As Reformation Day approaches (October 31), I think about what it might have been like to know Martin Luther personally. One of my ancestors, Jakob Heerbrand, was a student of Luther’s from 1538–43, but my family didn’t even realize he was one of our ancestors let alone preserve any words of wisdom Luther might have passed on to him.

Fortunately, other people who knew Luther kept notes on things he talked about. Some have been published in English as Table Talk (Luther’s Works, Vol. 54). What follows is a selection of remarks by Luther from the days when my Great-(11x)-Grandfather knew him.

February 26, 1539. Watching his son, Martin Luther said, “Children are better informed in the faith, for they believe very simply and without any question in a gracious God and eternal life.”

May 14, 1539. Holding a rose in his hand Martin Luther said, “A glorious work of art by God. If a man had the capacity to make just one rose he would give an empire! But the countless gifts of God are esteemed as nothing because they are always present.”

Between May 21 and June 11, 1540. “The Holy Scriptures require a humble reader who shows reverence and fear towards the Word of God and constantly says, ‘Teach me, teach me, teach me!’”

June 11, 1540. “If God were to do everything with his might, where would that leave his wisdom and goodness? Accordingly he overlooks many things so that his wisdom and goodness may become known in our weakness. It will turn out well.”

Read Proverbs 2:6 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne