Germany - Day 6

In many ways, this trip has been leading to this day.  The roots of Zion's story really go back to October 1517 when Martin Luther nailed the 95 theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg.  Today, we stood looking at that door and feeling the sense of history and God at work.  The moment was humbling and where we began our tour.

Our guide through the city was Thomas Gaubig, who grew up as a believer in Wittenberg when the town was a part of the GDR.  As a matter of faith, he did not become a communist and paid the price.  His own story added a depth to our tour.  We began at the Castle Chuch and made our way through the city to St. Mary Church, where Luther preached and was married.  Along the way, we stopped at the town square and saw a couple coming out of city hall having been married.  We were told the history of Wittenberg as the center of the Reformation and a fortified city with a surrounding wall.  We heard the miracle of Wittenberg.  When the city was bombed during World War II, all the houses between Luther's and Melanchthon's fell, but those two remained standing.  There were surprises like Dr. Eber, who was a freed slave from Guinea and a doctor at the university about the time we held our first service in the home of Aree Von Guinee, who was also a free slave from Dutch Guinea.  We visited the home of both Luther and Melanchthon and heard their stories.  This is just a taste of what we learned.

After another wonderful lunch under a clear blue sky in the town square, we had time to revisit the Luther House and other stops where we wanted to spend more time.  We all returned to the hotel to get ready for the worship service at the Castle Church.  The church is being renovated, but it was amazing to be in that space where Luther had proclaimed the Gospel so long ago.  I was given the honor of reading the epistle.  I was moved by the experience.  Someday, I would love to preach in that space.

As I write this blog, we are getting ready for dinner.  This day has been special for many reasons.  I have been touched as a Lutheran coming to the place where it all began.  I have been touched as a pastor who has had the joy of preaching the gospel of grace.  And I have been touched as a person of faith by the witness of the reformers in the pastor to the witness of Thomas, our guide, in the present.  I have many memories that I will carry with me as we leave this place.

Peace,
Pastor Summer