I feature some people for prayer more than once, especially those for whom more is written, and prayers are more plentiful. Such is the case with Martin Luther (1486-1546). This is now the fourth time I have highlighted one of his prayers. While our Catholic readers may be suspect of this Protestant reformer, his reforms also ignited a counter-reformation in the Catholic Church. Nearly 2300 of Martin’s written sermons survive, thanks to members of his Wittenburg church who transcribed them since he spoke without a manuscript. It is estimated he delivered 7000 sermons from 1510-1546. Folks, that’s one sermon every two days!
As I read his Christmas sermons, two things stand out to me. First, Martin preached the biblical text. He wasn’t enamored with rhetorical flourish. “The aim of the sermon is to understand the text,” he said. Second, he preached Christ at every turn. In his words, “Nothing but Christ is to be preached.”
A few excerpts from his Christmas sermons are worth sharing:
“The virgin birth is a mere trifle for God, that God should become human is the greatest miracle.”
“The angel does not simply say, ‘Christ is born,’ but ‘for you Christ is born.’ Again, he does not say, ‘I announce a joy,’ but ‘to you, I announce a great joy.’
“This is what is meant by ‘the king cometh.’ You did not seek him; he seeks you. You did not find him; he finds you.”
“And we think about what Mary could use for swaddling clothes—some garment she could spare, perhaps her veil—certainly not Joseph’s breeches, which are now on exhibit in Aachen.” (His comment could be a dig on the obsession some Christians had with relics. Aachen is a city in Germany where such relics were displayed.)
Martin composed the Christmas song in 1535, “From Heaven to Earth I Come.” He wrote this fifteen-stanza song as a children’s carol; some believe in response to a request from his five children for a song to accompany their family pageant. The likelihood that it was intended for a family gathering rather than a congregational setting is reflected in the intimacy of the lyrics. Its last three stanzas were written as a prayer: