Daily Devotions from Confident.Faith

Today we commemorate Johann Walter, Kantor. Having begun his service — as a composer and bass singer — in the court of Frederick the Wise at the age of twenty-one, Johann Walter would go on to publish a collection of hymns that would become the basis of many subsequent hymnals. Walter would serve for a total of thirty years as kantor in the cities of Torgau and Dresden. Additionally, he aided Martin Luther in the preparation of the German Mass.

Today we commemorate Anselm of Canterbury, Theologian. Born in Italy, St. Anselm is most strongly and closely associated with England, where he served as Archbishop of Canterbury for many years. A brilliant scholar and writer, Anselm is best remembered for his work Why God Became Man, which professes Christ crucified for sinners.

Today we commemorate Johannes Bugenhagen, Pastor. Appointed pastor of Wittenberg in 1523, due to the efforts of Martin Luther, Bugenhagen would serve for several decades in that post. During this time, Bugenhagen would help translate the New Testament (into Low German), write a commentary on the Psalms, and help to organize the Lutheran Church in Germany and Denmark. After Luther’s death, Bugenhagen would help care for Luther’s widow and children.