• Psalm 136
• Psalm 90
• Psalm 6
• Genesis 1:1–19
• Mark 1:1–13
• Formula of Concord: Solid Declaration, Introduction

Today we observe Ash Wednesday. During the forty days of Lent, the baptized children of God cleanse their hearts through repentance, prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and the like. During Lent, we prepare our hearts for the Paschal Feast — Easter. Traditional Christian denominations will hold services that include the imposition of ashes. The ashes remind us of the wages of sin, of Christ’s atoning sacrifice, and of our mortality:

“[F]or dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”

Today we commemorate Martin Luther, Doctor and Confessor. Born on 10 November 1483 in Eisleben, Germany, Martin Luther originally studied law. After a close brush with death during a storm, Luther switched to studying theology and entered an Augustinian monastery in 1505, when he was twenty-one years old. Luther received his doctorate in theology in 1512. Teaching at the newly established University of Wittenberg, Luther began to question some of the doctrines of Rome. Luther’s investigation of the Scriptures and of Roman doctrine led to the posting of the “Ninety-Five Theses” on the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg — the spark that started the Reformation.

• Psalm 37
• Psalm 77
• Job 13:1–12
• John 6:1–21
• Smalcald Articles III:IX–XIII

• Psalm 57
• Psalm 1
• Job 11:1–20
• John 5:19–29
• Smalcald Articles III:IV–VII

Today we commemorate Philemon and Onesimus. Onesimus was a slave, owned by Philemon, who ran away from his master. Somehow, Onesimus came into contact with Paul while Paul was in prison. At the urging of Paul, and with an accompanying letter, Onesimus returned to his master. In his letter, Paul urged Philemon to receive Onesimus as a beloved brother, instead of as a runaway slave, as one might expect; however, Paul also, notably, did not command or ask Philemon to free Onesimus.

• Psalm 119:153–160
• Psalm 35
• Job 10:1–22
• John 5:1–18
• Smalcald Articles III:III:29–45

Today we commemorate Valentine, Martyr. Executed under Emperor Claudius on account of his refusal to renounce the Christian faith, Valentine has long been remembered in the Western Church as an example for all Christians. Today, Valentine’s Day continues to celebrate Valentine, and the tradition of exchanging written expressions of love derives from a note with words of encouragement that Valentine wrote for one of the children of his jailer. Even the irregularity of the shape of the piece of paper on which Valentine wrote his note has carried forward, after a fashion, into modern commemorations on Valentine’s Day.

• Psalm 95
• Psalm 70
• Job 9:1–35
• John 4:46–54
• Smalcald Articles III:III:20–28

• Psalm 71
• Psalm 99
• Job 8:1–22
• John 4:27–45
• Smalcald Articles III:III:10–19

• Psalm 147
• Job 7:1–21
• John 4:7–26
• Smalcald Articles III:III:1–9

• Psalm 38
• Job 6:14–30
• John 3:22—4:6
• Smalcald Articles III:I–II

Today we commemorate Silas, Fellow Worker of St. Peter and St. Paul. A leader in the Church at Jerusalem, Silas was chosen by Paul to accompany him on his second missionary journey. Imprisoned with Paul in Philippi, Silas also experienced the rioting in Thessalonica and Berea. Tradition holds that Silas was the first Bishop of Corinth.