Reformation Hymnody

My article from this week's edition of the Rockford Squire:

Six years ago, in 2017, a great deal of attention was given to the 500^th anniversary of the posting of the 95 Theses—an event typically credited with sparking the Reformation, an era important to many sectors of Christianity.  In my Lutheran tradition, this was really only a preliminary anniversary to 6 decades of other, even more significant milestones, which would occur following Luther’s 95 Theses through 1580, and whose anniversaries we have the opportunity to celebrate in the coming years. 

 

The year between 1523-24 was a significant year during the Reformation because it marks the year Luther authored the first of his hymns and published the first compilation of Reformation hymns.  Some of these hymns are related specifically to the Reformation, while others are based on the Catechism or the seasons and feasts of the liturgical calendar.  Some might only be seen today in Lutheran hymnals, while others, like “A Mighty Fortress is our God,” have found their way into most traditions of Christianity.

 

While studying bass in college in the late 90s, I had plentiful opportunities to participate in praise bands, and I even had a gig as a promoter for a while in the Christian music industry.  In light of those experiences, I now look back with greater appreciation for a heritage of song that spans centuries and continents rather than arising only from a particular language and a single century (or in some cases decade) of church history. 

In a typical week at St. Peter’s and our sister congregations, we might sing selections from the German Reformers of the 16^th Century, a 6^th Century African saint, a modern American author who was my seminary professor, and more.  Regardless of who wrote these, they all share in common that they point us away from ourselves and toward our Crucified Savior.  They absolve our sin, assuring us of God’s gracious forgiveness, and they connect us to a continuous heritage of truth spanning generations, languages, and nations. 

 

This motivation caused the Church to be the prime benefactor of musical creativity for most of Western history before the advent of mass media, raising up composers like Bach, Handel, and others whose music was primarily liturgical in nature, and producing a library of song that goes beyond mere fads and continues to inspire generations of composers with the same goal of supporting rich lyrical content that communicates the message of Christ to the Church and beyond.