…You should meditate, that is, not only in your heart, but also externally, by outwardly repeating and comparing oral speech and literal words of the book, reading and rereading them with diligent attention and reflection, so that you may see what the Holy Spirit means by them. And take care that you do not grow weary or think that you have done enough when you have read, heard, and spoken them once or twice, and that you then have complete understanding. You will never be a particularly good theologian if you do that….
Martin Luther in the 1539 Preface to the Wittenberg Edition of his German Writings
I stumbled onto this–written in my own hand–working on a sermon this week; what a humbling, sobering, and important reminder it is–KSH.
