(Re)forming the Singing Body: How Luther’s Approach to Music Can Renew Catholic and Protestant Worship Today

Why did Martin Luther famously declare, “Next to the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise”? Luther was fascinated by music’s ability to renew the human spirit and the worshiping assembly. In this opening event, we interweave song and narration to highlight four dimensions of renewal that Luther understood could be accomplished through music: communion with the ancestors, the rituals of Sunday liturgy, daily spirituality, and connections with the earth.