I had been looking
forward to teaching the story of Henry IV and Gregory VII all year. It’s one of my favourite stories in Church
History and I love teaching it. Telling
the story of Henry IV and Gregory VII is like sipping a great glass of
wine. You don’t want to tip the glass
back and down it in two great swallows.
It should be savoured and sipped.
So too with a good story – it should never be rushed.
It was the perfect day
for a good story too. The end of the day
was nearing, a storm had moved in and the rain was pouring down. It was wet and cold outside, but the
classroom was warm and cozy. Everyone
was settled in as I began retelling the story of Henry IV and Gregory VII.
Henry IV was the
Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and Gregory VII was the Pope. The Empire spanned across Europe but apparently
was not big enough for both Henry IV and Gregory VII. A power struggle followed as to what was
supreme – the church or the state.
Bitter letters were fired back and forth, excommunication was threatened
and levied against Henry, and an army was raised against Gregory.
The whole matter came
to an exciting climax when Henry IV realized he was defeated and goes to
Canossa where Gregory VII is lodged in a castle. The only way Henry can get his throne back is
by repenting before Pope Gregory. Henry
waited three long days barefoot in the snow as he waited for Gregory to lift
the excommunication ban. Gregory did not
want to absolve Henry but after three days, he realized that he had no
choice. Gregory lifted the ban and Henry
went back to Germany triumphant. In the
end, Gregory had to flee Rome from a rival pope and soon after died. Henry IV was forced to step down as king
after his son raised an army against him.
The story was going
along quite well and the drama was building as Henry and Gregory plotted and
schemed against each other. The question
of ‘who would come out on top’ hung thick in the air. The climax of the story takes place at the
castle of Canossa and I took my time setting the scene and describing what it
must have been like for Henry to stand barefoot in the snow for three days
while Gregory paced the inner keep of the castle in a state of indecision.
Just as I got to the
part about how Gregory would respond to the penitent Henry, the rain outside
suddenly turned into a deluge. A few
heads started swivelling to see what was happening outside. I ratcheted up my excitement and summoned all
of my storytelling abilities to keep the students’ attention. After all, you only get to talk about Canossa
once a year!
Thunder started to
rumble. While the odd clap of thunder
can do wonders for a good story, multiple claps that jar your bones can
effectively kill a good story. The
lightening was the death knell. To cap
it all off, the rain started coming down in sheets. Looking out the window was like standing
behind Niagara Falls. The lesson and
story were over as I raised a white flag to the storm.
As there were only a
few minutes of class left, I knew the climax of the story would have to wait
till the next day. We gathered by the
windows and watched the rain lash down and the lightening streak across the
black sky. Though it wasn’t the ending I
was planning on, this impressive spring storm did provide quite a finish to the
day.
At the end of the day
the students didn’t find out who had the upper hand in the struggle between
church and state. I think the students
were left with a real sense of who really was and is in control as we witnessed
God’s grandeur unfold right before us.
God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.
-
W. Cowper
