I have been thinking about our “Footsteps of Luther” tour that Cheryl and I were able to be a part of in April of this year. Another couple from our congregation went on that trip with us, and all four of us will be sharing memories of that tour with our congregation on November 1.

One memory in particular was our tour of Wartburg Castle outside of Eisenach. This was the place where Luther was in hiding after the Diet of Worms, where he made his famous “Here I Stand” declaration, refusing to recant (take back) any of his writings because they were based on God’s Word. On his way home to Wittenberg, he was “kidnapped” by men working for Frederick the Wise, Luther’s protector in Saxony. Wartburg Castle was an isolated hunting lodge that belonged to the ruling family of Saxony, so it was a perfect place to keep Luther safe from those who would do him harm.

The thing that made our tour of Wartburg Castle so memorable for me was our guide. He was a young man in his twenties. When he found out we were a Lutheran group, he was very excited and focused the tour especially on the connection the place had to Martin Luther. He spoke of the importance of Luther sharing so plainly and clearly the Word of God that tells us salvation is a gift from God earned for us by Jesus. He spoke about sin and grace, Law and Gospel, and you could tell by his voice and his expressions that he was not speaking theoretically. He was sharing his faith in Jesus as he spoke.

I had a chance to speak with him privately for a minute after the tour. I told him how much I appreciated him sharing his faith so openly with us. He said that he usually could not do so because many of the people he normally encountered on the tours would not respond positively to him doing so.

We need to be ready and willing to share our faith in Jesus at all times. I was reminded of Paul’s charge to a young pastor:

2 Timothy 4:1–5 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

While spoken to a young pastor, these words are good advice to all the followers of Jesus.