Day 02 - Wittenberg, Eisleben, Erfurt: Wittenberg Augustinian Monastery, Castle Church, Luther Birth House, Luther Death House

We woke up this morning to an absolutely beautiful day in Wittenberg! This was the home of Martin Luther for most of his public ministry. Pastor Justin started us off with a devotion around our theme of the day: "Sola Fide" (Faith Alone). Martin Luther lived in a day when the church was taught that salvation was earned by your faith in Jesus PLUS your own meritorious works. This was yet another way in which the church had drifted away from the truth of God's Word into their own man-made mud holes. But the good news that Martin Luther believed and called the church back to, was one that he rediscovered in passages like Romans 3:21-28, which tells us that salvation is a free gift of God, that can only be received through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. 

It is this message of faith alone, that went viral on October 31st, 1517, when Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on the door of the Castle church in Wittenberg--- which was our first site of the morning. Unfortunately, we did not get to go in the Castle Church as a power outage occurred right when we got there (followed by firetrucks), but we did get to see the infamous doors outside. From there we strolled up the streets of Wittenberg, looking at the homes of Philip Melanchthon (Martin Luther's mentor and friend) and Lucas Cranach (one of the key artist's of the Reformation). We then visited St. Marien's Church (where Martin & Katherine Von Bora got married). And we finished up Wittenberg with a visit to Luther's house (a former monastery where he and his wife once lived). 

From there we drove to Eisleben, where Luther was born in 1483, and where he happened to die while visiting in 1546. We saw the house he was born in, as well as the church where he preached his final sermon in, just days before his death. Tomorrow, we'll start our day in Erfurt, where much of Luther's early formation took place!