#andwerehoff Eisenach-Wartburg-Luther high and lows-Leipzig-Wittenberg
Lots of Luther and Bach in these next few days.
We started in Eisenach (former East Germany), where Bach was born, and where Luther went to school to prepare to go into law. There is a familiar statue in the city square.
The museum here is at the former Cotta House, where Luther boarded during his time in school in Eisenach. It is safe to say the Cotta family was a pious and generous family, located close to a Franciscan community across the street, where Luther probably had seeds planted toward a religious vocation. He also was an altar boy down the street at the parish church where Bach would be baptized! The museum here is modern, beautiful, faith building, and challenging.
His translation work was, and is, beautiful, but another of his works led to the most ugly ramifications possible. The next picture is out of order from our day, but is important to connect it to what happened in Eisenach. Below you see St Mary's, the city church in Wittenberg. The is where Luther preached the most, I think over 2000 sermons. There are a few scenes found around the exterior of the building, including the darker portion under this spire. It is one of 32 "Judensau" or Jewish Pigs on churches especially in this area of Germany. They are offensive and disgusting. This one is from the 1300's, but the inscription above it is from just after Luther's death, and is taken from an offensive tract Luther wrote in 1543. I would have never known this, except we had just been with the Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary in Darmstadt, and they had just returned from this very site, as they are trying to promote its removal, replacement with something more fitting, and a time of repentance to precede the celebration of the 500th year of the Reformation. They are being very orderly and considerate of the state and church authorities, but feel compelled to move on this issue which is "deeply wounding to Jewish people; it is also a severe affront to our God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, honored and loved by Jews and Christians alike - the God to whom we owe our salvation" (Letter from the Sisters). I am praying with them for this, and would invite you to join us.
Back to Eisenach. Eisenach has a glorious connection to Bible translation because it is at the base of the Wartburg Castle, where Luther translated. It also has a diabolical connection to the Nazi version of the New Testament, the so-called "De-Jewified" version which created a non-Jewish Christ, and a non-Jewish New Testament. They left out the Hebrew Scriptures all together. Here is a copy.
They did the same to the hymnal. Here is a hymn enhanced with soldiers.
Here was a commemorative coin the Nazi's produced with both Luther's rose and the swastika.
A few things to learn from this era. Just because you vote something out of Scripture, doesn't mean God has changed his mind. This applies personally and corporately. The Bible will challenge every culture of every age. When we cut out the bits that offend us, make us feel guilty, or don't support our cause, we are no longer trusting the Bible as authoritative. We are trusting ourselves as authoritative.
We also went to Bach's house in Eisenach.
Again, it was modern, beautiful, and interactive. She is beautiful too-I could watch her listen all day.
Joy and I (and unborn Christian) were at the Wartburg in December 1999. I took a photo of pregnant Joy in the same place. We will have to find it when we get home.
The cross on the top of the Castle reminds us of two people who lived here. The German flag reminds us of an important event that took place here 200 years ago.
St Elizabeth's story is inspiring. She really was a reformer before the other reformer who lived here. Here she is laying down her crown to her crucified Lord. Here is more information of Elizabeth: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_of_Hungary
At the beginning of our English tour (highly recommended!), I leaned over to Joy and said, "I know him-that is Lemburis Justo." Lemburis and his wife Janet were our friend from Lutheran Bible Institute in Seattle in 1996-97. I went up and grabbed his arm and said, "What is your name?" He said, "Lemburis", and we said, "Justo" together. Then he said, "Nate!" What a joy to run into our friend that doesn't look a day older than when we saw him last. He introduced us to his bishop, Solomon Massangwa of the North Central Diocese of the Ev. Lutheran Church of Tanzania (now the largest national Lutheran Church body in the world). #goodness
Another "out-of-order" We were playing at a park in Wittenberg this evening, and I saw a bunch of newly planted trees, and I remembered that they were going to plant 500 trees to celebrate the jubilee year. I think I wrote something snarky about being more excited to plant churches than tree (of never mind). I walked over, and the first tree I saw, I read the inscription under it. Yup, Bishop Solomon.
Old walkway to Luther's room
The other spiritually prominent guest was Martin Luther, or Junker Jorg, living incognito in the Wartburg after having the ban placed on him. After his brave confession at Worms, be became a rightless man. His friends arranged for him to find protection here for 10 grueling, productive, despondent, spiritually embattled months. Here is where he worked. I couldn't make out the ink stain on the wall.
Peter helped with the old fashioned photocopying. So far, all of these Luther-related museums and sites soar above expectations. They are ready for 2017 Jubilee year.
After Eisenach, we came to Leipzig. Leipzig was one of our favorite cities in 1999. We didn't stay long this time, but it didn't disappoint. Our hostel is awesome. We watched the Iceland-England football game with a bunch of Europeans who were crazy for Iceland (maybe just a little pent up emotion for Brexit?).
The next morning we went to the two city churches connected to Bach. Between a practicing organist on the Bach Organ, and a great choir from Virginia, we got a proper concert. It was in this pulpit, the reformation came to Leipzig in 1539, though the preaching of Martin Luther.
Bach's burial place.
Bach organ.
Distracting ceiling.
St Nicholas Church is also a beautiful Bach Church, but has a more inspiring history coming from the collapse of communism in 1989. In the early 1980's, a small group began praying on Monday nights for peace. Protest flowed out of prayer. The Stasi came frequently to spy out what was happening. On 9 October 1989, "some 1,000 SED party member had been ordered to go to the St Nicholas Church, 600 of them had already filled up the church nave by 2 p.m....What has not been considered was the fact, that these people were exposed to the word, the gospel and its impact! I always appreciated that the Stasi members heard the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount every Monday. Where else should they hear these?...They heard from Jesus who said: "Blessed are the poor"! And not: wealthy people are happy. Jesus said: "Love your enemies"! And not: Down with your opponent. Jesus said: "Many who now are first will be last"! And not: Everything stays the same. Jesus said: "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it"! And not: Take great care. Jesus said: "You are the salt"! And not: You are the cream...Horst Sindermann, who was a member of the Central Committee of the GDR, said before his death: "We had planned everything. We were prepared for everything. But not for candles and prayers." From Rev. C. Fuher, "St Nicholas at Leipzig".
Tonight we are staying at the hostel connected to the Castle Church in Wittenberg (right around the corner from the 95 theses). We stayed in the old hostel in 1999 kiddycorner from here. The new one is really nice.
The town is cleaned up beautifully!
Luther park were we played. St Mary's in the background.
I toured Melancthon House before dinner.
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