Martin Luther and Owen Meany
The Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in the Old City of Jerusalem has a service annually on October 31st, and not for Halloween! No, this day is remembered by many Christians (especially Lutherans) around the world as Reformation Day, a commemoration of that fateful day when Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the Wittenberg Church. Now, I am an Episcopanabaptiquaker by virtue of my various religious affiliations over the years and Luther never really grabbed my imagination or my interest too long. I was more into the shady dealings that brought the Anglican Church into being to curb papal power in England or the brilliant, brave martyrs of the brethren who were hunted down across Europe and killed indiscriminately by Lutherans, Calvinists, and Catholics. So I’ve never read his stuff though I’m a bit blindly prejudiced against him based on some things I’ve heard fifth-hand about his views.
Maybe it will all change this year with my weekly attendance at Redeemer, and my frequent contact with all the Lutherans in the Holy Land—there are eight American internationals I know in Bethlehem affiliated with them, plus countless in Jerusalem. There are I think at least three Lutheran private schools in Bhem too. They’ve really made a name around here. It’s pretty close to what I’ve experienced service-wise in Episcopal congregations…though I can’t say I know many of the hymns. The service for Reformation day included Arabic, English, Danish, and German speaking congregations that meet there for worship, and what a crowd we were! A school from Bethlehem got their choir kids special permission to enter Israel for their performance and it was great.
I’ve heard one good quip here attributed to Luther, that clergy are like manure. Spread them out and they encourage growth, but when all together, they stink. I saw dozens of people in clerical vestments, some not actually from Lutheran churches, but it was funny to see so many in one place. Having three languages alternating was interesting, and it was difficult to sing or recite when the voices around were speaking completely different words. I like though, that pentecostal sense of things, many tongues united for worship.
A few days ago I finished a book that I’ve long desired to read based on many positive recommendations: A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. I think it qualifies as some sort of American classic. I was extremely moved by the narrative and I found myself very much identifying with the voice of Johnny Wheelwright who tells Owen’s story from his perspective. As the best friend of a very unique individual who believes he is directly an instrument of God, Johnny plays the role of “Joseph”, the obedient observer, the man on the sidelines. I don’t want to ruin anything if someone hasn’t had the chance to read it, but it provokes a lot of interesting questions about faith-doubt, divine intervention, miracles-coincidence, the morality of war, etc. All those things that I like to ponder.
Especially in the extended scene of the Christmas pageant, I was struck by the story’s resonance with my spiritual journey/personal experience of life in the Episcopal church and then with being here in Bethlehem town—the original. Just as it’s the cast of characters in the pageant who make it profound, it is the living stones, the people of this land that make it holy, not the place itself.
