“God’s Word is our great heritage and shall be ours forever, To spread its light from age to age shall be our chief endeavor. Through life it guides our way; in death it is our stay. Lord, grant while time shall last your church may hold it fast Through-out all generations” (ELW 509).
First printed in 1817, Nicolai Grundtvig’s hymn, “God’s Kirke er von Klippe-Borg, consisted of five verses. The first four were a Danish version of A Mighty Fortress; the fifth stanza was Grundtvig’s own. The final stanza came into use as a separate hymn in Norway and Denmark as a closing hymn or a hymn for church festivals.
The translation is by Ole Gulbrand Belsheim, who was born August 26, 1861, at Vang, Valdres, Norway. His family came to the United States when he was five years old. After attending Luther College at Decorah and Augsburg Seminary in St. Paul he served as pastor in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North Dakota. He died February 12, 1925. (Companion to the LBW).
Consider this your personal invitation to join with me as we begin the journey of Bible study within the Lutheran tradition. Indeed, “God’s Word is our Great Heritage.” As such, we will dis- cover four ways to approach the Bible. Devotional reading...”what stories or memories does this text stir within me?” Historical reading...When was the text written and what do we know about that time in history. Literary reading...What is the plot? Who are the characters? And Lutheran theological reading...In what ways does this text point to or lead us to Christ?
We begin our conversation in worship on September 19th and 26th with Dr. Ann Fritschel, professor of Biblical studies at Wartburg Seminary. She will preach and host Pastor’s class. On Sunday, October 3rd, Dr. Ritva Williams, a professor at Augustana College will preach and in Pastor’s class, offer insights on how Lutherans read and interpret the Bible.
The conversation continues on Thursday evenings from 6:30-8:30 pm starting September 23rd. Pastor Albertson will facilitate this opportunity.
Come join the conversation!
Peace,
Pastor John Albertson