Dear friends in Christ,

I grew up on that powerful hymn “Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus!” It was #451 in the ol’ red hymnal in the section entitled “Spiritual Warfare” and when you sang it you felt as if you were marching to battle – to a battle that had already been won. I’d always thought that that song should be put to drums. And for the first time I was privileged to hear that song sung…in French…to the rhythmic beat of African drums in class and at the recent graduation ceremonies at the Lutheran seminary in Togo (Centre Luthérien d’Etudes Théologiques). We want to share it with you.

That powerful hymn is actually Hymn #559 in the new Lutheran French hymnal from Canada (adapted/translated from the LSB): “Debout, Sainte Cohorte!” What we probably don’t pay much attention to in the United States is a blatant part of life here: Spiritual warfare, the fight against Satan and his minions, is part and parcel of African life. Susan and I learned this in a most abrupt way only a few weeks after having arrived and settled into our house in Dapaong, Togo so many years ago. Our house guard came to the house leading a two year old Samuel by the hand and called for me in a very troubled voice. With grave concern, he told me that he had caught Samuel playing around the corner at our neighbor’s house. What’s wrong with that? His reply: That neighbor is a sorceress who attacks and kills people at night. I found this hard to believe until I spoke with a well-respected and wise Christian who was also from our neighborhood. He affirmed what the guard had told us. Then I recalled that this is nothing new: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age…” (Eph 6).

What an experience it was some twelve years later last month to sing this triumphant battle hymn with the students and their wives at the CLET – those same students who are preparing to become front line soldiers in this battle in Africa against the prince of darkness – and know that our Lord has won and leads us “from victory unto victory.” Throughout the two-week intensive course I led on “Early Church History” we sang it together several times. It seems to be a favorite of the students. They sang it for the last time together during the graduation service.

Enjoy the “movie.” Enjoy the songs sung by the CLET Women’s Association! Understand the importance of what is happening in this seemingly mundane ceremony called graduation. They have gone through training and the Lord of the Harvest is now sending out His desperately needed workers into the fields of Africa…along with their wives who have also been trained. Please pray with us for these students, vicars, pastors, and their wives and families. Please also keep the CLET and its faculty and staff in your prayers and thoughts.

You may also be interested in an album of photos taken during the recent trip to Togo: http://gallery.me.com/susanfluegge (see the album “CLET – 2011).

Assured of our (His!) Victory,

Glenn Fluegge