+ Matthias, Apostle +
24 February, New Testament After the Ascension of Our Lord, Jesus’ followers at Jerusalem chose Matthias to replace Judas: “And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles. (Acts 1:26)” Apart fro…
+ Polycarp of Smyrna, Bishop and Martyr +
23 February AD 156 Born around AD 69, Saint Polycarp was a central figure in the early church. Said to be disciple of the holy evangelist and apostle Saint John, he provides a link between the first generation of believers and later Christians, includ…
+ Rasmus Jensen, Chaplain and Explorer +
20 February AD 1620
In 1619, King Christian IV of Norway and Denmark sent the ships Enhiørningen and Lamprenen in search of the Northwest Passage to India. The crew of sixty-four Norwegians, Danes, Swedes, and Germans was led by Captain Jens Munk, an experienced naval officer. The ship’s chaplain was Danish Pastor Rasmus Jensen, who became the first Lutheran minister in the New World.
The explorers journeyed as far as the western shore of Hudson Bay, finally reaching present-day Churchill, Manitoba on 7 September 1620. Winter’s cold comes early at that latitude and ice soon trapped them. Scurvy, famine, and brutal cold slowly killed the crew. The captain’s journal shows that Jensen delivered a Christmas sermon and celebrated the. . . Read All
+ Martin Luther, Doctor and Reformer +
18 February AD 1546 Martin Luther, born on 10 November 1483, in Eisleben, Germany, initially began studies leading toward a degree in law. However, after a close encounter with death, he switched to the study of theology, entered an Augustinian monast…
+ Michael Praetorius +
15 February AD 1621, transferred to 17 February
Lutheran musician, composer, and musicologist Michael Praetorius (Prätorius) was born in Kreuzburg, Thuringia to Pastor and Mrs. Michael Schultheis (or Schultze), on 15 February 1571. Praetorius was a Latinization of the family name and Michael later favored the monogram MPC (Michael Praetorius Creutzbergensis). While still a boy, he began studying philosophy at the University of Frankfurt, where his brother Andreas was a professor.
Praetorius became organist at Frankfurt and later held the same post at Lüneburg. In this latter town he began his career as Kapellmeister. While only 18, he began serving Herzog Heinrich Julius of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel as a minor member of his court. In 1604, Praetorius became the prince’s Kapellmeister and. . . Read All
+ Philipp Melanchthon +
16 February AD 1497 – 19 April AD 1560
Philipp Melanchthon, a brilliant student of the classics and a humanist scholar, was appointed to teach along with Martin Luther at the University of Wittenberg in 1518. At Luther’s urging, Melanchthon began teaching theology and Scripture in addition to his courses in classical studies.
In April of 1530, Emperor Charles V called an official meeting between the representative of Lutheranism and Roman Catholicism, hoping to effect a meeting of minds between two opposing groups. Since Luther was at that time under papal excommunication and an imperial ban, Melanchthon was assigned the duty of being the chief Lutheran representative at this meeting. Thus, he made the primary verbal and written defenses of the. . . Read All
+ Philemon and Onesimus +
15 February, New Testament Philemon was a prominent first-century Christian who owned a slave named Onesimus. While the name “Onesimus” means “useful,” Onesimus proved himself “useless. (Philemon 11)” He ran away from his master and perhaps even stole…
+ Saint Valentine, Martyr +
14 February A.D. 270(?) Details of ancient Christianity are sketchy since for much of the Church’s early years, it was a crime to be a Christian and records were hidden or kept purposely incomplete to protect believers. Thus, the story of Saint Valent…
+ Aquila, Priscilla, Apollos +
13 February, New Testament Aquila and his wife Priscilla (Prisca) were Jewish contemporaries of Saint Paul. They traveled widely, perhaps in part for business reasons but later certainly because of unrest and persecution in Rome. They went to Corinth …
+ Silas +
10 February, New Testament Saint Paul chose Silas, a leader in the church at Jerusalem, to accompany him on his second missionary journey from Antioch to Asia Minor and Macedonia (Acts 15:40). Silas, also known as Silvanus, was imprisoned with Paul in…
Ash Wednesday
The Lenten Season Begins The entire Christian life celebrates Christ’s victorious Resurrection on Easter morning. However, from Christianity’s earliest days, the actual Paschal season has received special emphasis. The Church has traditionally prepared…
+ Jacob, Patriarch +
5 February, Old Testament Jacob was the third of the three great Hebrews given the title of patriarch, following his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac. Jacob was the younger of the twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah. He received his name because be…
The Presentation of Our Lord
and the Purification of Mary2 February, New Testament The Presentation of Our Lord at the Temple, one of the Christological feasts of the Christian Church, is Scripture’s final infancy narrative concerning Jesus. After the Presentation, the Bible says…
+ The Holy Prophet Elisha +
14 June, Old Testament After the prophet Elijah defeated the priests of Baal and then fled Jezebel’s wrath, The Lord came to him on Mount Horeb. He told him to anoint new kings of Syria and Israel. He also commanded Elijah to anoint “Elisha the son of …
The Council of Nicaea
Summer AD 325, Observed 12 June The Christian Church’s First Ecumenical Council was convened in Nicaea (modern Isnuk, Turkey) in the early summer of AD 325 by the Roman Emperor Constantine. The emperor presided at the opening of the council. The major…
+ Barnabas, Apostle +
11 June, New Testament “Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet” (Acts 4:36-37). H…
+ Boniface of Mainz, Bishop, Missionary, and Martyr +
5 June AD 754
The man who later became known as Saint Boniface was born around AD 670-680 at Crediton, Devonshire, England and baptized Winfrid or Wynfrith. Although he was educated, he became a monk — at that time a calling often avoided by people of learning or means. While still in England, he was ordained as a presbyter and was inspired by the example of others to become a missionary.
Upon receiving a papal commission in 719 to work in Germany, Winfrid devoted himself to starting, organizing, and reforming churches and monasteries in Hesse, Thuringia, and Bavaria. After becoming an archbishop, Boniface was assigned to the See of Mainz in 743. Ten years later he resigned his position to engage. . . Read All
+ Justin, Martyr +
c. 1 June AD 167 Born in Flavia Neapolis, Palestine around AD 100, near the close of the New Testament period, Justin was the son of pagan Greek parents. He was a philosophy student who studied in Alexandria, moving from Stoicism to Pythagoreanism and …
The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
31 May, New Testament (Three Year Lectionary)
This major Christological feast commemorates the joyous visit Mary paid to her relative (probably her cousin) Elizabeth, following The Annunciation. Inspired by the amazing news that she was to become the mother of the Christ and in response to the joyous word that her old and previously barren kinswoman was also pregnant, she joined Elizabeth during her sixth month of pregnancy (see Luke 1:39-56).
After Mary declared the wondrously good news, Elizabeth replied to the Virgin, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! … Behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. (vv. 42, . . . Read All
The Feast of the Holy Trinity
The First Sunday after Pentecost The Feast of the Holy Trinity, or Trinity Sunday, is a movable festival on the Church calendar in Western Christendom. Its date of celebration depends, as do Lent, Ascension Day, and Pentecost, upon the date of Easter. …
The Formula of Concord
28 May AD 1577 After Martin Luther’s death, political changes altered the face of the Evangelical (Lutheran) Church. Emperor Charles V exercised control over all of southern Germany and most of the north. The Augsburg Interim, a capitulation disguised…
+ The Venerable Bede +
25 May AD 735 Today marks the heavenly birthday of Bede (pronounced BĒD). Since his commemoration often falls near the end of Eastertide, it’s quite likely that many Christians have close familiarity with one of Bede’s best known (and one of this…
+ Esther +
24 May, Old Testament 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 …
The Feast of Pentecost
The Fiftieth Day of Easter, New Testament Pentecost, an Israelite festival connected to the spring harvest, was the time chosen by the Lord for the special outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples as they waited in Jerusalem. With wind and fire…
+ Nicolaus Copernicus +
24 May AD 1543 — Transferred to 23 May
Mikołaj Kopernik was born in Poland in 1473. His parents died when he was twelve and his uncle Lucas Watzenrode assumed responsibility for him and his three siblings. The uncle, soon to be Bishop of Ermland, sent him to the University of Cracow, where Mikołaj studied astronomy. He then matriculated at Bologna (Greek, mathematics, Plato), Padua (law and medicine), and Ferrara (Doctor of Canon Law). At some point during his studies he Latinized his name to the now familiar Nicolaus Copernicus.
He returned home after being elected a canon of Frauenberg Cathedral. There he assisted his uncle until Watzenrode’s death. After this, he then opened a free medical clinic for the poor.. . . Read All
