LBW #183, "The Son of God Goes Forth to War," stanza 2
Devotion
During World War II, we teenagers sang this hymn at Luther League gatherings. Sixty years later I have to pay close attention to the words, because the tune and cadence feel like a battle song. The words take their inspiration from Stephen’s death by stoning:
The martyr first, whose eagle eye
Could pierce beyond the grave,
Who saw his master in the sky
And called on him to save.
Like him, with pardon on his tongue
In midst of mortal pain,
He prayed for those who did the wrong—Who follows in his train?
In spite of its title, this hymn does not glorify battlefield heroism. It calls us to the kind of witness (marturion) that might very well incite rage toward us, if not martyrdom. Instead of warfare, following “in the train” of Jesus means praying for those who inflict pain on any who dare to “drink his cup of woe.”
Prayer
O God, help us to be witnesses to Your peace that passes all understanding, even when our witness provokes rage from others for whom peace means defending the privilege and interest of the powerful few. Amen.