"Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Your Word," ELW 517
1. Lord, keep us steadfast in your word;
curb those who by deceit or sword
would wrest the kingdom from your Son
and bring to naught all he has done.
2. Lord Jesus Christ, your pow'r make known,
for you are Lord of lords alone;
defend your holy church, that we
may sing your praise eternally.
3. O Comforter of priceless worth,
send peace and unity on earth;
support us in our final strife
and lead us out of death to life.
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The trinitarian nature of this song from Martin Luther is one of his greatest gifts to Christianity. Calling on Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Luther taught people to sing of a future that he could only imagine by grace through faith. As with my own congregation's recent 125th anniversary celebration--one-quarter of the entire period since the Reformation--we are reminded that the Lord's call is to cherish and honor the past, seize the present moment in service and look forward to a future that remains a hope. Could Luther have imagined the world we live in today? Probably not. But by faith he could see a hope that sustained him, a hope that was wrapped up in God's eternal promise, in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and in the guiding of the promised Holy Spirit. This is our legacy too: to live deeply in faith, hope and love, and to look forward to a future that we can barely begin to imagine.
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, stir up in us a passion for your living presence that continually reforms our lives and reshapes the world. Give us a future with hope and make us ready for "What Comes Next." Amen.
Tim Christensen, '94
Pastor, Gold Hill Evangelical Lutheran Church, Butte, Mont.
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The Luther Seminary
2481 Como Avenue
St. Paul, Minnesota 55108, United States
Telephone: (651)641-3456-
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