August 13: Museum Island Continued Again

The tallest structure by far in flat Berlin is known as the TV Tower. It rises well over 1000 feet in height, and can be seen all over the city, including from Museum Island. The tower was built by the East Germans very close to the border with West Germany. The purpose of the tower was to impress West Germans with the technological progress of East Germany. But it ended up projecting a different message westward. Although East Germans at much expense and effort had eradicated all symbols of Christianity as unfit for atheistic Socialism, West Germans noticed that the setting sun reflects back in the globe part of the TV Tower as a gigantic cross! Can you see it?

QUOTE:

It is for our sakes that the Holy Spirit says God laughs and mocks at impious men so that we, too, may laugh with God and not grow angry or alarmed when the popes, bishops, rulers, and kings act to oppress the Gospel with force—when, in short, Satan buries the church with various scandals, for they are vain counsels. But we find that this laughter is almost impossible for us....Experience will teach each person how much labor and how long a time it takes to learn this art....We should, then, become accustomed to these storms in which a Christian must live and continuously dwell, and we should withdraw to the shadows and lay hold of the invisible. Then it will come about that we shall laugh at the fury of the Turk, the popes, tyrants, sects, heretics, and of all the adversaries of Christ’s kingdom, as a comical spectacle. He who is able to do this everywhere and always is a true doctor of theology. But neither Peter nor Paul nor the other Apostles could always do this. Therefore we must confess that we also are only students and not doctors in this art, although we do not even deserve the name of students, since when God laughs, we are either angry or vexed.

-Martin Luther, comments on Psalm 2:4

NEXT UP: Ligonier Land of Luther Study Tour Begins