Awakenings

Timeline of the Early Life of Luther

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Swensson) — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 14:31:00 +0000

The Early Life of Luther

1483 November 10	Luther is born at roughly 11:00 p.m. in Eisleben to Hans and Margaretta Luther.  On November 11 Luther is baptized in the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul.
1484	Hans Luther, disappointed with business prospects in Eisleben, moves to Mansfeld, hoping to make a living in the copper mines there.
1491	Hans Luther leases a smelter from the count of Mansfeld. The family’s financial security improves.  Later Hans becomes very successful owning a number of smelting businesses.  In March, Luther begins school at the Mansfeld Latinschule.
1497	Luther begins boarding school in Magdeburg where he boards with the Brethren of the Common Life.
1498	Luther begins attending the parish school of St. George in Eisenach.
1499	Luther moves in with Heinrich Schalbe, one of the leading men of the city and father of one of Luther’s classmates.
1501 May	Luther begins studying liberal arts at the University of Erfurt, one of the best universities at the time. His father picked the school and paid the tuition. Erfurt: Population, 20,000. 22 monasteries, 23 churches, 36 chapels, 6 hospitals.
1502	Elector Frederick the Wise founds Wittenberg University.  In September, Luther takes the baccalaureate exams  at Erfurt and finishes 30th in a group of 57 and receives his Baccalaureate degree.  He begins studying for his Masters.
1505 January	Luther receives his Masters degree at the University of Erfurt. His father gives him a copy of Corpus Iuris and arranges for his entry into law school. Luther is planning to be a lawyer. In May Luther begins law school at University of Erfurt. He is required to teach philosophy for the Liberal Arts program.
1505 July 2	Luther, on his way back to Erfurt from parents’ house, is caught in a bad thunderstorm. He is nearly struck by lightening and thrown to the ground. He vows he will become a monk if St. Ann will save him.
1505 July 17	Luther enters the Black Monastery in Erfurt, joining the Augustinian Hermits, a strict but not terribly austere order of mendicant monks. His friends walk him to the door crying. His father, who wants him to be a lawyer, is furious.
1506 July	Luther takes his monastic vows
1507	Luther begins to study theology at the University of Erfurt.  In April, Luther is ordained to the priesthood.
1508	Luther teaches during winter semester at the new Wittenberg University. As part of his university duties he has to teach Aristotle.  He hates it!  This is important since it reminds us that the whole of the Western Tradition has varying relationships to Plato and Aristotle.  We remember that Abelard adored Aristotle.  Now we meet a theologian who detests Aristotle.  In other words, the 1800-year reign of Aristotle is now coming to an end.  Other thinkers will join Luther in rejecting Aristotle: Descartes and Galileo.
1509 October 1	Luther returns to Erfurt from Wittenberg.
1511 January	Luther in Rome. A delegation of Luther’s Augustinian Order goes to Rome to discuss affairs of the order.  Luther is invited to go.  Thus 28-year old Luther spends one month in Rome at the same time that Michelangelo is painting the Sistine Chapel and Raphael is painting the “School of Athens.”
1511 April	Staupitz arranges that Luther come to Wittenberg to stay.  He moves into the newly constructed (Augustinian) Black Cloister.
1512	Professor at University of Wittenberg. In May, Luther begins teaching again at the University of Wittenberg.  In October, Luther becomes a Doctor of Theology at the University of Wittenberg, at a very young age, (not yet 30).
1513 August	Luther begins lecturing on the Psalms.
1515 May	Paul’s’ Epistle to the Romans. Luther begins a year of lectures on the Epistle to the Romans.  These lectures are crucial in his intellectual development and creates a bond between him and Paul that is at the center of his intellectual revolution. In a certain sense, one can see the whole of the Reformation as the triumph of Paul.
1516 October	Luther begins a year of lectures on Galatians.
1517	The Ninety-Five Theses. Johann Tetzel begins selling indulgences on the borders of Saxony. Among his customers are Luther’s parishioners. He finds out about Tetzel’s activities and begins preaching against indulgences.

1517 October 31	Luther posts the Ninety-five Theses on the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church.  His intent is to spur debate. He also sends copies of the theses to a few bishops and some friends. The work is an instant success and is translated from the Latin to German and printed and circulated widely.
1518	The Debate Begins. The Disputation at Heidelberg. It is a debate of Luther’s ideas at a meeting of the Augustinian chapter.
1518 Summer	The Papal Court begins an inquisition in Rome in response to Luther’s ideas. Luther is tried in his absence on charges of heresy.
1518 August 7	Luther is summoned to Rome within sixty days to answer charges against him.
1518 October 12	Luther begins his interview with Cardinal Cajetan in Augsburg (in lieu of going to Rome). Cajetan tells him to recant.
1518 October 20	Luther flees from Augsburg in fear of his life.
1518 October 30	Luther arrives back in Wittenberg and places himself under the protection of Elector Frederick III (“Frederick the Wise”) of Saxony.
1518 November 8	Pope Leo X issues Cum Postquam, outlining the church’s doctrine of indulgences.
1518 December 18	Luther is ready to go into exile. But Frederick decides not to banish him, despite requests by the pope (via his representative Carl von Miltitz) to do so.
1519	The Leipzig debate. March, Luther writes a Letter to Pope Leo X. In the letter he states that it was not his intention to undermine the authority of the pope or the church.  Attempting some rapprochement with the papacy.
1519 June 27	The Leipzig Debate.  Luther debates Johann Eck in Leipzig. At the heart of the debate is the issue of indulgences and the unique authority of the pope and the Roman church.  The debate is huge event with hundreds of students flooding in to Leipzig to watch.  It goes on for days and both debaters talk for hours with no notes.  Result of the debate is to explode the Lutheran issue into a national event.
1520	Martin Luther Versus Pope Leo X.
1520 January 9	Rome restarts the inquisition against Luther and his ideas.
1520 March 15	Rome sends a letter to Staupitz,  the vicar of Luther’s order and Luther’s good friend and mentor telling him to restrain Luther or be dismissed.  Staupitz resigns his position two months later.
1520 May	Luther writes his Treatise on Good Works.
1520 June	Luther writes The Papacy in Rome. Luther writes The Open Letter to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation. Luther receives an offer of protection from 100 knights.
1520 June 15	Pope Leo X issues Bull of Excommunication against Luther. It is entitled Exsurge Domine (“Arise, Lord, and defend thine own vineyard against the wild boar that is devouring it.”) Luther has 60 days to recant.
1520 July 20	Luther finishes writing Appeal to the German Nobility.
1520 September	Johann Eck posts the bull of excommunication throughout Saxony
1520 October	Luther writes The Babylonian Captivity. It attacks the denial of the cup to laity, the mass as a sacrifice, and the seven (as opposed to two) sacraments. It sets Luther irrevocably against Rome.  This is his most radical publication to date since now he was attacking the entire structure of the Roman Catholic Church and its power in its role as administrator of the many sacraments throughout the Christian life.
1520 October 10	Luther receives the papal bull, though he probably knew about it as early as late September.
1520 Mid-October	At the University of Erfurt, students rip up a copy of the papal bull and throw it into the water. University officials take no action against them.
1520 November 12	Luther’s books are burned in Cologne. Burning of his book in other cities follows shortly thereafter.
1520 November 20	Luther writes Freedom of the Christian Man and publishes it along with an open letter to Pope Leo X.  In the letter Luther apologizes to the pope personally, but continues to denounce what he sees as false doctrine and corruption. In the treatise he speaks of the freedom a Christian gains with justification.  He attacks directly the whole Roman Catholic Church position on good works and salvation and thus attacks the whole structure of intercessions, prayers and offerings for the dead through the church.
1520 December 10	Luther burns Exsurge Domine  and other papal documents under a large oak outside the walls of the city. He also burns books of church law and books written by his enemies.
1521 January 3	The Diet of Worms. Luther is excommunicated in the bull Decet Romanun Pontificem.
1521 February	Elector Frederick the Wise demands Luther not be outlawed or imprisoned without being given the chance to defend himself at a hearing.
1521 March 6	The Emperor Charles V summons Luther to appear before the Diet of Worms
1521 March 8	An edict mandating the sequestration of Luther’s books is issued at the Diet of Worms.
1521 April 6	Luther begins The Journey to Worms, stopping along the way to preach in Erfurt, Eisenach, Gotha, and Frankfurt.  This event has taken on a special significance in the history of the Protestant church since it is viewed as a spectacularly courageous act on Luther’s part: confronting the Emperor and all the power of the Empire and the Papacy in his one lonely person.
1521 April 15	Luther enters Worms in triumphal procession. A crowd has gathered to cheer him.
1521 April 17	The first hearing of the Diet of Worms begins. An official of Trier points to a table of books and asks Luther if he is willing to recant. Luther sees that some of the books are his writings on Scripture. These he is unwilling to recant. He asks for a recess.
1521 April 18	During the second hearing of the Diet, Luther says, “Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason– I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other– my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me.”
1521 April 19	Emperor Charles V sides with Rome, wants Luther condemned immediately. The imperial estates want to give Luther a few more days to recant.
1521 April 24	Elector Frederick the Wise tells his brother about his decision to support Luther.
1521 April 25	Diet of Worms is dismissed. Luther leaves the negotiations room and says, “I am finished.”
1521 April 26	Luther leaves Worms as quietly as possible.
1521 May 4	Luther is captured by “bandits” on his way home from Worms. He is taken to safety in Wartburg. Luther knew about the capture beforehand.  The ruse allows Frederick to escape charges of harboring a heretic.
1521 May 10	Luther arrives at Wartburg castle, near Eisenach. He hides there for 11 months (from 5/4/1521 to 2/29/1522). During that time, he grows his hair and a beard and calls himself Junker JÃrg (Knight George).
1521 May 26	Edict of Worms is signed by the emperor and issued. It formally condemns Luther’s teachings and places him under the ban of the Empire.
1521 December	Luther begins work on Sermon Postils, a collection of sermons, and on the German New Testament
1521 December	A ban is issued against Luther and his followers.
1522	Luther at Wartburg. While Luther is Wartburg, a number of changes take place in Wittenberg. Monks first refuse to say private Mass, then begin leaving the Augustinian congregation until it is finally disbanded. The minister at the castle church marries. Students destroy the altar at the Franciscan monastery. An Evangelical Lord’s Supper begins to be celebrated with the liturgy in German and the cup offered to the laity.  These developments show how widespread was the support for Luther’s position.  He was not alone.
1522 February	The ban on Luther and his followers is lifted.
1522 March 1-6	Luther leaves Wartburg and travels to Wittenberg accompanied by several knights. Upon arriving in Wittenberg, he immediately preaches in the parish church.  Luther begins two years of preaching. He travels throughout central Germany, including Erfurt and Weimar.
1522 August 4	Martin Luther writes Contra Henricum Regem Anglicum, a response to King Henry VIII of England’s Assertio septem sacramentorum adversus Martinum Lutherum (Defense of the Seven Sacraments  Luther was neither subtle nor tactful, and his encounter with Henry cost him most of his support in England.
1522 September 21	Luther publishes the German New Testament.
1523 March 6	A New Mass. The General Council of the Diet of NÃ¼rnberg orders Luther and his followers to stop publishing. It outlaws the preaching of anything other than established Roman Catholic doctrine.
1523 June 1	Luther publishes his first Forma Missae et Communionis, a description of the Mass as it is celebrated in Wittenberg. It is in Latin, and is largely the traditional Mass with a few Evangelical touches. Congregational singing and the sermon are in German, but everything else is Latin. Luther expresses the hope that the Mass will soon be celebrated solely in the vernacular. He calls on poets and musicians to develop the appropriate settings.  This move is the beginning of the transformation of the Roman Catholic service into a new Protestant vernacular service.  A parallel movement is going on in England and will soon create the Book of Common Prayer.
1523 July 1	The first Protestant martyrs are burned in Brussels.
1524	Luther and Erasmus.  Renaissance and Reformation. The Third Imperial Diet of Nuremberg renews the banishment of Luther. By this time, however, he is so popular it is unlikely he would be arrested.  He continues his life and work in Germany. Luther begins two years of argument with Desiderius Erasmus. It causes bad feelings and a minor split with the humanists, who had previously welcomed Luther’s ideas. This relationship between Luther and Erasmus raises one of the most central issues in understanding the Reformation: what did the humanists whether in Italy or elsewhere in Europe contribute to the coming of the Reformation.  In other words, what is the relationship between the Renaissance and the Reformation? Luther, with Johann Walther’s assistance, publishes the Wittenberg Gesangbuch, a songbook for church use. Luther writes some of the words and tunes, adapts others from popular music. Luther writes Letters to the Princes of Saxony Concerning the Rebellious Spirit. Luther and his fellow reformers are worried about the relationship between religious rebellion and social rebellion.  Most of the early reformers are NOT social radicals.  They hope to reform the church at the same time that they maintain traditional social order. Luther writes To the Councilmen in All Cities in Germany that they Establish and Maintain Christian Schools Peasants rise up in southwest Germany. They cite Luther’s teachings as authority and demand more just economic conditions.  They are ready to overthrow the authorities if necessary.  This is exactly what Luther and other reformers had feared:  that they would unwittingly end up leading a social revolution.
1524 October 9	Luther stops wearing the religious habit.
1525	The Peasant’s Rebellion. Luther writes Against the Heavenly Prophets.  In it he calls for a truly German Mass.
1525 April 19	Luther writes Admonition to Peace, a reply to the twelve articles of the Peasants in Swabia.
1525 May 2	Frederick the Wise dies.  John the Steadfast becomes Elector of Saxony.
1525 May 5	Luther writes against the peasants in  Against the Murderous and Thieving Hordes of Peasants.
1525 May 13	Luther is betrothed to Katherine von Bora.
1525 May 15	The Peasants Rebellion.  At the Battle of Frankenhausen, 50,000 peasants are cut down.  Before the uprising is quelled, most of the year’s crops, hundreds of villages, 1000 castles and monasteries are destroyed.  Nearly 100,000 die.  Protestant ministers are hanged by Catholic princes.  The peasants believe that they were betrayed by Luther who refuses to join their rebellion.
1525 June 13	Luther marries Katharine von Bora.  They take up residence in the Black Cloister, the former Augustinian monastery in Wittenberg.
1525 July	Luther writes Open Letter Concerning the Hard Book Against the Peasants.
1525 December	Luther publishes De Servo Arbitrio (Bound Will), which answers Erasmus’ De Libero Arbit (Free Will).  Luther maintains that sin hinders human ability to work out their own salvation.  We all need God’s Grace to be saved. (Paul).
1525 December 25	Luther begins to use the German Mass.

Martin Luther's Early Life and Formation

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Swensson) — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 13:33:00 +0000

Martin Luther was born in Eisleben on November 10, 1483 and baptized in the Roman Catholic Church the following day. His parents had been peasants but had some prosperity through mining, leasing iron pits and smelting. They had hopes that their eldest son Martin would become a lawyer and sent him away for education at an early age. Much has been made of the severity of the discipline of his parents and teachers, but this is based on a few remarks Luther made in his later years. Luther seems to have had a conventional upbringing and his life can be seen as a type of the transition his culture was going through. Europe was already moving out of the Middle Ages as a mainly agricultural economy was giving way to a more commercial economy which led to an emerging middle class. On every front, the world of young Luther was changing. It had great hopes. It had great fears. New Worlds were being discovered as witch hunts and inquisitions raged throughout Europe. New developments were also taking place also in the intellectual arena. Prominent humanist figures like Erasmus broke new ground, but were careful not to make waves.

The year 1505 was an important year for young Luther. In May he graduated from the University of Erfurt, and a few weeks later entered a monastery of the Observant Augustinians, an order founded a century earlier to reform the Augustinians. Much is made of a certain lightening storm in which he feared for his life and made a vow to St. Anne that if he lived he would become a monk. We might wonder about the timing of this storm as it occurred just at the time that Luther was supposed to enter law school. Nevertheless, Luther was at a crossroads and he took the turn towards the Church. Luther might have made a vow to St. Anne to become a monk, but his superiors discerned his gifts of intellect and speech and decided he should become a priest, the same way that they decided a few years later that he should prepare to teach.

Luther was ordained in 1507 and celebrated his first mass on May 2. He related that the day was one of fear. He was afraid because he had entered a religious vocation against his father's wishes. Hearing that his father was coming with many men on horseback, how could he know whether they meant to carry him off or congratulate him? However, Luther said that his primary fear was how a sinner such as himself could perform the mass. Indeed, he said he barely made it through, and this seems to be emblematic of how he understood his own salvation before his reformation discovery.

Another formative event took place in 1510 when Luther was chosen as one of two monks to take a petition to Rome for the reform of their order toward a stricter way of life. For Luther it was also a pilgrimage, and in Rome he went earnestly from one site to another hoping to gain something. However, Luther's piety was in contrast with the worldliness of the Italian clerics and he left Rome unsettled. This period in Rome influenced his attitude over the sale of indulgences.

Luther returned to his academic work in Wittenberg. He was becoming a prominent, young theologian learning to flex his theological muscles. Johann von Staupitz was instrumental in this development.

Von Staupitz had persuaded Luther to pursue advanced studies to qualify for the degree of Doctor in Bible and had moved Frederick the Wise to provide funds for promoting Luther's doctorate on the promise that Luther would be a great asset to the University of Wittenberg as lecturer on the Bible. Staupitz himself had held this position with distinction but was now vacating it because of his duties as vicar general of the Augustinians. On October 22, 1512, Luther was made a Doctor at the university

One must be sure that one’s doctrine is the truth and right before God and must not be concerned only how it is regarded by men

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Swensson) — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 15:52:00 +0000

“Because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.” John 8:45

It is true that no pastor’s life is ever so good that it is without sin before God. And so, it is enough if he is blameless in the eyes of his people. But his doctrine must be so good and pure that it stands up not only before men but also before God.

A godly preacher may well find himself in a position to ask his hearers, “Who from among you is going to find fault with me? From among you, I say, my fellow human beings! But before God I am a sinner.”

Moses does the same thing when he claims that he had not taken anything from them or harmed any one of them (Numbers 16:15).

Samuel, Jeremiah, and Hezekiah could also appeal to their blameless lives before the people to stop the mouths of slanderers.

Christ does not speak about His doctrine here. He does not say, “Who among you can fault my doctrine.” He says, “because I tell the truth.”

One must be sure that one’s doctrine is the truth and right before God and must not be concerned only how it is regarded by men.

Martin Luther

SL.XI.568,3
AE 76,409

PRAYER: Grant us at all times such conviction of faith, heavenly Father, that we never have the slightest doubt that the whole truth of salvation has been revealed to us in and through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

Preparing to Observe the Reformation

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Swensson) — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 20:24:00 +0000

We were reminded at church yesterday that some churches observe the Reformation next Sunday, October 27th, and All Saints Sunday the following Sunday, November 3. Upon waking on Monday morning, I thought perhaps I should write something on Martin Luther. I know Martin fairly well, well enough to know I will never understand him as well as I would like to. Let me say that Luther is a deep thinker and leave it there for now.

Here's an idea: if you want to prepare for Reformation Sunday, study his Preface to Romans. Find it here: https://bit.ly/4haSv5d. The third paragraph reads:

"You must not understand the word law here in human fashion, i.e., a regulation about what sort of works must be done or must not be done. That's the way it is with human laws: you satisfy the demands of the law with works, whether your heart is in it or not. God judges what is in the depths of the heart. Therefore his law also makes demands on the depths of the heart and doesn't let the heart rest content in works; rather it punishes as hypocrisy and lies all works done apart from the depths of the heart. All human beings are called liars (Psalm 116), since none of them keeps or can keep God's law from the depths of the heart. Everyone finds inside himself an aversion to good and a craving for evil. Where there is no free desire for good, there the heart has not set itself on God's law. There also sin is surely to be found and the deserved wrath of God, whether a lot of good works and an honorable life appear outwardly or not."

I don't wish to write a lot at this point, merely point out in Luther fashion that what is apparent might not be what God and Scripture are interested in. Read the Preface to Romans and inwardly digest it. Talk about it with your Pastor. Just an idea.

Where there is forgiveness of sin...

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Swensson) — Sun, 29 Oct 2023 12:08:00 +0000

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

Blessed is the one against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.

For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.

I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.

Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;

surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him.

You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance.

Psalm 32:1-7.

Psalm 32 has been understood since the early church as one of seven penitential psalms. Among these, Ps. 32 and 51 stand out as confessional giants by King David. Life’s most important lessons about sin, confession, and forgiveness are shared by David in this psalm.

Where there is forgiveness of sin, there is life and salvation.

The Joyful Exchange

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Swensson) — Sun, 29 Oct 2023 11:54:00 +0000

"Learn Christ and him crucified. Learn to praise him and, despairing of yourself, say, 'Lord Jesus, you are my righteousness, just as I am your sin. You have taken upon yourself what is mine and have given to me what is yours. You have taken upon yourself what you were not and have given to me what I was not.' Beware of aspiring to such purity that you will not wish to be looked upon as a sinner, or to be one. For Christ dwells only in sinners. On this account he descended from heaven, where he dwelt among the righteous, to dwell among sinners. Meditate on this love of his and you will see his sweet consolation."

Martin Luther, "Luther's Works," Vol. 48, pp. 12–13

The Chief Article Is This

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Swensson) — Sun, 29 Oct 2023 11:45:00 +0000

The first and chief article is this: Jesus Christ, our God and Lord, died for our sins and was raised again for our justification (Romans 3:24–25). He alone is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29), and God has laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6). All have sinned and are justified freely, without their own works and merits, by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, in His blood (Romans 3:23–25). This is necessary to believe. This cannot be otherwise acquired or grasped by any work, law or merit. Therefore, it is clear and certain that this faith alone justifies us ... Nothing of this article can be yielded or surrendered, even though heaven and earth and everything else falls (Mark 13:31).

Martin Luther, Smalcald Articles, part two, article one.

In Need of a Reformation

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Swensson) — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 13:25:00 +0000

The church is in need of a reformation. This is not something to be undertaken by one person, the pope, or many cardinals. But by God alone. Yet the timing for this reformation knows only he who has created time itself. In the meantime, however, we cannot deny such obvious errors The power of the keys is being abused and is forced to serve money and ambition. The flood has begun to rise, it is not in our power to make it stop now. “our inequities testify against us” (Jer. 14:7) and each of us is incriminated by his own words.

Martin Luther, Resolutiones

God Is Pleased When You Try

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Swensson) — Sun, 08 Oct 2023 15:21:00 +0000

How to Be Holy

JOHANN ARNDT

Study to overcome and to pacify thine enemies, by bestowing upon them tokens of love and kindness. No man will ever be reconciled by wrath, or revenge, or returning evil for evil, for victory consists in virtue, not in vice. And as one devil does not drive out another, so it cannot be expected that one evil should be subdued by another; or that enmity against thee should be extinguished by affronts and provocations offered to thee.

https://www.plough.com/en/topics/faith/devotional-reading/rules-for-a-holy-life?utm_source=Plough+-+English&utm_campaign=20d149a382-Dig&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4cbb94afa4-20d149a382-297168008

We Do Not Suffer Alone

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Swensson) — Sat, 30 Sep 2023 18:58:00 +0000

Your life is comprised of work and play, events, conversations, that range thoughts about what you read, see, experience, good and the bad, and sometimes there is a lot of bad. Suffering is to be expected by everyone.

Suffering should not be merely endured, not at all. Bad times can be shared. Choose to share. You are not alone. We are members of a family, and families are part of communities, and of course the Christian community is one that finds it life in a God who suffers with us.

Thy Kingdom Come

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Swensson) — Fri, 22 Sep 2023 19:59:00 +0000

Lord our God, we lift our hearts to you, for you have given great promises to those who fear you. Let your Word strengthen us in faith, patience, and hope. Be with all those who call upon you, pleading for help in our time. For these times must work for our good, and in spite of sin, death, and all evil we can find joy in what you are doing. We call to you, O Lord our God. Let your hand be revealed, that something may be seen besides human striving and the efforts of human hands. Let the work of your hand be visible to many, to all peoples on this earth. May your name be honored, O Lord our God, your kingdom come, and your will be done on earth as in heaven. Amen.

Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt

They Proclaim Your Mighty Acts

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Swensson) — Wed, 20 Sep 2023 10:13:00 +0000

Daily Prayer for September 20

CHRISTOPH FRIEDRICH BLUMHARDT

Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts. They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty – and I will meditate on your wonderful works. Psalm 145:3–5, NIV

Lord God, our Helper, we thank you for walking among us and for letting many experience your protection. Even when your children are dying, you protect and help us so that we need not pass into death but may enter into life. So may our hearts be lifted up to you. Grant that the light in us remains undimmed, and that we may come before you in sincerity. Lord God, create good out of evil. Let light dawn in the darkness. Fulfill your promise, for our hearts are not concerned with human desires but with your promise. You will carry it out, and we will be able to say, "Our faith was not in vain, our hope was not in vain. Lord our God, you have blest us a thousandfold." Amen.

Plough

The Word Did the Work

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Swensson) — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 20:12:00 +0000

In short, I will preach it, teach it, write it, but I will constrain no man by force, for faith must come freely without compulsion. Take myself as an example. I opposed indulgences and all the papists, but never with force. I simply taught, preached, and wrote God’s Word; otherwise I did nothing. And while I slept [cf. Mark 4:26–29], or drank Wittenberg beer with my friends Philipp and Amsdorf, the Word so greatly weakened the papacy that no prince or emperor ever inflicted such losses upon it. I did nothing; the Word did everything. Had I desired to foment trouble, I could have brought great bloodshed upon Germany; indeed, I could have started such a game that even the emperor would not have been safe. But what would it have been? Mere fool’s play. I did nothing; I let the Word do its work. What do you suppose is Satan’s thought when one tries to do the thing by kicking up a row? He sits back in hell and thinks: Oh, what a fine game the poor fools are up to now! But when we spread the Word alone and let it alone do the work, that distresses him. For it is almighty, and takes captive the hearts, and when the hearts are captured the work will fall of itself.

_Martin Luther, LW 51, 78.

God Grant's Glimpses

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Swensson) — Sun, 17 Sep 2023 10:43:00 +0000

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

On Looking for God

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Swensson) — Sun, 17 Sep 2023 08:39:00 +0000

Looking for God? God only wants to be found in Jesus. - Since the concept of trust in God and service to God must suffer violation and is expanded to such lengths—everyone stretching it to fit his own thoughts, the one interpreting it in this manner, the other in another way—therefore God designated a special place for Himself where He wants to be found, and identified Himself with a definite Person, so that it is impossible not to be aware of Him. And this Person is none other than Christ Himself, in whom “the whole fullness of Deity dwells bodily,” as St. Paul declares in Col. 2:9. Thus God is to be found nowhere but in this Person.

- Martin Luther on John 14:1, LW 24:22-23

You Cannot Stop Birds from Flying over your Head, but You Can Stop them Building a Nest in your Hair

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Swensson) — Thu, 14 Sep 2023 12:30:00 +0000

The others, who neither overcome the temptation nor are relieved of it, plunge into anger, hate, impatience; give themselves entirely to the devil ; work evil by word and work; become murderers, robbers, slanderers, perjurers, backbiters, and makers of all kinds of mischief. The temptation has conquered them and they yield to every evil impulse. The devil has them altogether in his power and they are his captives. They invoke neither God nor his saints. But inasmuch as our life is called a temptation by God himself, and it is unavoidable that we are subjected to offenses and injustice in body, property and honor, we ought to look forward to trials with unruffled minds, receive them in a spirit of wisdom when they come, and say: Ah, such is the nature of life, what am I to do? It is and remains a temptation. It cannot be otherwise. God help me that I may not be moved and overthrown.

Thus you see that temptation can be avoided by no one ; but resistance may be made and, with prayer and recourse to divine aid, we can put ourselves in readiness to meet such designs. In the book of an old father we read that a young brother expressed a desire to be rid of his thoughts. Thereupon the old father said: Dear brother, you cannot prevent the birds from flying in the air over your head, but you can prevent them from building a nest in your hair. So, as St. Augustine says, we cannot prevent offenses and temptations, but by prayer and invocation of the help of God we can prevent them from overcoming us.

Luther's Explanation of the Lord's Prayer, Sixth Petition ("And lead us not into temptation"), paragraph 161.

We do not depend on our own strength, but on that which is outside ourselves

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Swensson) — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 19:18:00 +0000

This is the reason why our theology is certain, it snatches us away from ourselves and places us outside ourselves, so that we do not depend on our own strength, conscience, experience, person, or works but depend on that which is outside ourselves, that is, on the promise and truth of God, which cannot deceive.

Martin Luther, LW 26:387

Dispel our darkness

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Swensson) — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 18:01:00 +0000

God of our life, there are days when the burdens we carry chafe our shoulders and weigh us down; when the road seems dreary and endless, the skies grey and threatening; when our lives have no music in them, and our hearts are lonely, and our souls have lost their courage. Flood the path with light, run our eyes to where the skies are full of promise; tune our hearts to brave music; give us the sense of comradeship with heros and saints of every age; and so quicken our spirits that we may be able to encourage the souls of all who journey with us on the road of life, to Your honour and glory.

Augustine of Hippo.

W.H.Auden and contemporary liturgy

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Swensson) — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 18:00:00 +0000

In 1968 W.H. Auden flew from England to the US to sit on a committee devoted to making liturgy more accessible to modern congregations. He observed that “a demand for liturgical change came not from the laity…but from priests hoping to attract the young by looking trendy... Contemporaneity is not the criterion for an authentic language of prayer. It consists instead in a language which is felt to be shared across the ages”.

The Book of Common Prayer: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) Illustrated Edition by Brian Cummings

Is Grass Blue?

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Swensson) — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 10:21:00 +0000

The donkey told the tiger, “The grass is blue.”

The tiger replied, “No, the grass is green.” The discussion became heated, and the two decided to submit the issue to arbitration, so they approached the lion. As they approached the lion on his throne, the donkey said, ′′Your Highness, isn’t it true that the grass is blue?” The lion replied: “If you believe it is true, the grass is blue.” ′′The tiger disagrees with me, contradicts me, and annoys me. Please punish him.” The king then declared: ′′The tiger will be punished with 3 days of silence.” The donkey jumped with joy and went on his way, content and repeating ′′The grass is blue, the grass is blue…” The tiger asked the lion, “Your Majesty, why have you punished me, after all, the grass is green?” The lion replied, ′′You’ve seen for yourself that the grass is green.” The tiger asked, ′′So why do you punish me?” The lion replied, “This has nothing to do with the question of whether the grass is blue or green. The punishment is because it is degrading for an intelligent creature like you to waste time arguing with an ass, and on top of that, you came and bothered me with that question just to validate something you already knew was true!” Arguing with a fool, or a fanatic who only cares about winning an argument is a waste of breath. Never spend too much time on discussions that go nowhere. There are people who, for all the evidence presented to them, will never cede their position. Others are blinded by something like ego, or resentment, and the only thing that they want is to be right, even if they aren’t. Arguing only hardens them. If it is someone you know, shrug your shoulders, and wait for another day. Don't give up on people but be content to plant a seed and move on. Someone else can water the seed, or not. many will die in their foolishness. Prayer is the best resort.

An Evening Prayer

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Swensson) — Tue, 05 Sep 2023 14:23:00 +0000

The day you've given us, Lord, is ending, and night draws in. We thank you that your church is ever awake and in the east they are already in worship. May we one day join together around your throne. In your name, Amen.

The Necklace

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Swensson) — Sun, 03 Sep 2023 22:36:00 +0000

When a train filled with a large transport of Jewish prisoners arrived at one of the Nazi killing centers, many Polish gentiles came out to watch the latest group as they were taken away. As the disoriented Jews were gathering their possessions to take with them into the camp, a Nazi officer in charge called out to the villagers standing nearby, "Anything these Jews leave behind you may take for yourselves, because for sure they will not be coming back to collect them!"

Two Polish women who were standing nearby saw a woman towards the back of the group, wearing a large, heavy, expensive coat. Not waiting for someone else to take the coat before them, they ran to the Jewish woman and knocked her to the ground, grabbed her coat and scurried away.

Moving out of sight of the others, they quickly laid the coat down on the ground to divide the spoils of what was hiding inside. Rummaging through the pockets, they giddily discovered gold jewelry, silver candlesticks and other heirlooms. They were thrilled with their find, but as they lifted the coat again, it still seemed heavier than it should. Upon further inspection, they found a secret pocket, and hidden inside the coat was .... a tiny baby girl!

Shocked at their discovery, one woman took pity and insisted to the other, "I don't have any children, and I'm too old to give birth now. You take the gold and silver and let me have the baby." The Polish woman took her new "daughter" home to her delighted husband. They raised the Jewish girl as their own, treating her very well, but never telling her anything about her history. The girl excelled in her studies and even became a doctor, working as a pediatrician in a hospital in Poland.

When her "mother" passed away many years later, a visitor came to pay her respects. An old woman invited herself in and said to the daughter, "I want you to know that the woman that passed away last week was not your real mother ..." and she proceeded to tell her the whole story. She did not believe her at first, but the old woman insisted.

"When we found you, you were wearing a beautiful gold pendant with strange writing on it, which must be Hebrew.

I am sure that your mother kept the necklace. Go and see for yourself." Indeed, the woman went into her deceased mother's jewelry box and found the necklace just as the elderly lady had described. She was shocked. It was hard to fathom that she had been of Jewish descent, but the proof was right there in her hand. As this was her only link to a previous life, she cherished the necklace. She had it enlarged to fit her neck and wore it every day, although she thought nothing more of her Jewish roots.

Some time later, she went on holiday abroad and came across two Jewish boys standing on a main street, trying to interest Jewish passersby to wrap Tefillin on their arms (for males) or accept Shabbos candles to light on Friday afternoon (for females). Seizing the opportunity, she told them her entire story and showed them the necklace. The boys confirmed that a Jewish name was inscribed on the necklace but did not know about her status. They recommended that she write a letter to their mentor, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, explaining everything. If anyone would know what to do, it would be him.

She took their advice and sent off a letter that very same day. She received a speedy reply saying that it is clear from the facts that she is a Jewish girl and perhaps she would consider using her medical skills in Israel where talented pediatricians were needed. Her curiosity was piqued and she traveled to Israel where she consulted a Rabbinical Court (Beit Din) who declared her Jewish. Soon she was accepted into a hospital to work, and eventually met her husband and raised a family.

In August 2001, a terrorist blew up the Sbarro cafe in the center of Jerusalem. The injured were rushed to the hospital where this woman worked. One patient was brought in, an elderly man in a state of shock. He was searching everywhere for his granddaughter who had become separated from him. Asking how she could recognize her, the frantic grandfather gave a description of a gold necklace that she was wearing.

Eventually, they finally found her among the injured patients. At the sight of this necklace, the pediatrician froze. She turned to the old man and said, "Where did you buy this necklace?"

"You can't buy such a necklace," he responded, "I am a goldsmith and I made this necklace. Actually I made two identical pieces for each of my daughters. This is my granddaughter from one of them, and my other daughter did not survive the war."

And this is the story of how a Jewish girl, brutally torn away from her mother on a Nazi camp platform almost sixty years ago, was reunited with her father .....

Adapted from the book "Heroes of Faith"

Trust God

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Swensson) — Sat, 02 Sep 2023 16:24:00 +0000

Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,

which cannot be shaken but endures forever.

As the mountains surround Jerusalem,

so the Lord surrounds his people

both now and forevermore.

- Psalm 125:1-2

Let Us Worship the Lord

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Swensson) — Sat, 02 Sep 2023 16:23:00 +0000

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!
Serve the LORD with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!

Know that the LORD, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!

For the LORD is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
-Psalm 100

O God our creator, let all the world come before you in praise and thanksgiving, for we are your people and you are our God. You alone are good and gracious to us, and your promises of mercy and salvation stand from one generation to another. To you be praise and glory, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and for ever, Amen.

Altruism with a Purpose

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Swensson) — Sat, 02 Sep 2023 11:54:00 +0000

True generosity is giving without expecting to be repaid. Would you like to give a gift with zero chance of reciprocity? Giving to the Ejeda Hospital Emergency Nutrition Program would be that. Except for the first hour on the paved road heading east out of Tolare, Ejeda is a day and a half drive over dirt and sand. Bone-jarring roads, except for when there is a danger of your four-wheeler getting stuck up to its axle in previously churned, sand and dust. There's little chance you have been to, or will ever go to Ejeda. Your gift is truly altruistic.

ou will have to imagine the gratitude. Let me help you. Close your eyes. The person before you is an elderly man. He looks downward while reaching out his hand. You don't understand his thank you because you don't speak Malagasy. Of course, you actually do understand because 80% of comprehension is body language. He is grateful. He is thanking you for food that will help his wife get well. He is praising God on account of your generosity. You are humbled because you know it is actually such a small thing you have given compared to the appreciation shown. You are hoping you won't forget this moment when you get back home.

Patients arrive in oxcart accompanied by family members. In undeveloped African countries, a patient's family usually provides the patient's food while in the hospital. If families have no money or food how will a patient get well without adequate nutritional meals? Ejeda, in the remote southwest part of Madagascar, is a very poor because it’s super arid, they farm by hand, and have frequent locust infestations. The mission of Ejeda Hospital is to provide Christian love and compassion in medical and nutrition care for patients and their family members.

FOMM's Nutrition Program at Ejeda Hospital has a program to determine which patients qualify for the food. They are provided with rice and a protein (normally meat, milk, etc.), the main stays of their daily diet. This is a Christian mission hospital, and they show the love of Jesus Christ by sharing food for the body as well as sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with all who come to the hospital. Additional financial support is needed to provide extra food. Please give something at this time. Thank you. https://www.madagascarmission.org/hospital