Commontide
Liturgical Color: White/Gold
The 2nd Sunday in Lent
Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities that may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts that may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Lent
You bid your faithful people cleanse their hearts, and prepare with joy for the Paschal feast; that, fervent in prayer and in works of mercy, and renewed by your Word and Sacraments, they may come to the fullness of grace which you have prepared for those who love you.
Most liturgical texts are from the Book of Common Prayer (2019) of the Anglican Church in North America.
The New Coverdale Psalter, © 2019 by the Anglican Church in North America. Used by permission.
Priest and Reformer
Ecumenical Commemoration
German Augustinian friar whose theological critique of indulgences and recovery of justification by faith initiated the Protestant Reformation. His prolific writings — theological treatises, biblical translations, catechisms, and hymns — fill over fifty-five volumes and reshaped Western Christianity.
Martin Luther was born on November 10, 1483, in Eisleben, Saxony. After studying law at Erfurt, he entered an Augustinian monastery in 1505 following a dramatic vow during a thunderstorm. Ordained in 1507, he earned his doctorate in theology in 1512 and was appointed professor of biblical studies at the University of Wittenberg.
During intensive study of Romans and the Psalms, Luther arrived at his breakthrough understanding of justification as God's gift received by faith rather than earned by human effort. In 1517, troubled by Johann Tetzel's sale of indulgences, he composed his Ninety-Five Theses for academic debate. Their rapid printing and distribution ignited a controversy that escalated beyond Luther's initial intentions. His three great treatises of 1520 — Address to the Christian Nobility, The Babylonian Captivity of the Church, and On the Freedom of a Christian — articulated a comprehensive reform program. Excommunicated in 1521, he refused to recant at the Diet of Worms. Protected by Frederick the Wise at Wartburg Castle, he began translating the Bible into German.
Luther's literary output was extraordinary: biblical commentaries, catechisms, polemical works, sermons, letters, and approximately thirty-six hymns including 'A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.' He married Katharina von Bora in 1525. His Table Talk, recorded by students, reveals the breadth of his thought. His later writings include virulently anti-Jewish works, particularly On the Jews and Their Lies (1543), which have been rightly repudiated by Lutheran churches worldwide. He died on February 18, 1546, in Eisleben.
Luther's veneration is theological and historical rather than hagiographic. Protestant tradition celebrates him as the great reformer; Catholic tradition historically condemned him. Modern ecumenical dialogue has produced more nuanced assessments. His 'Here I stand' declaration at Worms is traditional but may be apocryphal — it does not appear in the earliest accounts.