Monday Morning Music Ministry

10-27-25

Some Christians will be celebrating All Saints’ Day this week, more specifically observing several feast days of the Catholic Church – also All Hallows’ Eve (Hallowe’en) on October 31 and All Souls’ Day on November 2 – bookends to All Saints’ Day, which itself was formed as a catch-all holiday. Sort of like Presidents’ Day. It remembers saints of the Catholic Church, real and imagined, whose significance fell short of their individual celebrations.

By coincidence, another Christian commemoration is on October 31 each year, observed by Protestants and celebrated by many others around the world: Reformation Day. It revolves around the figure of Martin Luther (1483-1546), and is not an arbitrary date nor his birthday. It was the date in 1517 when Luther, a Catholic priest who was appalled by corruption throughout the Church, and non-Biblical heresies in its teachings, nailed 95 “theses” – basically, complaints – to the Castle Church door in Wittenberg, Germany.

Five hundred years ago, such was the Internet of its day. What Luther hoped would be a spirited debate locally and perhaps up the chain of clergymen… became a spark that ignited a flame, ultimately splitting Christendom, encouraging free thought, and inspiring democratic revolutions across the West.

Deeper than Luther’s critiques of the Church’s scheme of selling peoples’ access to Heaven (that is, promising such things), denying the right of believers to read the Bible, and Popes maintaining mistresses, was a profound set of theological revelations. Chief was Luther’s reliance on Scripture, not priests; that Salvation comes from faith alone through the Grace of God, not earned by one’s accumulation of worldly works and good deeds.

Luther did not intend anything but Reform (hence, “Reformation”) yet his views begat Revolution. Princes defied the Holy Roman Empire. Denominations were established on serious theological points, as well as on whims. Earnest debates fueled literacy and, eventually, Enlightenment thought in ways still felt today.

Many scholars think that the Catholic Church, in spite of itself, eventually would have designated Luther a saint (not that he would have coveted such a title: he recognized that the Bible declares all born-again believers to be saints)… if it had not excommunicated him. No matter: the man stands as one of the great men of history. Luther is a monumental figure, not only in ecclesiastical matters, but in the unique maturation of Western Civilization.

As I have documented, he represented the concept of the Individual as a legitimate force in society. He opposed the “System” that sought to stifle him, as many of his fellow theological rebels were made martyrs by the Church through torture and death by flames. He eventually had to rein in many of his followers because of excesses. He accomplished the feat (contrary to the Vatican’s orders) of translating the Bible from dead Latin.

It seems impossible to overstate the significance of this man to the sweep of history’s many aspects – religion, scholarship, political independence. Yet he embodied contradictions. Kicked out of the priesthood, he married. His language and recorded thoughts were both earthy and, today, politically incorrect. He rejected “modernism” and regarded Reason as the enemy of Faith. His theology and philosophy were as scholarly as one could imagine, yet volumes of his “table talk” reveal a man of broad humor.

“Tomorrow I have to lecture on the drunkenness of Noah [Gen. 9:20-27], so I should drink enough this evening to be able to talk about that wickedness as one who knows by experience.”

“A natural donkey, which carries sacks to the mill and eats thistles, can judge you – indeed, all creatures can! For a donkey knows it is a donkey and not a cow. A stone knows it is a stone; water is water, and so on through all the creatures. But you mad asses do not know you are asses.”

“Holy Scripture does not deal much with great sinners like tax collectors and poor little whores because such people can also be recognized and judged by heathens. Rather, it deals with spiritual little worms and scorpions who pretend to have an appearance of holiness and great piety.”

Martin Luther also revolutionized worship modes, and was a great proponent of music in church – he said that music was a gift of God, and that the devil should not be allowed to monopolize it. His greatest contribution in this field was the “battle hymn” of the Christian church, A Mighty Fortress Is Our God. The Lutheran Johann Sebastian Bach set it to powerful harmonization, and its words still bring tears to this Christian’s eyes every time I hear it:

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.

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

History is populated by many military leaders and rulers. Epochs, lands, and peoples inherited their names; statues and faces on coins survive them. Today, celebrities – every one of them flawed – are called heroes.

But the truly noble people among us mortals are those who have been heroes of conscience, of integrity, of moral courage. They defended eternal truths or consecrated them for the next generations of humankind. Their beliefs and spirits prevailed against intellectual and physical onslaughts; but their bodies and lives frequently paid the ultimate price.

Occasionally a generation will have crises met by such inspirational figures. In our day – it is not too early to state that this will not become an empty cliche – Charlie Kirk bids fair to join such ranks. Jan Hus was burned at the stake; Socrates drank poison; Charlie was assassinated. Martin Luther was kidnapped by supporters to escape martyrdom. Ironically he escaped being killed by a segment of the Church he ultimately helped to salvage.

Remember Luther this week. The bo­dy they may kill; God’s truth abid­eth still. When on trial for his life, he refused to deny things he believed and wrote. “Here I stand,” he said. “I can do no other.”

Where do we stand today?

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Click: A Mighty Fortress Is Our God – Martin Luther

10-20-25

Only last week most of the world was celebrating peace in the Middle East. The “Deal” had 20 points – which is impressive, considering that God Almighty had only 10. It remains to be seen (a phrase that always accompanies every war and every peace) whether the nit-picking about bodies’ DNAs or soldiers’ weapons will be like pebbles in sandals or major stumbling-blocks.

I am not carping. The current (at best) cease-fire is, in the context of the region’s continual animosities, a monumental achievement. There is an aspect that aided President Trump’s negotiations, one that was out of his hands: It happens in history that nations occasionally grow weary of hating each other. Peace sometimes presents itself as less costly, more attractive to politicians, and even a shinier legacy than the fruits of war. Israel brutalized all of its neighbors except for an unorganized band of murderers that attacked it, and peace has broken out.

I suspect that the Ukrainian war soon will end in similar fashion. Horrendous deaths now lead to exchanges of mere miles of land, as was the case for much of World War I. Ukraine had been part of Mother Russia for centuries; a significant portion of its land is Russian-speaking; spiritually, half the country is Russian Orthodox; etc. The leaders of the two countries display the quality of thugs, but they likely will seek Trump, or someone like him, to help them save face. Borders will be redrawn, history will be rewritten, and peace will come. Maybe even for a generation.

“Even for a generation” is not sarcasm nor cynicism. It is hardly a prediction. It is an observation, “past being prologue” and all that.

We can be certain of one thing, however. Donald Trump, that unlikely angel of peace, has been far off the mark in his post-negotiation comments. He suggested that the Gaza deal would bring peace forever to that land. He increasingly has promoted and identified himself with evangelical Christianity, yet even atheists are aware that the Bible in many places forecasts the End Times, the final war between good and evil, the forces of the anti-Christ versus Christian believers, the Battle of Armageddon, in those very patches of sand, the Holy Land. Trump should know that.

Even more troubling was his banter with reporters when asked about his role as peacemaker. Will it gain his entry to Heaven? Half-joking and half-humble, and not for the first time, Trump addressed his standing with Eternal Life: “I don’t think there’s anything going to get me in heaven.” He has said, “I want to try and get to heaven, if possible. I’m hearing I’m not doing well. I am really at the bottom of the totem pole.” Last year, Trump explained that going to heaven is “very important” to him.

Half-joking or half-humble, spending Eternity in any place other than with Jesus is a matter of, well, life and death far more significant than any accomplishments on earth. Hell is no laughing matter, but it is not out of our hands, as the president suggests. God is the Judge, but He has already promised a place in Heaven for those who accept Jesus. Trump would have to be a Catholic, a superstitious heathen, or a theologically ignorant Protestant to think that good works – even negotiating the end of wars – is enough to “go to Heaven.” But the Old Testament features many people who are still on a faith-pathway to be His instruments nevertheless.

Since we are discussing spiritual matters, including prophecies about the Holy Land, we can dig a little deeper, spiritually. Let us address the nature of miracles.

I will switch from specifics like the Middle East conflict and the president, because both represent larger points. It might seem to most worldly people – and in fact might be so – that the end of a generational conflict is a miracle. Certainly it is a blessing! But the conversion of one single person, let us say a victim in such a war or, at the other extreme, leaders who are warmakers and peacemakers, would be a miracle too. I can classify it as such, because my own rotten, sinful self was cleansed and saved. I know where I was; I know where I am; and I know what was involved.

Just as a sin is a sin is a sin in God’s eyes, so are miracles.

People tend to think that miracles must be of a certain magnitude to be regarded as such… or to merit our respect for God. I think humankind would understand God better, and draw closer to Him, if we didn’t take a pass on every act of His that is short of a Hollywood spectacle.

Settling a war, or settling your kids’ argument… perhaps are the same in God’s eyes.

Funding a homeless shelter, or sharing a simple meal… your heart is equally moved.

Performing a life-saving operation, or fervently praying with someone for her healing if that’s all you can do… surely moves God’s heart equally.

As followers of Jesus we should never presume things of our own thoughts. But neither should we neglect things because of ignorance of the Gospel.

And “humility” as a Believer? Let us never say, “OK, God; I’ll take it from here.” If our faith sometimes is weak… that is when He wants us to lean on Him more.

That’s how miracles happen.

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Click: Help Me Turn the Wine Back Into Water

10-13-25

Only last week in this space we addressed Peace – the concept and definition; the dream and reality; its frequent transitory nature and its elusive permanent state; the world’s quest and our personal desire. On cue, in a sense, Peace was in the headlines: an apparent “peace deal” in the Middle East, brokered by President Trump. Focused on Gaza, a treaty has been signed whose peaceful ripples can circle out to the wider region, and from this week into the future.

Yes, this is possible. History’s wars inevitably have ended not from sudden awareness of justice nor hunger after righteousness nor dawning revelations of amity. Rather, solutions routinely have resulted from crushing military defeats, or bankruptcy (of arms and money, often sustained by both sides), or abject weariness. And the Gaza Peace accord might last for a generation, or be one more well intentioned memory before this is posted.

I desire to take nothing away from President Trump and his team. Their efforts to mediate numerous conflicts have been bold and clever and, it surely seems, successful at the moment. An element of timing has been a blessing to the peacemakers’ work. Israel, after pummeling its enemies and toppling regimes, was at a stalemate with, ironically, anonymous thugs. When Russia and the Ukraine have bled each other dry, they will eventually seek to save face, partition the country as has happened frequently across Europe, and call it Peace.

Regarding the Middle East, the “Holy Land,” we must thank God for the interruption in bloodletting – the chance to dry so many mothers’ tears – but remember to peek ahead to the end of the Book, where the final battles at the End of the Age will take place, once more staining the sands with blood.

I am not being cynical, and certainly not pessimistic: we observe human nature on one hand… but we also should recognize God’s nature. Can good come from bad?

Wars end in peace. If it proves flawed or short-lived, nevertheless we seek it and savor it. Most legends and novels deal with conflict, and most of them end in sweet resolutions. So with life. When lovers quarrel, there is no sweeter affection than that of making up. In spiritual terms, once sin entered the world and corrupted our natures, God Almighty moved Heaven and earth, if I may characterize it so, to create a means to effect reconciliation with Him.

You’ll find that plan in John 3:16; but, really, in every page of Scripture. The Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is God’s love letter to us. Its theme is peace – that quality that we claim to need and need to claim – specifically the Peace of God, which passes all understanding. It comes through Salvation, which is the only quality more desirable than peace.

We are broken people, all of us individually and as groups and nations, but Jesus can and does make us whole. This “formula” should not surprise us, because the Bible’s stories feature myriad heroes who were broken and then transformed into great examples for us. In a larger context, such examples surround us:

Majestic cathedrals are built of broken stones.

Ornate stained-glass windows are comprised of small, broken pieces.

Think of it: beautiful works of music are collections of notes that by themselves are random or cacophonous until arranged.

These analogies remind us that so many things in life – plans, projects, intentions, acts, relationships – get broken. They might start in broken states, or end that way… or be that way in between the dream and the realization…but broken, in need of fixing, making whole, redeeming, restoring. Even as we make peace with others, souls are to be reconciled to God. Ultimately, peace to be made with ourselves too.

We meet God in new ways when we understand these contexts. Remembering the analogies with the building of cathedrals, arranging stained-glass windows, and composing music, we see the Lord as Architect, Artist, Composer. To the extent we are all broken in various ways – and see this in our brothers and sisters – we note that faith requires trust. And patience. God is at work. The more we ignore or resist the work God does in us through His Holy Spirit, the longer we might delay the amazing work He desires to do.

We can view “brokenness” as an ugly brand, a permanent disqualifier. But God sent Jesus to be a carpenter able to mend broken bodies. In His repair work, nails are sometimes required. Jesus knows about nails, too. But take joy in the restoration God will do in your life.

We are not born “whole” but we can be made whole. We remember that even the angels cannot sing “Amazing Grace” as we can: they do not know the miracle of Salvation.

Go thou in peace!

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Click: This Is How Emptiness Sings

10-6-25

Readers of this weekly message know that I married about six months ago; and perhaps wondered why I have not posted photos or stories of our honeymoon. I had been gifted with an important book to write; Mickey’s workload exploded; and her son announced he wanted to get married himself, and at our house which often serves as a beautiful wedding venue.

So we decided to postpone the European wedding tour (Ireland, Germany, France, and Italy) till the Fall; now the Spring. It didn’t seem fair, and I might not live till then, so last week we had a half-honeymoon on Mackinac Island in northern Michigan.

Reviewers have called Mackinac Island one of the most stunning getaway spots in America. (What a great job – visiting and reviewing America’s stunning getaway spots!) Anyway, we planned to see Fall colors on the island where no cars are allowed, only horse carriages and bicycles. The Grand Hotel is a magnificent Victorian manse where you are required to dress for dinner, and rocking chairs line the veranda that faces the sunset.

“Mackinac,” I learned, is pronounced “mackinaw”; it has no peaches; and evidently is some Indian tribe’s word for “expensive.” But… besides romantic, it was peaceful.

Peaceful.

I have realized that peace is one of the rarest of commodities in our world; these days, anyway. I mean real peace, not, in our private and home lives, “time out” or “rest” or “vacation.” Somehow peace seems an odd thing to plan and schedule and stop-and-start. Peaceful, that?

The same with nations: Peace is not only the absence of war; unrighteousness often fills the vacuum, and such a fraught situation merely postpones conflict. And in any event, many uneasy Peaces produce more tension and angst than do armies confronting each other.

The Bible frequently addresses peace. They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ we read in Jeremiah 6:14… when there is no peace. There are dozens of references to conflicts, friction between nations, and continual plans and reports of hostility; the most famous is You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come (Matthew 24:6).

It is not battlefield carnage that exclusively troubles us. We operate at a fast pace that excludes the Calm which ought to be a component of our lives. “Action movies” are most popular around the world. I try to avoid them, but I see trailers – presumably the best moments to lure us in – and they are three minutes of carnage, chases, explosions, gunshots, and killing. Kids’ video games matter-of-factly traffic in pursuits, attacks, and deaths. I have noted to my old friends in the comic-book field that every cover, story, and sketch features villains, and heroes too, with clenched teeth and angry brows – good guys and bad guys ready to run, fly, punch, and maim. Speed, threats, violence, noise, and…

Can’t we just turn down the volume on life; slow the pace?

In the Christian context, there is not much armed conflict these days between factions. Serious schisms have plagued the church since the Apostolic Days, and when heresy is blatant, it ought to be addressed. Not by burning people at the stakes, as Catholics practiced on Reformers hundreds of years ago, but by all believers’ solid familiarity with Scripture. There are bitter divisions in the church today, however, and we see opponents calling each other Evil and Spawns of the devil. Too many cheeks to turn.

This situation grieves me, not because it is undignified nor theologically unsound – we are all idiots as well as sinners in need of God’s grace – but because many of these “wars” distract from the message of salvation. Not one person more, or fewer, will gain Heaven over their view of the Rapture, or when the Tribulation will occur, or whether they speak in tongues. These wars are more futile than any of humankind’s many senseless battlefield wars throughout history.

These “issues” have little to do with whether the “lost” can be led to embrace Jesus. Believing He is the Son of God who died for their sins, and was raised to Heaven so that they may be, too, is all that matters.

What a peaceful Gospel.

Yes, Jesus said He came with a sword; that we will have to defend the faith even against family and friends (and a culture) that may oppose Him and hate us. But His overall message was Love. Our job should be to “make Heaven crowded,” the stated goal of Charlie Kirk. People might be beaten, but seldom persuaded, by a Gospel message presented in confrontational frenzy. Speaking of Charlie (as many, many will for many, many years to come), his style was brilliantly non-confrontational. At events it was characterized by laying his microphone down when he finished speaking, and listening to others.

I am afraid to say that many sincere Christians want to share Jesus with others… and act aggressively like they alone have to “close the deal.” Sometimes that leads to a fervid delivery that offends. Also… it can offend the Holy Spirit. Drawing people to repentance and salvation is the reason the Spirit was sent to us. Our job is to plant seeds, not stage-manage the harvest.

As Christians, we can multi-task: be earnest and rational and loving.

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid (John 14:27).

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Click: Softly and Tenderly