Singing the Faith with Luther
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16
On July 1, 1523, two Augustinian monks were burned at the stake in Brussels, more than 450 miles away from Wittenberg. Their tragic deaths came after a serious of actions against the monastery and the monks, most of whom had studied in Wittenberg, for holding to Luther’s theology. Moved by their deaths, Luther wrote a twelve verse folk song that told their story and confessed Christ, the kind of song that was common in the day for passing on news and information. However, within months, Luther would set out to write his first hymn for congregational singing, “Dear Christians, One and All Rejoice.” (Lutheran Service Book #556)
This year marks the 500th anniversary of the first Lutheran hymnal, Achtliederbuch, (which contained hymns) published in Nuremberg and containing hymns by Luther and Paul Speratus. However, this opened the floodgates of hymn writing throughout the centuries. Hymns became a dominant vehicle for the communication of Luther’s theology in the language of the people.
Five centuries later, we continue to see how hymns give voice to our confession of faith and praise to God. Lutheran hymns are Scriptural, Christ-centered, and doxological. As evidenced in that first hymn by Luther to the contributions of aspiring hymn writers today, what we sing in worship focuses on God’s saving acts, His work through the Means of Grace and the sure and certain hope that we have in Christ. It is good for us to remember the rich heritage of faith that has been passed down through the generations of Lutheran hymnwriters. From Paul Gerhardt and Philipp Nicolai to Martin Franzmann and Jaroslav Vajda to today’s current confessors of the faith in song, Lutheran hymnody has shaped the piety and faith of God’s people and will continue to do so for the years to come. Let us sing the faith with Luther and all those who have given voice to the Christian faith through song!
Prayer – God of majesty, whom saints and angels delight to worship in heaven, be with your servants who make art and music for Your people that we on earth may glimpse Your beauty. Bring us the fulfillment of that hope of perfection that will be ours as we stand before Your unveiled glory; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Fraternally in Christ,
President Lee Hagan