Watching the Ways of God

 

Martin Luther died yesterday, 467 years ago. His last words were, "We are beggars. This is true." If we are normal American Christians, our pride and sense of self-importance doesn't allow us to say such things. But Luther wasn't proud or American. I imagine this contributed to his usefulness. And his existence has been a chief means by which any of us in our lifetimes have heard and understood the Scripture's good news. You should pay attention to this man, read him, read about him, and imitate him. Let's not be ignorant of our heritage and the church's history. When we learn these we are watching the ways of God (Ps 119:36-38).

Upon my death, when I sit down to rest in heaven, I want to do so next to Martin Luther, my favorite theologian with no inherently divine nature. And having read him regularly, I am sure he is also among my favorite people. I'd like to have him here now so I could take him to my favorite high end bar, the one with the high back leather chairs, in which we would sit and sip and muse and talk and laugh. And I would be a little surprised if we didn't share some tears too; tears of pain mingled with celebration. I don't get to do that in the world as it is now. But perhaps on the new earth I will.

Now that those two deaths have been mentioned, I move on to mention the death of this blog. "Sons of the Baptizer" began with death, on July 23, 2010 . How fitting then that it should end on the same subject. Perhaps it too will be resurrected. Time will tell.