Faith of Our Fathers, ELW 812/813
Faith of our fathers, living still
In spite of dungeon, fire and sword.
Oh, how our hearts beat high with joy
Whene'er we hear that glorious word.
(Refrain)
Faith of our fathers, holy faith
We will be true to thee till death.
The martyrs, chained in prisons dark,
Were still in heart and conscience free;
And blest would be their children's fate
If they, like them, should die for thee. (Refrain)
Faith of our fathers! We will love
Both friend and foe in all our strife;
Proclaim thee, too, as love knows how,
By saving Word and faithful life. (Refrain)
Devotion
You don’t have to look far to find articles tolling a death knoll for the church. Worship attendance is plummeting, congregations are closing, skepticism and apathy are on the rise. Within many church walls, heads are getting grayer … and on Sunday morning you’re as likely to find a full parking lot at the soccer field or grocery store are you are at the local house of worship
But this hymn reminds us that despite the waxing and waning of congregational life as we know (or at least remember) it, the survival of the Christian faith has been in question almost since the day it began. Dungeon, fire, sword … our ancestors endured struggles of their own as they tried to follow Christ’s call. And yet, somehow – by the grace of God – we still gather to sing and pray and share the Lord’s Supper today. Indeed, it is the very grace of God that gives us reason to gather – and sustains us as we strive to pass on the faith to a new generation of believers.
Prayer
We pray for congregations everywhere, that they might be beacons of hope for a broken world. Amen.