three verses are a paraphrase of Psalm 46 while the last verse comes from Luther s own persecution experience. You know, one of life s understatements is that life is difficult. All too often we read of senseless crimes last Saturday, after performing on stage, singer and songwriter Christina Grimmie was shot and killed while she signed autographs; did you know there was something like 47 shootings in Chicago last weekend; and of course we were all shocked by the shooting at the bar in Orlando that claimed upwards of 50 lives. These kinds of things are difficult to make sense of. Last week 2 high school students in Harnett County were killed in a car accident one days away from graduation; and then on Saturday evening a teacher and coach here in Moore County was killed in an accident. These two incidents hit particularly hard for students who knew all the victims, but regardless of your age these kinds of things are difficult to make sense of. Earlier this week our 2
hearts broke with the news of a 2 year old s death at Disney from an alligator. How do you even process this event or what the parents are going through? It sometimes seems that the world is falling apart that the thread that holds it all together and in order is being pulled quicker and quicker and the whole world is just unraveling. One of my colleagues posted on her Facebook page this past Monday, For my friends who woke up today to a world that feels more threatening and terrifying, you re not alone. A sense of hopelessness is creeping more and more into our daily lives. And it s not just about violence or death immorality, infidelity, insecurity, and uncertainty circle around us like a pack of hungry wolves inching closer and closer. At those times when everything seems to be crashing in on you there are two things that we can do. First, we could give up throw in the towel. Or, we can turn to God in faith and allow our faith and trust in Him through His son Jesus Christ, to be our rock, our comfort, our strength, and our source of hope even when it doesn t seem logical. Through the years the hymn A Mighty Fortress Is Our God has been sung during times such as these. The Psalm upon which it is based is a psalm of hope that we would do well to remember. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. This psalm was likely used as part of the great autumn festival, the Feast of Tabernacles, which celebrated the end of the old year and the beginning of the new year. Part of the function of this festival was to put the old year behind and to greet the new year. It was a time to celebrate God s faithfulness in delivering Jerusalem from invaders, for giving thanks for the harvest and regardless of how well the crops had done it was a time to profess trust in God and to reaffirm hope for the future. In the midst of whatever life had thrown at them, this psalm allowed them to reaffirm that God was indeed their 3
comfort their security and they had nothing to fear. God was their strength and he would carry then through. The psalm acknowledges that things around us change and are often outside of our control but absolutely nothing can change God! Martin Luther turned to this psalm and penned his famous hymn during a difficult time for Christians. Many would describe it as not the most artistically polished hymn that it comes across more rugged and strong which may be exactly what he was looking for. For him, and other Christians facing persecution and often martyrdom, believing in a God who is in control, who is a source of strength, who withstands assaults and attacks, gave them hope. And the beautiful thing about both this psalm and hymn, is that they do not pretend to look at life s circumstances through rose colored glasses. Life is hard. And despite our faithfulness and our prayers, sometimes things do not go as we would want all you have to do is take another look over the events of the past two weeks. But remember the truth that both the psalm and hymn proclaim we belong to God. Therefore, nothing can ultimately hurt us. Remember this world is not where we belong this is not our ultimate destination. No, ultimately we belong to God and have a home in His presence where there is no pain, no sickness, no tears, and no death. That is what this psalm proclaims. And that is the foundation upon which Martin Luther penned his great hymn. So as we face both the joys and sorrows of life when things seem to be spiraling out of control turn to Psalm 46 and remember the words of Martin Luther That word above all earthly powers, No thanks to them abideth. The Spirit and the gifts are ours, Through Him who with us sideth. Let goods and kindred go, This mortal life also. 4
The body they may kill, God s truth abideth still. His Kingdom is forever. Amen. 5