REFORMATION: THEN, NOW, ALWAYS!!

 

OCTOBER 31, 2023

Psalm 46

 

God is our refuge and strength,
always ready to help in times of trouble.
2 So we will not fear when earthquakes come
and the mountains crumble into the sea.
3 Let the oceans roar and foam.
Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!

4 A river brings joy to the city of our God,
the sacred home of the Most High.
5 God dwells in that city; it cannot be destroyed.
From the very break of day, God will protect it.
6 The nations are in chaos,
and their kingdoms crumble!
God’s voice thunders,
and the earth melts!

7 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us;
the God of Israel is our fortress.

8 Come, see the glorious works of the Lord:
See how he brings destruction upon the world.
9 He causes wars to end throughout the earth.
He breaks the bow and snaps the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.

10 “Be still, and know that I am God!
I will be honored by every nation.
I will be honored throughout the world.”

11 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us;
the God of Israel is our fortress.

 

 

A mighty fortress is our God,
a bulwark never failing.
Our helper he, amid the flood
of mortal ills prevailing.

Did we in our own strength confide,
our striving would be losing,
were not the right man on our side,
the man of God’s own choosing.
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is he.
Lord Sabaoth his name,
from age to age the same,
and he must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled,
should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God hath willed
his truth to triumph through us.

Let goods and kindred go,
this mortal life also.
The body they may kill;
God’s truth abideth still.
His kingdom is forever.

 

Martin Luther’s “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”

 

It is not a Reformation Day without reading Psalm 46 and singing A Mighty Fortress is Our God. When I think of the images used for God in Psalm 46 and this hymn (fortress = a Military stronghold and bulwark = a defensive wall), I picture things that don’t move, don’t change, that are not open to reform. When we reflect on the Reformation movement, we are led to focus on our call as Jesus followers, to continually be open to reforming, change and renewal, through the study of the scriptures, by paying attention to our culture, and openness to new winds of the Spirit. I feel this paying attention to what is often called, “Reformation Nudges” that push us to recognize the tension of living in a space where we celebrate who we have been (the past), and seek to make sense of the present moment, and yet knowing we have not yet arrived at the end of our journey of growth. With Paul we say “not that we have already arrived, but we press on to our high calling” in Jesus.

So why do we read Psalm 46 and sing this hymn on Reformation day? James Mays, Old Testament Professor, writes, “the Psalm does not invite us to trust in a place, but in a Presence” (Mays, James, Psalms: Interpretation (Louisville: Westminster/John Knox) p. 185). I wonder if the images of God as a defensive wall (bulwark), as a mighty military stronghold (fortress) , are not images meant to suggest an unchanging, stay in one place kind of God who is “closed and locked up tightly;” but rather, images meant to call to mind, to evoke, a trust in the promise of a Divine Presence who is always constantly with us, even as we move, change, and shift. I wonder if Luther’s interpretation of Psalm 46 in his hymn is meant to give us tools for being ready to be reformed, changed, and challenged.

Think about it, if we remember that God is present with us in every step of our life’s journey, doesn’t it change the way we feel about possibilities for our future?

If we know and trust that no matter how often we feel the confusion and uneasiness of change; that no matter how often our own strength seems to fail us; that no matter how often it feels like “this world with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,” that we are supported by God’s abiding and constant presence, we will not be afraid. “We will not fear, for God hath willed his truth to triumph through us.”

God’s presence is the solid rock on which we stand, the mighty fortress in which we make our home, and the promise of God’s presence is what does not change, no matter what occurs because this promise rests on the foundation of “the man of God’s own choosing”!!

Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is he.
Lord Sabaoth his name,
from age to age the same.

 

LET US PRAY

O Mighty Fortress, bulwark of love and presence, open our eyes to the ways you travel with us. Open our hearts for the constant reforming and renewing work of your Spirit. Don’t let us grow content with what is, but give us vision for what, who, we might become as your people and as your church. Amen.