MAY 18
ERIK, KING AND MARTYR
Erik (circa 1150 AD) spread faith in Christ through crusades into Scandinavia and was renowned for his just laws, help of the poor, and ministry toward the sick. He was martyred as he left the Service by an enemy Danish pagan prince.
MAY 19
DUNSTAN, BISHOP, died 988
Dunstan (909 – 988) was born of a noble family near Glastonbury, England and served for a while at the court of King Athelstan. In 936, he took monastic vows and lived as a hermit working as a musician, an illuminator (artist) of texts, and metalworker. After being named Archbishop of Canterbury, he supported the cause of learning and almost single handedly revived monasticism in England in the tenth century.
MAY 21
CONSTANTINE AND HELENA, KING AND MOTHER
Constantine 1 served as Roman Emperor from AD 306 to 337. During his reign the persecution of Christians was forbidden by the Edict of Milan in 312, and ultimately the faith gained full imperial support. Constantine took an active interest in the life and teachings of the church and called the Council of Nicaea in 325 at which orthodox Christianity was defined and defended. His mother, Helena (ca. 255 – 329), strongly influenced Constantine. Her great interest in locating the holy sites of the Christian faith led her to become one of the first Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land. Her research led to the identification of Biblical locations in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and beyond, which are still maintained as places of worship today.
MAY 23
LUDWIG NOMMENSEN, MISSIONARY, died 1918
Nommensen (1834 – 1918) spread the gospel to Sumatra, founding the church there and completed a translation of the Bible.
MAY 24
ESTHER
Esther is the heroine of the biblical book that bears her name. Her Jewish name was Hadassah, which means “myrtle.” Her beauty, charm, and courage served her well as queen to King Ahasuerus. In that role she was able to save her people from the mass extermination that Haman, the king’s chief advisor, had planned (Esther 2:19 – 4:17). Esther’s efforts to uncover the plot resulted in the hanging of Haman on the very same gallows that he had built for Mordecai, her uncle and guardian. Then the king named Mordecai minister of state in Haman’s place. This story is an example of how God intervenes on behalf of His people to deliver them from evil, as here through Esther He preserved the Old Testament people through whom the Messiah would come.
MAY 24
NICOLAUS COPERNICUS, SCIENTIST, died 1543
Copernicus (1473 – 1543) was a Polish priest who cared for the sick and helped the poor. He studied medicine, theology, classics and, most notably, astronomy where he proved that the Earth revolved around the sun in his On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres.
MAY 25
THE VENERABLE BEDE, TEACHER, died 735
Bede (673 – 735) was the last of the early church fathers and the first to compile the history of the English church. Born in Northumbria, Bede was given by his parents to a monastery in Northern England at the age of seven. The most learned man of his time, he was a prolific writer of history, whose careful use of sources provided a model for historians in the Middle Ages. Known best for his book, The Ecclesiastical History of the English People, he was also a profound interpreter of Scripture; his commentaries are still fresh today. His most famous disciple, Cuthbert, reported that Bede was working on a translation of John’s Gospel into English when death came, and that he died with the words of the Gloria Patri on his lips. He received the title “Venerable” within two generations of his death and is buried in Durham Cathedral as one of England’s greatest saints.
MAY 27
JOHN CALVIN, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH, died 1564
Calvin (1509 – 1564) was a reformer of the Church. He broke with Rome and set up a theocratic government in Geneva. His Institutes of the Christian Religion is a classic.
MAY 29
JIRI TRANOVSKY, HYMNWRITER, died 1637
Tranovsky (1592 – 1637) was “Luther of the Slavs” spreading the good news of Jesus in Slovakia, reforming the liturgy, and writing hymns for his people. One example of his hymnody is Your Heart, O God, Is Grieved in the Evangelical Lutheran Worship, #602.
MAY 31
THE VISIT OF MARY TO ELIZABETH
The feast of the Visitation lifts up Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth recorded in Luke 1:39 – 47. Mary’s song, the Magnificat, is one of the great hymns of the Church and is appointed for singing every Vespers.
JUNE 1
JUSTIN, MARTYR, died 165
Justin (100 – 165) was born of pagan parents and after a long search for truth became a follower of Christ and taught the faith at Ephesus. His Dialogue with Trypho and Apology record his ideas. He was scourged and beheaded when he refused to participate in a pagan sacrifice.
JUNE 3
JOHN XXIII, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH, died 1964
John XXIII (1881 – 1964) served as bishop of Rome (Pope) and convened Vatican II. This led to many reforms within the practices of the Roman Catholic Church and opened up dialogue with Lutherans and other Christians.
JUNE 3
THE MARTYRS OF UGANDA, died 1886
On June 3, 1886, thirty-two young men were burned to death for refusing to renounce Christianity. The confident manner in which these Christians went to their deaths contributed to a much stronger Christian presence in Uganda.
JUNE 5
BONIFACE, MISSIONARY AND MARTYR, died 754
Boniface (675 – 754) was educated, became a monk, and was ordained as a presbyter in England. He was deeply inspired by the example of others to become a missionary. Upon receiving a papal commission in 719 to work in Germany, Boniface devoted himself to planting, organizing, and reforming churches and monasteries in Hesse, Thuringia, and Bavaria. One of his first acts was to cut down a sacred oak tree of Thor in Hesse. When he was not harmed, many of the people came to Christ and the wood was used to build a church. He also did mission work in the Netherlands. On June 5, 754, while reading the Gospel to a group of converts, Boniface and his companions were murdered by a band of pagans. Boniface is known as the apostle and missionary to the Germans.
JUNE 7
SEATTLE, CHIEF OF THE DUWAMISH CONFEDERACY, died 1866
Noah Seattle (1790 – 1866) led a coalition of tribes, and convinced them to live peacefully with encroaching white settlers. When he became a Roman Catholic Christian, he held morning and evening prayer with his tribe. The city of Seattle is named for him.
JUNE 9
COLUMBA AND AIDAN, RENEWERS OF THE CHURCH
Columba (521 – 597) was an abbot and missionary who founded the Christian community on Iona (still a vibrant point for pilgrimages and ecumenism) and spread the Gospel to the tribes of Irish, Picts, and Scots in his day. Aidan (600? – 651) was a monk of Iona who served as bishop and revived the church of his day. The Life of Columba and the Ecclesiastical History of the English People by Bede preserve many stories about these saints.
JUNE 11
BARNABAS, APOSTLE
Barnabas, one of the earliest Christian disciples, was originally called Joseph. After Paul’s conversion, it was Barnabas who introduced the former enemy of Christians to the apostles. With Paul, he organized the first missionary journey and defended the “salvation by grace through faith” claims of the Gentile Christians. In the Eastern churches Barnabas is commemorated as one of the seventy commissioned by our Lord Jesus. Tradition asserts that he was martyred at Salamis, Cyprus in 61 AD.
JUNE 12
THE ECUMENICAL COUNCIL OF NICEA
The first Council of Nicea was convened in the early summer of 325 by the Roman Emperor Constantine at what is today Isnuk, Turkey. The emperor presided at the opening of the Council. The Council ruled against the Arians, who taught that Jesus was not the eternal Son of God but was created by the Father and was called Son of God because of his righteousness. The chief opponents of the Arians were Alexander, bishop of Alexandria, and his deacon, Athanasius. The council confessed the eternal divinity of Jesus and adopted the earliest version of the Nicene Creed, which in its entirety was adopted at the Council of Constantinople in 381.
JUNE 14
ELISHA
Elisha, son of Shaphat of the tribe of Issachar, was the prophet of God to the northern kingdom of Israel ca. 849 – 786 B.C. Upon seeing his mentor Elijah taken up into heaven, Elisha assumed the prophetic office and took up the mantle of his predecessor. Like Elijah, Elisha played an active role in political affairs. He also performed many miracles, such as curing the Syrian army commander Naaman of his leprosy (2 Kings 5:1 – 27) and restoring life to the son of a Shunammite woman (2 Kings 4:8 – 37). A vocal opponent of Baal worship, Elisha lived up to his name, which means “my God is salvation.”
JUNE 14
BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP OF CAESAREA, died 379
GREGORY, BISHOP OF NYSSA, died around 385
GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP OF CONSTANTINOPLE, died around 389
MACRINA, THEOLOGIAN, died around 379
The Cappadocian fathers, as the three men in this group are known, explored the mystery of the Holy Trinity. Basil’s monastic rule forms the Eastern monastic life. Gregory of Nazianzus defended orthodox Christianity in Constantinople. Gregory of Nyssa, Basil’s younger brother, wrote on the spiritual life. Macrina, older sister of Basil and Gregory of Nyssa, was the leader of a community dedicated to asceticism, meditation, and prayer.
JUNE 17 EMANUEL NINE, MARTYRS, died 2015
On June 17, 2015, Clementa C. Pinckney, Cynthia Marie Graham Hurd, Susie Jackson, Ethel Lee Lance, DePayne Middleton-Doctor, Tywanza Sanders, Daniel Lee Simmons, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, and Myra Thompson were murdered by a self-professed white supremacist while they were gathered for Bible study and prayer at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church (often referred to as Mother Emanuel) in Charleston, South Carolina. Pastors Pinckney and Simmons were both graduates of the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary. A resolution to commemorate June 17 as a day of repentance for the martyrdom of the Emanuel Nine was adopted by the Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America on August 8, 2019.
JUNE 21
ONESIMOS NESIB, TRANSLATOR, EVANGELIST, died 1931
Onesimos was born in Ethiopia. Captured and taken as a slave to Eritrea, he was there freed by Swedish missionaries. He translated the Bible into his native Oromo and returned to preach there.
JUNE 24
NATIVITY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST
John the Baptist was highly revered by the early Christians as the forerunner of the Christ and the last of the Old Testament prophetic line. The celebration of his birthday is one of the earliest festivals in the calendar of the church and can be read in the Gospel according to Luke 1 – 2.
JUNE 25
PRESENTATION OF THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION
The Augsburg Confession, the principal doctrinal statement of the theology of Martin Luther and the Lutheran reformers, was written largely by Phillip Melanchthon. At its heart it confesses the justification of sinners by grace alone, through faith alone, for the sake of Christ alone. Signed by leaders of many German cities and regions, the confession was formally presented to the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at Augsburg, Germany, on June 25, 1530. A few weeks later Roman Catholic authorities rejected the Confession, which Melanchthon defended in the Apology of the Augsburg Confession (1531). In 1580 the Unaltered Augsburg Confession was included in the Book of Concord.
JUNE 25
PHILIPP MELANCHTHON, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH, died 1560
Though he died on April 19, Philipp Melanchthon is commemorated today because of his connection with the Augsburg Confession. Colleague and co-reformer with Martin Luther, Melanchthon was a brilliant scholar, known as “the teacher of Germany.”
JUNE 27
CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA, TEACHER, died 444AD
Cyril (376 – 444 AD) became archbishop of Alexandria, Egypt in 412. Throughout his career, he defended a number of orthodox doctrines, among them the teaching that Mary, the mother of Jesus, is rightly called Theotokos, the “God-bearer.” In 431 AD the Council of Ephesus affirmed this teaching that the Son of Mary is also true God. The writings of Cyril on the doctrines of the Trinity and the person of Christ, for example his On the Unity of Christ, are classic works of theology.
JUNE 28
IRENAEUS, BISHOP AND TEACHER
This important early church leader tried very hard to hold to the faith handed down by the apostles. An opponent of the movement known as Gnosticism, Irenaeus was one of the first to speak of the church as catholic, or linked together.
JUNE 29
PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES
These two strong willed apostles are the pillars of the church in the first generation after Christ. Peter was one of the Twelve, one who both offered a glorious confession of faith and later denied knowing Jesus. Paul once led the persecution of Christians, then was converted and helped bring the faith to non-Jewish people.
JULY 1
CATHERINE WINKWORTH AND JOHN MASON NEALE, HYMNWRITERS
Neale was an English priest who specialized in the translation of Latin and Greek hymns into English. Winkworth lived in Manchester, England, and devoted herself to translating German hymns. Almost all English speaking hymnals include many of their translations.
JULY 3
THOMAS, APOSTLE
Though frequently remembered as “doubting Thomas,” this apostle also demonstrated a willingness to suffer and die with Jesus (John 11:16), and finally claimed the risen Christ as “my Lord and my God!” By tradition, he later worked as a missionary in India.
JULY 6
ISAIAH THE PROPHET
Isaiah son of Amoz is considered to be the greatest of the writing prophets and is quoted in the New Testament more than any other Old Testament Prophet. His name means “Yahweh the Lord saves.” Isaiah prophesied to the people of Jerusalem and Judah from about 740 B.C. to 700 B.C. and was a contemporary of the prophets Amos, Hosea, and Micah. Isaiah was a fierce preacher of God’s Law, condemning the sin of idolatry. He was also a comforting proclaimer of the Gospel, repeatedly emphasizing God’s grace and forgiveness. For this he is sometimes called the “Evangelist of the Old Testament.” No prophet more clearly prophesied about the coming Messiah and his saving kingdom. He foretold the Messiah’s miraculous birth (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6), his endless reign (Isaiah 2:1 – 5; 11:1- 16), and his public ministry (Isaiah 61:1 – 3), but most notably his “Suffering Servant” role and atoning death (Isaiah 52:13 – 53:12). The Apostle John’s description of Isaiah, that Isaiah saw Jesus’ glory and spoke of Him (John 12:41), is an apt summary of Isaiah’s prophetic ministry.
JULY 6
JAN HUS, MARTYR, died 1415
Hus was a Bohemian (present-day Czech Republic) priest who spoke against abuses in the church, and was seen by Martin Luther as his predecessor in the reforming movement. He was found guilty of heresy by a council of the church, and burned at the stake.
JULY 11
BENEDICT OF NURSIA, TEACHER AND MONK, died 580
The father of Western monasticism, Benedict (470 – 580) focused on work and prayer to the glory of God and wrote his Rule of Benedict for the monastic way of life. The Lutheran monastery, St. Augustine’s House in Michigan, follows the rule. (www.StAugustinesHouse.org)
JULY 12
NATHAN SODERBLOM, BISHOP, died 1931
Soderblom (1866 – 1931) was a Lutheran bishop in Sweden who reached out to work with other Christians and was a peacemaker. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1930.
JULY 13
VLADIMIR, KING, died 1015
Vladimir (956 – 1015) was the first Christian ruler of Russia. His life before Christ was brutal and bloodthirsty. After his conversion, his generosity to the poor, kindness towards criminals, and support of missionaries became legendary.
JULY 16
RUTH OF MOAB
Ruth of Moab, the subject of the biblical book that bears her name, is an inspiring example of God’s grace. Although she was a Gentile, God made her the great grandmother of King David (Ruth 4:17), and an ancestress of Jesus himself (Matthew 1:5). A famine in Israel led Elimelech and Naomi of Bethlehem to immigrate to the neighboring nation of Moab with their two sons. The sons married Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth, but after about ten years, Elimelech and his sons died (Ruth 1:1 – 5). Naomi then decided to return to Bethlehem and urged her daughters-in-law to return to their families. Orpah listened to Naomi but Ruth refused, replying with the stirring words: “Where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16). After Ruth arrived in Bethlehem, Boaz, a close relative of Elimelech, agreed to be Ruth’s “redeemer” (Ruth 3:7 – 13; 4:9 – 12). He took her as his wife, and Ruth gave birth to Obed, the grandfather of David (Ruth 4:13 – 17), thus preserving the Messianic seed.
JULY 17
BARTOLOME DE LAS CASAS, MISSIONARY, died 1566
Las Casas (1474 – 1566) was a missionary to Native Americans defending them against exploitation by the Spanish Empire. His most famous work Tears of the Indians (1566) depict atrocities of the time.
JULY 20
ELIJAH THE PROPHET
The prophet Elijah, whose name means, “My God is Yahweh, The LORD” prophesied in the northern kingdom of Israel, mostly during the reign of Ahab (874 – 853 B.C.). King Ahab, under the influence of his pagan wife Jezebel, had encouraged the worship of Baal throughout his kingdom, even as Jezebel sought to get rid of the worship of the LORD. Elijah was called by God to denounce this idolatry and to call the people of Israel back to worship the LORD as the only true God (as he did in 1 Kings 18:20 – 40). Elijah was a rugged and imposing figure, living in the wilderness and dressing in a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt (2 Kings 1:8). He was a prophet mighty in word and deed. Many miracles were done through Elijah, including the raising of the dead (1 Kings 17:17 – 24), and the effecting of a long drought in Israel (1 Kings 17:1). At the end of his ministry he was taken up into heaven as Elisha, his successor, looked on (2 Kings 2:11). Later on the prophet Malachi proclaimed that Elijah would return before the coming of the Messiah (Malachi 4:5 – 6), a prophecy fulfilled in the prophetic ministry of John the Baptist (Matthew 11:14).
JULY 21
EZEKIEL THE PROPHET
Ezekiel, son of Buzi, was a priest, called by God to be a prophet to the exiles during the Babylonian captivity (Ezekiel 1:3). In 597 B.C. King Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian army brought the king of Judah and thousands of the best citizens of Jerusalem – including Ezekiel – to Babylon (2 Kings 24:8 – 16). Ezekiel’s priestly background profoundly stamped his prophecy, as the holiness of God and the Temple figure prominently in his messages (for example, Ezekiel 9 – 10, and 40 – 48). From 593 B.C. to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 586 B.C., Ezekiel prophesied the inevitability of divine judgment on Jerusalem, on the exiles in Babylon, and on seven nations that surrounded Israel (Ezekiel 1 – 32). Jerusalem would fall, and the exiles would not quickly return, as a just consequence of their sin. Once word reached Ezekiel that Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed, his message became one of comfort and hope. Through him God promised that His people would experience future restoration, renewal and revival in the coming Messianic kingdom (Ezekiel 33 – 48). Much of the strange symbolism of Ezekiel’s prophecies was later employed in the Revelation to St. John.
JULY 22
MARY MAGDALENE, APOSTLE
Mary Magdalene was a disciple of Jesus who exorcised from her seven demons (Luke 8:2). Some believe she was the repentant sinner who anointed Jesus’ feet (Luke 7:36 – 50). She became the “apostle to the Apostles” when the risen Jesus commanded her to tell of His resurrection (John 20:11 – 18).
JULY 23
BIRGITTA OF SWEDEN, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH, died 1373
Lady Birgitta (1303 – 1373) served the Queen of Sweden, founded the Order of the Holy Savior, denounced political corruption of the day, and led many pilgrimages. Revelations, a mystical collection of her visions, continues to be a Christian classic.
JULY 25
JAMES THE ELDER, APOSTLE
James, a fisherman, son of Zebedee and brother of John, is the only apostle whose martyrdom is recorded in Scripture (Acts 12:2).
JULY 28
J.S. BACH, HEINRICH SCHUTZ, G. F. HANDEL, MUSICIANS
This day commemorates some of the great makers of music in the church. Bach’s (1685 – 1750) Mass in B Minor and Brandenburg Concertos and Handel’s (1685 – 1759) Messiah are masterpieces of Western civilization.
JULY 29
MARY, MARTHA, AND LAZARUS OF BETHANY
Friends of Jesus, Mary and Martha are remembered for the hospitality of their home that they offered Him – Martha focused on serving their guest and Mary on listening to Him. Their brother Lazarus was raised from the dead as a sign of the greater resurrection to come.
JULY 30
ROBERT BARNES, MARTYR, died 1540
Remembered as a devoted disciple of Martin Luther, Robert Barnes is considered to be among the first Lutheran martyrs. Born in 1495, Barnes became the prior of the Augustinian monastery at Cambridge, England. Converted to Lutheran teaching, he shared his insights with many English scholars through writings and personal contacts. During a time of exile to Germany he became a friend of Luther and later wrote a Latin summary of the main doctrines of the Augsburg Confession titled “Sententiae.” Upon his return to England, Barnes shared his Lutheran doctrines and views in person with King Henry VIII and initially had a positive reception. In 1529 Barnes was named royal chaplain. The changing political and ecclesiastical climate in his native country, however, claimed him as a victim; he was burned at the stake in Smithfield in 1540. His final confession of faith was published by Luther, who called his friend Barnes our good, pious table companion and guest of our home, this holy martyr, “Saint Robertus.”
JULY 31
JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA
This Joseph, mentioned in all four Gospels, came from a small village called Arimathea in the hill country of Judea. He was a respected member of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish religious council in Jerusalem. He was presumably wealthy, since he owned his own unused tomb in a garden not far from the site of Jesus’ crucifixion (Matthew 27:60). Joseph, a man waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God, went to Pontius Pilate after the death of Jesus and asked for Jesus’ body (Mark 15:43). Along with Nicodemus, Joseph removed the body and placed it in the tomb (John 19:39). Their public devotion contrasted greatly to the fearfulness of the disciples who had abandoned Jesus.
AUGUST 3
JOANNA, MARY AND SALOME
Known in some traditions as “the faithful women,” the visit of these three persons and other women to the tomb of Jesus on the first Easter morning is noted in the Gospel records of (Matthew 28:1), (Mark 16:1), and (Luke 24:10). Joanna was the wife of Cuza, a steward in Herod’s household (Luke 8:3). Mary, the mother of James (the son of Alpheus), was another of the women who faithfully provided care for Jesus and His disciples from the time of His Galilean ministry through His burial after the crucifixion. Salome, the mother of the sons of Zebedee (Matthew 27:56), joined with the women both at the cross and in the bringing of the spices to the garden tomb. These “faithful women” have been honored in the church through the centuries as examples of humble and devoted service to the Lord.
AUGUST 8
DOMINIC, TEACHER AND MONK, died 1221
Dominic was a Spanish priest who saw the wealth of the clergy as a stumbling block for the church, so he formed a movement, the Order of Preachers (commonly called Dominicans) devoted to itinerant preaching and living in poverty.
AUGUST 10
LAWRENCE, DEACON AND MARTYR, died 258
Early in the third century A.D., Lawrence, most likely born in Spain, made his way to Rome. There he was appointed chief of the seven deacons and was given the responsibility to manage church property and finances. The emperor at the time, who thought that the church had valuable things worth confiscating, ordered Lawrence to produce the “treasures of the church.” Lawrence brought before the emperor the poor whose lives had been touched by Christian charity. He was then jailed and eventually executed in the year 258 by being roasted on a gridiron. His martyrdom left a deep impression on the young church. Almost immediately, the date of his death, August 10, became a permanent fixture on the early commemorative calendar of the Church.
AUGUST 11
CLARE, TEACHER AND NUN, died 1253
Clare (1110? – 1253) was a noble lady of Assisi and accepted the reforms of Francis. She founded a similar society for women called the Order of Poor Ladies (also known as the Poor Clare’s) focusing on the Gospel of our Lord Jesus, obedience, chastity, and poverty. Love for creation, care of animals, and service to the poor are other spiritual hallmarks of the Franciscan piety that Clare promoted.
AUGUST 13
FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE, died 1910; CLARA MAASS, died 1901; RENEWERS OF THE CHURCH
Nightingale was born in England, and horrified her wealthy family by deciding to become a nurse. She led a group of nurses in ministering in the midst of the Crimean Way, and worked for hospital reform. Maass, a native of New Jersey, who was also a war nurse, and volunteered as a subject for research on yellow fever. She died of the disease.
AUGUST 14
MAXIMILLIAN KOLBE, MARTYR, died 1941
Maximillian Maria Kolbe was a Polish Conventual Franciscan friar canonized in 1982 by Pope John Paul II, and declared a martyr of charity. During World War II, he provided shelter to refugees from greater Poland, including 2,000 Jews whom he hid from Nazi persecution in his friary in Niepokalanow. On February 17, 1941, he was arrested by the German Gestapo and imprisoned in the Pawiak prison. On May 28, he was transferred to Auschwitz and volunteered to die in place of a stranger.
AUGUST 14
KAJ MUNK, MARTYR, died 1944
A Danish Lutheran pastor and playwright, Munk strongly denounced the Nazis who occupied Denmark in the Second World War. His sermons and articles helped to show the anti-Christian nature of the movement.
AUGUST 15
MARY, MOTHER OF OUR LORD
Mary, the mother of Jesus, is present throughout the life of our Lord. From the annunciation of the angel, to her visitation to Elizabeth, her giving birth in the humble manger (Luke1 – 2), from her standing beside His cross and horrific death (John 19) to praying with the disciples before Pentecost (Acts 1), Mary is present humbly treasuring all in her heart. Mary’s song, the Magnificat (Luke 1:46 – 55), is part of the Evening Prayer liturgy. Tradition differs on whether Mary died in Ephesus with the Apostle John (the Dormition of Mary) or whether she was taken into heaven just like Enoch and Elijah of old (the Assumption of Mary). An early Ecumenical Council declared Mary is Theotokos, bearer of God. Luther describes her as the best evangelical faithfully trusting and pointing to her Son to the very end.
AUGUST 16
ISAAC
Isaac, the long promised and awaited son of Abraham and Sarah, was born when his father was 100 and his mother 91. The announcement of his birth brought both joy and laughter to his aged parents (so the name “Isaac,” which means “laughter”). As a young man, Isaac accompanied his father to Mount Moriah, where Abraham, in obedience to God’s command, prepared to sacrifice him as a burnt offering. But God intervened, sparing Isaac’s life and providing a ram as a substitute offering (Genesis 22:1 – 14), and thus pointing to the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ for the sins of the world. Isaac was given in marriage to Rebekah (24:15), and they had twin sons, Esau and Jacob (25:19 – 26). In his old age Isaac, blind and feeble, wanted to give his blessing and chief inheritance to his favorite – and eldest – son, Esau. But through deception Rebekah had Jacob receive them instead, resulting in years of family enmity. Isaac died at the age of 180 and was buried by his sons, who by then had become reconciled, in the family burial cave of Machpelah (35:28 – 29).
AUGUST 17
JOHANN GERHARD, TEACHER AND HYMNWRITER, died 1637
Johann Gerhard (1582 – 1637) was a great Lutheran theologian in the tradition of Martin Luther (1483 – 1546) and Martin Chemnitz (1522 – 1586) and the most influential of the 17th century dogmaticians. His monumental Loci Theologici (12 large volumes) is still considered by many to be a definitive statement of Lutheran orthodoxy. Gerhard was born in Quedlinburg, Germany. At the age of 15 he was stricken with a life-threatening illness. This experience, along with guidance from his pastor, Johann Arndt, marked a turning point in his life. He devoted the rest of his life to theology. He became a professor at the University of Jena and served many years as the Superintendent of Heidelberg. Gerhard was a man of deep evangelical piety and love for Jesus. He wrote numerous books on exegesis, theology, devotional literature, history, and polemics. His sermons continue to be widely published and read.
AUGUST 18
BROTHER ROGER OF TAIZE, MONK AND MARTYR
Roger Louis Schutz-Marsauche, son of a Swiss Lutheran minister and a French mother, was born in 1915. He entered France on foot after the country’s defeat by Nazis Germany in 1940 intent on founding a religious community dedicated to peacemaking and healing the divisions in the Church. The Taize community grew with dozens of monks from 30 different countries and Christian denominations, developed Taize chant with Jacques Berthier, and became a place of pilgrimage for young Christians. At the entrance of the Church of the Reconciliation in Taize is the sign: “Let all who enter here be reconciled, brother with brother, sister with sister, nation with nation.” He was stabbed to death by a mentally ill pilgrim during Evening Prayers.
AUGUST 19
BERNARD, ABBOT OF CLAIRVAUX, TEACHED, died 1153
A leader in Christian Europe in the first half of the 11th century A.D., Bernard is honored in his native France and around the world. Born to a noble family in Burgundy in 1090, Bernard left the affluence of his heritage and entered the monastery of Citeaux at the age of 22. After two years he was sent to start a new monastic house at Clairvaux. His work there was blessed in many ways. The monastery at Clairvaux grew in mission and service, eventually establishing some 68 daughter houses. Bernard is remembered for his charity and political abilities, but especially for his preaching and hymn composition. The hymn texts “O Jesus, King Most Wonderful” and “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded” are part of the heritage of the faith left by Saint Bernard.
AUGUST 20
SAMUEL
Samuel, last of the Old Testament judges and first of the prophets (after Moses), lived during the 11th century B.C. The child of Elkanah, an Ephraimite, and his wife Hannah, Samuel was from early on consecrated by his parents for sacred service and trained in the house of the Lord at Shiloh by Eli the priest. Samuel’s authority as a prophet was established by God (1 Samuel 3:20). He anointed Saul to be Israel’s first king (10:1). Later, as a result of Saul’s disobedience to God, Samuel repudiated Saul’s leadership and then anointed David to be king in place of Saul (16:13). Samuel’s loyalty to God, his spiritual insight, and his ability to inspire others made him one of Israel’s great leaders.
AUGUST 24
BARTHOLOMEW, APOSTLE
Bartholomew is included in the lists of Jesus’ twelve apostles in all but John’s Gospel where the name Nathaniel (thought to be the same person) is present. Little is known about him. There is a tradition that Bartholomew was martyred for sharing the good news of Jesus in Armenia by being flayed alive and then beheaded.
AUGUST 27
MONICA, MOTHER
A native of North Africa, Monica (A.D. 333 – 387) was the devoted mother of Saint Augustine. Throughout her life she sought the spiritual welfare of her children, especially that of her brilliant son, Augustine. Widowed at a young age, she devoted herself to her family, praying many years for Augustine’s conversion. When Augustine left North Africa to go to Italy, she followed him to Rome and then to Milan. There she had the joy of witnessing her son’s conversion to the Christian faith. Weakened by her travels, Monica died at Ostia, Italy on the journey she had hoped would take her back to her native Africa. On some church year calendars, Monica is remembered on May 4.
AUGUST 28
AUGUSTINE, BISHOP AND TEACHER, died 430
One of the great teachers of the Church, Augustine (364 – 430) was born in North Africa. His mother Monica tried without success to raise her son as a Christian. He studied at Carthage where he lived with a woman who bore him a son. In 384, influenced by the gospel teaching of Ambrose of Milan, Augustine became a follower of Christ and was baptized on Easter in 387. In 391 he was chosen by Christians in Hippo to be their pastor. His Confessions, On the Trinity and the City of God are foundations of Western thought.
AUGUST 28
MOSES THE BLACK, MONK, MARTYR, died around 405
Converted from life as a thief and a robber to Christianity, Moses was an Ethiopian who became a desert monk at Skete. His conversion had a great impact in his native country. Wearing a white habit, he said, “God knows I am black within.” He was murdered during an attack by Berbers.
AUGUST 31
JOHN BUNYAN, TEACHER
Bunyan (1628 – 1688) was a Baptist preacher who suffered in jail for his gospel preaching. Pilgrim’s Progress is his fictional allegory of the Christian life.
