History
St. Johannes Bugenhagen was a gifted teacher and preacher and is remembered to this day for his clear, Gospel-centered preaching that helped to further the Reformation cause. He organized church orders, translated the Bible, and crafted sermons and writings that were shared far and wide around the early Lutheran world. However, he is perhaps most notably remembered as a dear personal friend of St. Martin Luther—the one who married Ss. Martin Luther and Katharina von Bora, heard Luther’s confession, and attended his deathbed. Thus, it only makes sense that Bugenhagen would also have the honor of preaching at Luther’s funeral in 1546.
The Rev. Dr. Bugenhagen’s sermon is a tribute to Martin Luther, but even more it is a confession of the deep faith he and Luther shared, especially as it was revealed to them in the pure Gospel of Christ Jesus. Bugenhagen professes, “Through [Martin] God has also triumphed gloriously over the kingdom of Satan and against so much shameful idolatry and human ordinance, indeed, as Paul says, against the devil’s teachings throughout the world, and has revealed to us in the Gospel the sublime, great heavenly secret, his dear Son Jesus Christ.”
His sermon is not only applicable for the beloved reformer and all who gathered that day to mourn his passing but would also give anyone comfort who has lost a loved one. He reminds the congregation that “we who believe know that those who have fallen asleep in Christ will be awakened again to a better life where we will meet them again and be together with them eternally.” Like Luther, Bugenhagen, and the many saints before us, we pray that Christ would make our faith strong and that we would also rejoice to go to the Father when he calls us to himself and out of this world.
To share one final excerpt from Pastor Bugenhagen, “Christ has conquered death for us. Why, then, are we afraid? The death of the body is for us a beginning of life eternal through Jesus Christ our Lord, who has become for us a noble, precious sacrifice.”
So April 20th, the commemoration of St. Johannes Bugenhagen, consider reading his own words in his sermon, “Over the Body and At the Funeral of Dr. Martin Luther.” Bugenhagen, like many others, dedicated his life to the Gospel of justification by faith: he is an inspiration to pastors and laypeople alike in living out the Christian mission.
