Martin Luther died in the upstairs bedroom of a little house in the town of Eisleben, Germany. He had been taken there from St. Andrew’s church across the street where he preached his last sermon. On February 18, 1546, he died. From the window of that little East German bedroom you can see St. Anne’s church, where he was baptized at the age of one day, and the house where he was born.

Hans and Margaret Luder were on their way to Mansfield to look for work in the copper mines. As they traveled through Eisleben, they had to stop for their son’s birth on November 10, 1483. The next day, November 11, St. Martin’s day, they took their firstborn to the parish church for baptism. They gave him the name of the day.

Then it was on to Mansfield where Hans became a prosperous businessman. Martin was…