Saturday, March 3: Faith of our Fathers
Almost everybody’s favorite hymn is Faith of our Fathers. Originally intended as a Catholic hymn, Faith of our Fathers was written by Frederick William Faber in two versions: an Irish version with seven verses, and an English one with only four. Once it became more universally used, this hymn seemed to inspire faith, evoking the persecutions of the Irish that took place in the early 1800s.
It is now time for us to step up and pass the faith that our parents passed on to us. Fathers are to protect us, and teach us, and help us deal with the future. That’s part of what one generation does for the next. Whenever I sing this hymn, a flood of memories comes back to me: catechism, Luther League, Easter breakfast, Sunday school, choir, Vacation Bible School, and probably more that I cannot remember.
My father always told us that if we could go out on Saturday night, we could go to Sunday school and church on Sunday morning. This was how he passed his faith on to us.
Just believe in the Lord. May your faith in the Lord be strong and steadfast.