“A Mighty Fortress is our God” arr. by Tommy Walker
https://youtu.be/ZBlU07rCQS0
"A Mighty Fortress is Our God” was written by Martin Luther in 1527. It is based on Psalm 46 which reads:
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
Though it’s waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
The holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
He lifts His voice, the earth melts.
The Lord Almighty is with us;
The God of Jacob is our fortress.
Come and see what the Lord has done,
The desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
He burns the shields with fire.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
The Lord Almighty is with us;
The God of Jacob is our fortress.
Martin Luther is known as the father of the reformation. As we celebrate Reformation Sunday, this song was an immediate choice.
“The Church’s One Foundation” by Samuel J. Stone
https://youtu.be/k9yNSTt1aXU
“The Church’s One Foundation” was written by Samuel Stone after there was a schism within the Church of South Africa. This rift was caused by John William Colenso, the first Bishop of Natal. He was removed from office for his teachings, and then he appealed that decision to the church authorities in England. Samuel Stone was involved when things reached this level. He wrote a set of hymns entitled Lyra Fidelum; Twelve Hymns on the Twelve Articles of the Apostles’ Creed. “The Church’s One Foundation” was included under the ninth article.
We will use some newer lyrics to this older hymn, and I think they will really speak to us today. The melody will be the same as we’ve been accustomed to.
“They’ll Know We Are Christians By Our Love” by Peter Scholtes
https://youtu.be/LZg8Ho-lNqk
Peter Scholtes was a Catholic priest in the South Side of Chicago in 1966. He wrote, “They’ll Know We Are Christians By Our Love” for a youth choir to sing during a series of ecumenical and interracial events. The melody and lyrics were composed in a vernacular-folk style so that the song would be more accessible. The hymn was used to connect worship with discipleship. This piece also becomes a commitment to the believer’s responsibility and participation in the work of God.
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