Katherine von Bora was born on January 29, 1499, in Lippendorf. Left motherless at a tender age, she was placed in the Nimbschen cloister when her father remarried. At the age of sixteen, she was consecrated a nun and accepted into the Cistercian Order.
The rumblings of the Reformation gradually spread, and in due time Katherine and her sister nuns heard them, too. After reading smuggled copies of Luther’s works and studying the Bible, they saw no reason for staying in the cloister. An escape plan was worked out, and the herring-barrel wagon did the rest.
The ex-nuns were placed in good homes and otherwise cared for by Luther and his friends. Katherine lived with the family of a prominent lawyer for a time and later with Lucas Cranach, the artist.
Martin Luther had no interest in spirited and ambitious Katherine at the time of her escape. He even tried to match her with a friend after her first love left Wittenberg. As God willed it, Luther was to be her “pious husband.”
When Luther married Katherine, he wrote to a friend: “I am not passionately in love, but I esteem my wife.” Years later he tuned his voice to sing a sweeter song: “I love my Kate; yes, I love her more than myself.” At another time he said: “Kate, you are an empress.” Twenty years of married life found Martin Luther asking frequently, “Who can find a virtuous woman?” Equally often he answered, “For her price is far above rubies.”
Used by permission of NPH
THE LORD’S PRAYER – THOUGHTFULLY
OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN: Our Father, Thou almighty ruler over all things, we, Thy beloved children by faith in Christ Jesus, pray Thee,
HALLOWED BY THY NAME: Let us not dishonor Thee by false teaching and ungodly living, but help us to cling faithfully to Thy pure and precious Word and to lead a life which is well–pleasing to Thee.
THY KINGDOM COME: Grant us a steadfast faith in our Savior that we may always remain members of Thy kingdom. Fill our hearts with a passion for souls and bless the work of all who preach and spread Thy saving Word, that Thy kingdom may grow and prosper.
THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN: Bring to nothing the schemes of the devil and other enemies who seek to rob us of our soul’s salvation. Help us in all things to obey Thee as gladly as do the angels in heaven. When Thou leadest us in ways which seem dark and mysterious, grant that we may cheerfully submit our wills to Thine.
GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD: Give us each day the things we need for this life, and make us truly grateful for them. Let us cast all our care upon Thee, for Thou carest for us.
AND FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES, AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US: Forgive us our many sins for Jesus’ sake, and, moved by Thy great love to us, we promise readily and heartily to forgive all who wrong or grieve us.
AND LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION: Do not let the devil and other foes tempt us, and if for our own good Thou dost permit them to do so, make us strong and victorious. Also help us to remember that we must never willfully expose ourselves to temptation.
BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL: Shield us from harm; and if in Thy wisdom Thou dost place a cross on us, help us to bear it with Christian patience and trust, and finally take us to our home in heaven.
FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM AND THE POWER AND THE GLORY FOREVER AND EVER: Thou alone art our King from whom we seek help. Thou alone hast the power to grant our desires. . Thou alone hast won for us the bliss and righteousness of eternity.
AMEN: May this prayer of mine be true. May my words be faithful. Confidentally I pray, so shall it be.
Joint Asian Pastoral Conference Representatives of the CLCI, BELC, CLCM, HCLCN and CLC met in Guntur, AP State India to hear reports of the Lord’s work in India, Nepal and Myanmar by these sister synods. Excerpts of the reports will be in upcoming BASIC’s. The Word of God was amply used throughout the conference and on the second day we had communion. May God continue to bless our fellowship in growth and outreach.
We are considering Questions on the Old Testament
The Division of the Ten Commandments One dispute concerning the Ten Commandments concerns how they are to be divided. We are told in Scripture that there are ten of them (Exodus 34:28, Deuteronomy 4:13, 10:4), but we are not told exactly how the text should be divided. This is not a doctrinal matter as to the numbering and so disagreements can arise legitimately. The two relevant texts: Exodus 20:1-17, Deuteronomy 5:6-21 The Lutherans at the time of the Reformation used the numbering that had been in use in the Roman Catholic Church as given by St. Augustine, the north African church father. Here is the argument: “To support the idea that the imperatives against coveting a neighbor’s spouse and desiring his property should be treated as two separate Words, supporters of the Augustinian grouping advance the following arguments: 1. There is parallelism between these two imperatives and the imperatives to not commit adultery and to not steal, which everyone regards as two separate Words. Thus we should reckon these two imperatives as two separate words. 2. This is strengthened by the fact that in the Deuteronomy 5 version these imperatives are in the same order as the Words against adultery and theft, strengthening the parallelism. 3. The Deuteronomy 5 version of the Decalogue uses different verbs in the two imperatives. It says one must not “covet” (Hebrew, <chamad>) a neighbor’s spouse, but that one must not “desire” (Hebrew, <avah>) a neighbor’s property. Two separate verbs, thus two separate Words.” from ewtn.com
A Recent Find This was reported in Sept. showing the golden age of King Solomon. “Archaeologists have found an ancient water reservoir in Jerusalem that may have been used by pilgrims coming to the Temple Mount, the Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced.
The IAA said the cistern could have held 66,000 gallons (250 cubic meters) of water; it likely dates back to the era of the First Temple, which, according to the Hebrew Bible, was constructed by King Solomon in the 10th century B.C. and then destroyed 400 years later. Israeli archaeologists believe the reservoir served the general public in the ancient city, but say its location hints at a role in the religious life of Jerusalem. “Presumably the large water reservoir, which is situated near the Temple Mount, was used for the everyday activities of the Temple Mount itself and also by the pilgrims who went up to the Temple and required water for bathing and drinking,” Tvika Tsuk, chief archaeologist of Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority, said in a statement.”
Pastor David Koenig