The sermon by Mike Davenport examines the life and contributions of Katerina Schütz, a prominent figure in the Protestant Reformation. Born in Strasbourg, Germany, into a Catholic family, Katerina searched for spiritual assurance through Catholic practices until she encountered the reformative teachings of Matthew Zell. Under his influence, Katerina found assurance in Christ's finished work and married Matthew, despite the Catholic Church's prohibition against clerical marriage. Her marriage was one of the first Protestant unions in Strasbourg. Katerina dedicated her life to supporting her husband's ministry, hosting refugees, and aiding the sick and persecuted. Her writings, including defenses of biblical marriage, were influential in challenging Catholic doctrines and encouraging priests to marry. She maintained correspondence with key reformers like Martin Luther and Oryk Zwingli, and her works included commentaries on biblical texts. Despite personal tragedies, including the loss of her children, Katerina continued her service, embodying a fearless trust in God. Her legacy is remembered as one of steadfast faithfulness and selfless service to Christ and the church.

Next person will be looking at is Katerina Schutz. Katerina Schutz. And you see the title that we've given this, the childless mother reformer. If you would, take your Bibles if you would like and turn with me to Proverbs 31. Proverbs 31.

Proverbs 31. Proverbs 31 is, I'm sure you're all well aware, is speaking of the virtuous woman. And this is the last thing that's written of her, verse 31. Give her of the fruit of her hands and let her own works praise her in the gates. So as we think of Katerina Schutz, think about what some have said of her.

The Swiss Reformed pastor, Auric Zwingli, said this of Katerina. Said this of Katerina. She combines the graces of both Mary and Martha. We often view Mary and Martha as two different ones. You're either Mary or you're Martha.

You're either at the feet of Jesus or you're serving. But this was said of Katerina. She had both the graces of Mary and Martha the two. German reformer Martin Buser said of her that she was as God-fearing and courageous as a hero. She was as God-fearing and courageous as a hero.

Katerina was born in Strasbourg, Germany in 1947. She, like so many of the ones that we've studied, so many of that time frame, she was born into a Catholic family. In light of this reality being born into a Catholic family she sought long and hard for the assurance of her salvation. She had none and There's a reason why. Because she knew not Christ.

So she sought for this assurance through many of her own endeavors. Through mass, through charitable deeds, and things like that. She was always trying to do something to feel that assurance. Well in 1518 a priest by the name of Matthew Zell arrived to take up the position at the cathedral. Matthew was a product of the changes that were brewing.

New doctrine was leading many on this path of Reformation. Matthew actually began preaching the gospel in Luther-like style, and such was the impact on the parishioners in that church where Matthew Zell was that the Roman Catholic archbishop locked him out of the pulpit. You see that the pulpits of those days are not like what you're seeing me stand behind now, just an open pulpit here and you can just come and go. Anybody can walk up here. These were often elevated platforms.

They had a door and a lock on that door and so the Roman Catholic Archbishop locked him out of the pulpit but this did not stop him Zell's friends actually built a wooden pulpit that they were able evidently to take apart because they brought it with them every Sunday. And they built it back up in the middle of the church so that Matthew could have a place where he could be elevated and look out over the people. And the cathedral was filled. It was filled every Sunday. Crowds gathered to come hear this man with, to them, a new message.

Well, it wasn't long until publications, because there was a lot of publications going on Scott last night was talking about you know martin luther not getting any of the royalties from the things that he was writing there were a lot of things being written a lot of things being distributed So along with these publications and Zell's preaching, Strasburg was turned into a Protestant city. And there was one specific parishioner who blossomed under Matthew Zell's ministry. It was Katerina Schutze. In fact, under this preaching, her lack of assurance that she had struggled with all of her life, it dissipated as she grasped the finished work of Christ and the sanctifying work of the spirit. Well, around seven years later, priest and parishioner married.

December 3rd, 1525, Martin Buser, who would later take up the reformed banner after Zell, Martin Buser performed the wedding ceremony. Now their marrying was a bold step for the church held that priests were not to marry. We heard all about that last night in the reform that Martin Luther brought actually rescuing in barrels of herring nuns. And then these former nuns marrying asking their dads for permission all of them saying absolutely not and so their marrying here was a bold step it was actually one of the first protestant marriages in Strasburg. Well, Katharina, about 20 years younger than Matthew, proved to be a pious, busy, and discreet wife, fully supporting her husband.

Now as we look at what this woman did for the kingdom of Christ, let this reality shape how you weigh her works for the kingdom. Okay? Her sole desire was to only be a help meat to her husband. She considered herself a little piece of the rib of the sainted Matthew Zell. That's her own words.

Just a little piece of the rib of the sainted Matthew Zell. Well, Katarina took all of the energy and effort that she had poured out in striving for personal assurance. She took all of that energy, all of that effort, and poured it and focused it on her marriage and on the Reformation that was happening. She spoke often of the unity that she and Matthew shared together. She described it as being of one mind and one soul.

She wrote this, what bound us together was not silver and gold. Both of us possessed a higher thing. Christ was the mark before our eyes. That's what brought the unity. Christ was the mark before their eyes.

Well, Katerina possessed an incredible understanding of the Word of God. Being well-educated as were all of her siblings, she grasped the very deep things of religion, and she had courage and eloquence to defend the faith both in person and with the pen. One of her best-known works was the defense of biblical marriage she did this especially for priests and pastors marriage having been distorted by the catholic church in so many ways and In this writing concerning what God has to say about marriage She engaged in this for two purposes one was to defend her husband She was defending her husband who would come under the attacks by many. But not only to defend her husband, but the second was for the benefit of other priests and parishioners as well. She was seeking to lay down what God says about marriage so that other priests could be freed from the shackles of the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church and fathers would be encouraged to give their daughters in marriage to these men who were priests.

She was also very gifted in the writing of private letters. We just heard of Lady Jane Grey writing letters to Martin Buser and to Bollinger as well. Well, Caterina was gifted in the writing of letters, even corresponding with the likes of Martin Luther and Oryk Zwingli. The correspondence was sometimes challenging. It wasn't just a hi, how are you doing?

There were a lot of changes and things that were happening with this reformation and some of her writings were actually challenging. She saw a need to come alongside and prod with grace and eloquence. And though she spent much time writing, it did not rob her from the life of service to the Church of Christ. She took care of the sick and needy in Strasbourg, many who were refugees who had fled there due to persecution. She said, I have already in the beginning of my marriage received many excellent and learned people in the flight and comforted them as God has said, support and strengthen the weak knees.

Her compassion for others also led Katerina to visit the local prison with regularity. Now remember that in these days, prisons were often filled with those who had been dealt with unjustly. There were were men that were confined to prison simply because of their stance that they wouldn't do this as the church said or they wouldn't do that and so the prison was often filled with people who had received in God's view and in terms of what the Bible would say, they had been dealt with unjustly. But she took the time to go and to minister at the prison. And Katerina's ministry was not limited to service just outside of her home.

The Zell home also became a place for refugees, persecuted reformers, Even for Buser fleeing from Weissenberg. Even John Calvin sat by the hearth at the Zell home as Caterina sought to minister unto him and Matthew as well. For example, in the year 1524, 150 men were driven out of their town in one night. 150 men driven out in one night, and they sought refuge in Strasburg. Matthew welcomed 80, 80 of these refugees into his house and Katerina fed 50 or 60 of them for four weeks.

Pretty busy huh? In spite of all this that she did in taking care of the needs of these visitors to think about it here she is eighty have come and she's feeding some 50 or 60 in her house you know what else she was doing these men left behind what families wives she began writing the lives of these men and she was encouraging them and ministry into them telling them to to reach points These are times of persecution, but rejoice ladies. Rejoice families. Yes, your husbands have had to flee, but rejoice that you are counted worthy to suffer for the sake of Jesus Christ. All of this and yet her family was local.

You know what it means when you have family that's local? Times of ministering. Parents, sisters, and their husbands, nieces and nephews always were welcome at the Zell's house. Where they put them, I don't know. Can't imagine, you know, 80 men have now come into your house and family still visiting.

But they were always welcome. And then. When Katarina's mother-in-law died Matthew's mother. Katarina no doubt looked after the needs of her father-in-law and four unmarried children but all was not rosy all was not smooth Katarina gave birth to two children some six or so years apart. It seems that neither child reached the age of two based on the years of their birth and death.

I don't know the months, but it seemed that neither one even reached the age of two. This was very hard for Katerina. It wasn't as hard for Matthew, but it was very difficult for Katerina she she struggled actually theologically she was a woman who knew her God and she struggled theologically wondering if if this was a chastening from God. But such sorrow and struggle never hampered her in her service to others. She didn't retreat.

She didn't draw back. She didn't go into her closet and just mourn in secret. She took these things to the Lord and she kept serving. In 1541, a time of plague came upon the city. Matthew himself became ill, and Katerina nursed many back to health and went about her business with a fearless trust in the Lord.

In 1558, 10 years after laying her husband Matthew to rest one of the city magistrates contacted leprosy no one could go in there they isolated him But they allowed Katarina to come and take care of him. She came and they said okay. And she came and nursed this man. She regularly visited him. And she didn't just take care of the of the physical needs She encouraged him in the midst of this infliction.

She encouraged him to keep trusting in Christ A nephew of hers was afflicted with syphilis and the place where she was, the people wouldn't even take care of him. She came and actually spent nights there with him. I actually lived there, as it were, with this boy for some time there in that hospital room. By 1558, Katerina's personal studies of the scripture were published. Among them, the writings of commentaries on Psalm 51 and Psalm 130 and even a commentary on the Lord's Prayer.

Well a few years before her death she wrote the following to a friend, and it seemed from her writing that she knew that the end was not too far off. She wrote, I see before my eyes and welcome the time of my release. I rejoice in it and know that to die will be my gain, that I lay aside the mortal and perishable and put on the everlasting immortal and imperishable. I am now 60 years old and I have walked before God in fear of him and despising the world for 50 years so that I can say with the holy Ambrose I have lived so that I am not ashamed to continue to live among the faithful but I do not fear to die For I am certain that in Christ I will live again and that in him I have a gracious God forever As you look at your life Consider the words of the apostle paul in romans twelve four through six for as we have many members in one body but all the members do not have the same function so we be many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another having been gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us let us use them and Paul again in Ephesians 4 15 and 16 says that we may grow up in all things into him who is the head, Christ, from whom the whole body joined and knit together by what every joint supplies according to the effective working by which every part does it share causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Rebecca van Dodoerd in her book, Reformation Women, closes the chapter on Katharina Schutz with the following analysis. That was the testimony of one of the foremost women of the Reformation Church, the childless mother reformer whose abilities equaled her husband's. While she excelled in managing her home and hosting refugees, she also defended her theological position in print. She was a female theologian in the best sense. Historians today called her a lay reformer, but she only did what every Christian good.

She used her gifts for gospel change in her own sphere in whatever ways possible. That's it. She used her gifts for gospel change in her own sphere in whatever ways possible. The lives of all of these women are so different. Their backgrounds, their family life, whether they grew up Protestant or Catholic, who they married, how they married, how long they lived, what God calls them to have to suffer they're also very different yet what do all of these ladies have in common I think we can boil it down to two things one they loved Christ supremely.

They loved Christ supremely. And second, they loved the church selflessly. They loved the church selflessly. So from my perspective, if you go away from this retreat with nothing else, not remembering all the details of these women that God used, if you go away from this retreat with nothing else, just these two things, that you would love the Lord Jesus Christ supremely and that you would give your life selflessly to serving the people of God. Father we thank you for the life of these faithful women.

Lord, they were faithful because you were working in them to will and to do of your good pleasure. Oh Lord, make us faithful. Oh Father, do not allow us to go and try to find spheres of influence. But Lord help us to take where we are, the families you've put us in, the churches you've put us in, and Lord help us To look to serve you there faithfully May Christ Be our greatest love In His great name we pray, Amen.