Below are brief biographies of three men who spanned some centuries to bring this work to you. In order of descending importance, they are The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther, the author; The Rev. Georg Link, the editor, or compiler; and The Rev. Joel R. Baseley, the translator and publisher.
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther (1486 - 1546)
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther is the founder and leader of the Reformation of the sixteenth century. From a church that was confused about the role of Christ and the role of His believers in Salvation, the Lord brought, through the writings of Dr. Luther the clear voice of the Gospel. That apart from both the righteousness and sin of those whom he came to save, Christ took upon Himself the sins of the world in order to satisfy the justice of God for sin and to reclaim all who would believe in Him, their Savior. Over and against Papistic teachings of the merits of the Saints and the necessities of human works to achieve heaven, Luther taught in the sufficiency of Christ and Christ alone for all who believe. Over and against the fanatics of the radical Reformation, Luther taught that the church could be recognized not by the believers, but by the Marks of the Church, the pure Gospel and the Sacraments delivered as Christ instituted them through which Christ works as through instruments to create and sustain faith, bestow forgiveness of sins, and deliver himself into those who believe his promises. This is over and against all forms of works righteousness or processes through which it was taught among the fanatics one could receive the Holy Ghost and revelation from God by one's own works and preparations apart from His Word and Sacraments.
The Rev. George Link 1829-1908
The Editor of this work is The Rev. Georg Link, who was born in Thelmessing, Bavaria, Germany in 1829. Rev. Link graduated from the Lutheran Seminary in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, in 1851. In that year he was ordained at Salem Lutheran Church, Black Jack, Missouri, on August 24 by Dr. W. Sihler. He served eight congregations during his fifty-two years in the ministry. He and his wife raised twelve children.
Pastor Link was serving Zion Lutheran Church, St. Louis, Missouri, when he gathered this collection from Luther's writings as he was also serving as Vice-President of the Western District of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.
Photo kindly provided by the Concordia Historical Institute, St. Louis, Missouri
The Rev. Joel R. Baseley (1954 - Present)
Pastor Joel Baseley was raised in West Allis, Wisconsin by his parents, Robert and Marjorie Baseley. He graduated from the parish school and was confirmed at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in 1968 under the Rev. Dr. Karl Barth. Joel graduated from Martin Luther High School, Greendale, Wisconsin in 1972. He received a B.A. in Education from Concordia Teacher's College, River Forest, Illinois in 1977; an M.S. in Chemistry from the University of North Dakota in 1979; and an M. Div. from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri in 1988.
Pastor Baseley has served on the faculty of the Science Department at Concordia, River Forest, and has served parishes of the Lutheran Church -- Missouri Synod in LaGrangeville, New York and Dearborn, Michigan. He has had several of the translations appearing in this volume as well as other articles on theological topics published in professional journals.
This work of translating Link's Luther's Taegliche Hausandachten was begun shortly after graduation from the seminary in December, 1988, but has been seriously worked upon since 1992 with the encouragement of family, brothers in the ministry, and brothers and sisters in faith who have read these translations with interest and kindly urged that they be published in the present format.
The tranlator presently resides in Dearborn, Michigan with he beloved family: wife Barbara, and children, John, Dan and Anna.
To God alone be glory!
