February 20, 2017
Rasmus Jensen, Lutheran Pastor

On this date, February 20, 1620, Rasmus Jensen dies in America – he has the distinction of being the first Lutheran Pastor in America.

“Under King Christian IV, Denmark sent two ships to explore the west (New World) in 1619. The first Lutheran pastor known to have visited the Americas came with them. His name was Rasmus Jensen. Little is known of Rasmus Jensen except that he was a Lutheran chaplain. Aboard the two little Danish ships, the Unicorn and the Lamprey, were 64 sailors, consisting of Danes, Norwegians and Swedes or Germans. That their chaplain should be Lutheran was fitting, since those nations had converted to Lutheranism. On the 23rd of January… the priest sat up in his berth and gave the people a sermon, which sermon was the last he delivered in this world…. On the 20th of February, in the evening, died the priest, Mr Rasmus Jensen as aforesaid, who had been ill and kept his bed a long time….

With that we reach the end of virtually all that is known of Rasmus Jensen: that he was a Lutheran priest doing his duty as long as he was able and dying on this day February 20, 1620. Jens Munk survived that bitter winter to return home with the only two crew members still living, the other 61 having perished. They reached Norway that September.” (Rasmus Jensen and New World Lutheranism, Christianity.com)

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.” 1 Corinthians 12:4-11

Each one of us has been gifted with some gift that is beneficial for the body of Christ, that being the congregation of the faithful. And each one of us will be called in some manner or form to use that gift(s) – either in our context, or by being called out of our context into another that may seem so foreign to us. Are we willing to use our gifts no matter where or how or when G-d directs? Most likely none of us will perish for our faith – but most likely Rasmus Jensen never thought he would lose his life for his. As Martin Luther so famously said: “Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times.”

Pastor Dave