^ESV Colossians 3:12-13 “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”

From the Pastor:

In the church, in this month of October, our thoughts turn toward the Reformation and how God raised up Martin Luther, along with other reformers, to restore the fundamental truth of Scripture, that we are saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ.  And while it has been said that, “There have been more words written by or about Martin Luther than any other person in history except our Savior,” this statement is difficult to verify.  But clearly, Luther was a monumental figure and his writings impacted many fields beyond theology, such as language, education, economics and the relationship between church and state.  Often, he spoke his mind in direct and courageous ways.  Yet, on occasion, his words and writings were far from kind or comforting, especially when someone said something contrary to Scripture.

Once, when disputing with Ulrich Zwingli over the real presence of Jesus’ Body and Blood in the Lord’s Supper and the forgiveness of sins that is given through worthy reception, Zwingli insisted that the forgiveness of sins only comes from the cross, not through the Lord’s Supper.  To this Luther responds, “The blind fool does not know that the merit of Christ and the distribution of merit are two different things. And he confuses them like a filthy sow.  Christ has once for all merited and won for us the forgiveness of sins on the cross; but this forgiveness He distributes wherever He is, at all times and in all places, as Luke writes in chapter 24:46-47.” (Luther’s works, vol. 37 p. 192).

Yet, while many of Luther’s writings make him appear to have a hard, uncompromising personality, there was a softer side to his character that is clearly seen in his relationships with others.  Although Luther disappointed his father by entering the monastery, instead of becoming a lawyer, part of the reason Luther made this career move was out of concern for the salvation of his parents.  In 1510, while on a pilgrimage to Rome, still unaware of God’s free grace in Christ apart from human works, he said he was sorry his parents weren’t dead yet so he could free them from purgatory through his prayers, visits to shrines, and other religious efforts.  Later, when he fully realized the truth of the gospel, he expressed concerns for his co-workers who had rejected it.  In 1540, when Philip Melanchthon suffered a serious episode of depression, Luther stayed by his side and later reported that he “prayed him back to life.” 

Yet, the most important of Luther’s relationships were with his family.  Even though he didn’t seek marriage, Luther finally agreed to take Katherine von Bora as his wife.  Their relationship was loving and committed and they often hosted dozens of friends and co-workers at their home.  Together, they had six children, three daughters and three sons.  However, only one of their daughters reached adulthood, and Luther deeply grieved the deaths of the other two girls.  And even though Luther was occupied with many other tasks, such as professor, Pastor, hymn writer, and leader of the Reformation, he always treasured his time spent singing, playing with his children, and being together with his family.

The importance of knowing a few of the details of Luther’s life is to emphasize the fact that relationships are always important, regardless of who we are or when we live.  Our words and actions, especially in our family life, is always a witness to our Christian faith.  And even though we daily sin much with harsh words and actions, may God help us to always to forgive one another so that our sins may not become a stumbling block for faith in others.                                                                                    In His Service, Pastor Oester