July first marks the day on which the first Lutheran Martyrs, Heinrich Voes and Johann Esch were burned at the stake in Belgium in 1523.  Below you will find propers with which to celebrate this day.

 

These two men were members of the Augustinian Monastery in  Antwerp.  Already in 1522 this monastery as a whole had adopted the evangelical truth propounded by their brother monk, Martin Luther.  The local bishop having discovered this, arrested all the monks in the house.  The grand inquisitor brought on the scene opened their hearing with the words, "If you don't recant you will burn."  Most recanted.  They were not allowed to return to their monastery and the place was declared desecrated and razed to the ground.  Heinrich Voes and Johann Esch refused to recant and give in to the threats.  They were bound over to the civil court and condemned.  The day of the execution was peopled with the professors from the University of Louvain led by the chief inquisitor and abbots.  Heinrich was first brought forward, stripped of his priestly vestments accompanied with an hour long ritual for defrocking a priest. He was then clad in a yellow tunic and Johann in black.  The charges against both were not read, apparently for fear of the crowd which would have found them unjust.  Heinirch had written up 25 points of their Lutheran  confession while in prison, carefully spelling out the evangelical doctrine propounded by Luther. He understand very well, seven years before the Augsburg Confession was written, of what the main articles of the Lutheran reformation consisted.

 They were accompanied to the place of execution by four father-confessors: the chief inquisitor from Cologne, a Dominican friar from Brussels and two other monks.  They appeared to have no fear but rather exuded confidence and good cheer to the amazement of the crowd.  One of the eyewitnesses who reported the entire event wrote, "Their utterances, while they were undressed, were such that they could convince their hearers that they were devout and pious souls who desired to be released and be with Christ, had he not already been persuaded that they were indeed heretics."  Stripped to their underclothes they stood there a pitiable sight so that even the confessors broke into tears pleading with them to recant.  Heinrich replied. "Do not weep for us, rather weep for yourselves and the great sin you are committing by persecuting divine justice."   Another eyewitness wrote "The two Augustinian monks suffered the terrible death of burning in unbelievable steadfastness and equanimity.  The chancellor himself stated that he had never seen the like among the many who were condemned and executed during his tenure."   The fire was slowly started (some thought to prolong the torture).  As the fires rose Heinrich exclaimed "Die schynen my als Rosen zu zyn." ("Die scheinen mir als Rosen zu sein."  "The flames look like roses to me.")  As they died they prayed the Apostles' Creed and intoned the hymn "Lord We Praise Thy Name."  They also repeatedly cried out, "Oh Jesus, Son of David, have mercy upon us!"

 

                                                                  Propers for the Day

                                                                             July 1

                                                            Sts. Henry and Johann

                                              The First Martyrs of the Lutheran Reformation

 

Lections

 

2 Esdras 2:15-24 or Daniel 3:13-23

1 Timothy 1:8-12

John 18:19-14

 

Psalm

 

Antiphon: Blessed are you when you are persecuted for my sake: the kingdom of  heaven is yours.  Hallelujah.

              Psalm 3

 

Hymns:

 

          TLH: #259: "Flung to the Heedless Winds"

LBW:#314: "Who is this Host Arrayed in White?"

          LBW #177 (verse 7): "By All Your Saints in Warfare"

 

Collect

 

Grant, O Lord , that in all our sufferings here on earth for the testimony of your truth we may steadfastly look to heaven and by faith behold the rosy crown awaiting your faithful witnesses, and being filled with your Holy Spirit, may learn to love and bless our persecutors by the example of the first martyrs of our confession, Henry and John, who faced the fiery stake rather than deny their faith in the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who stands at your right hand interceding for us and lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.