Bold Women’s Day—observed annually on the fourth Sunday of February—celebrates all Lutheran women who have acted or are acting boldly on their faith in Jesus Christ.
Martin Luther is known to have weighed in on boldness. While “sin boldly” is the popular Luther reference, Luther’s statement is often not understood in its full context. Luther was writing to his friend, Philip Melanchthon, in 1521, admonishing him to “preach a true and not a fictitious grace,” as one translation puts it.
Luther recognized that we are sinful in this life even as we respond to our baptismal call to discipleship. We Lutherans have a theology that gives us great freedom to be risk-takers. Our ability to act boldly is rooted in our baptism and continually enabled, empowered and supported by God’s grace.
Be bold, take risks on account of the gospel, but believe more boldly still in Christ Jesus; that’s what Luther tells us. And that’s what Women of the ELCA celebrates through Bold Women’s Day: women who are bold, women who take risks on account of the gospel, women who believe more boldly still in Jesus Christ.
This is adapted from a resource, Celebrating Bold Women’s Day. Today we remember Martin Luther, renewer of the church, who died on this day in 1546.
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