Word from Wiese

Walk into Wittenberg

Walk into Wittenberg

October 21, 2020

Wiese kids in WittenbergFor two weeks in 2007, I was honored to serve as the English-speaking pastor at Wittenberg, Germany. How thrilling for me to preach one weekend in the Castle Church where Luther nailed the 95 theses and another weekend in St. Mary’s, or the community church, where Luther preached over 2000 times and his children were baptized.

My kids hung in there for the church services, but they really bubbled when we adventured throughout this Reformation city. One afternoon, we were included on an exclusive tour to the very top of St. Mary’s Church. Up, up, up we climbed the wooden, misshaped stairs. At the very top we discovered the two rounded towers called “cupolas.”

One of the domes contained the gears for the clock tower. The other, to our utter fascination, was a small living quarter. “Penthouse” would be a stretch. But indeed there were two small rooms containing a tight kitchen, beds, and storage areas for a small family.
Why in the world?!

Well, with medieval towns built mostly of wood, it was critical that someone always watched for fire. Fire was disastrous. Like a lightkeeper needed to live in the lighthouse, a fire-watcher needed to sleep atop the city. When the fire-watcher spotted flames, he would immediately ring like crazy the close-by church bells. Then everyone in Wittenberg knew to look up to the church top cupola. If fire by day, the fire-watcher waved a bright flag to point out the fire’s direction. Then all the villagers stopped whatever they were doing and ran to fight the flames together. If a fire by night, the fire-watcher pointed a lantern toward the dangerous flames.

Two connections: First, I love the idea of the whole town working together to fight a fire. With a wooden town, they knew they were “in it together.” Like a strong congregation, everyone takes responsibility for the welfare of the group and everyone chips in. Secondly, I like imagining the perspective of the fire-watcher and his family. From that elevation, wouldn’t all the townspeople look like ants? My family heard funny stories about how the fire-watcher’s children, living so high above, indeed thought all the towns people were doll-sized.

The firewatchers lived atop St. Mary’s until the early 20th century I’m told. So it’s amazing to imagine what could have been seen in the 1500s. The fire-watcher of THAT era would have been able to see a very special type of fire spread across his town . . . and eventually all of Europe, a Reformational fire of faith growth. He could see poor people paying their last coins to buy indulgences instead of food. He could see Martin Luther nailing 95 theses to the castle church door. He could see people streaming into St. Mary’s and the university to hear why Jesus’ Good News meant more hope and less fear than they had been led to believe. He could almost see his city and world changing in front of his eyes.

Fascinating news: The “Fire-Watcher of Wittenberg” is one of the characters you can meet during next Wednesday’s “Walk Into Wittenberg.” On Wednesday, October 28, tourists will be guided to four different “scenes” around our lovely lake at Palmetto Road. Various Wittenberg characters will explain why their experiences of old still hold great value to your faith journey today.

After your journey back in time, you’ll enjoy refreshments, including Tetzel’s pretzels, Sin-No-More Cider, and Purgatory Punch.
But you must sign up to participate because groups of 10 begin tours every 10 minutes from 5.30-6.30 PM. (More slots will be added as needed.) All tourists will be required to bring and wear masks.

Walk in Wittenberg

Register for Walking Tours

Wittenberg

Note: The sermon this Sunday will feature a substantial amount of “Walk Into Wittenberg” so that those who cannot walk around the lake also can experience this Reformation encounter. However, we trust that touring with fellow faith-travelers in the cool of the early evening will offer a memorable, safe (fresh air), and enjoyable experience during this special time of year.

Watching with you,
Pastor Fritz

Wieses in Wittenberg