The year was 1681. We remember Isabel Alison and Marion Harvey, martyrs for the radical Covenanters. The last word for today comes from St. Jerome, a word on the church and martyrdom.

The year was 1863. We remember the Quaker, Rufus Matthew Jones. The last word for today, a word about peace, comes straight from the Prince of Peace's mouth in the Gospel of John.

The year was 1076. Emperor Henry IV convened a synod at Worms to deal with the power-hungry pope. The reading is from John Newton, his poem, "A Thought on the Seas-Shore."

The year was 1549. We remember Transylvanian Lutheran Johannes Honterus. The last word for today comes from a Hungarian poet, János Pilinsky, “On the Third Day.”

The year was 1561. We remember Francis Bacon. The last word for the day comes from another Christian philosopher, Blaise Pascal.

The year was 1059. We remember Michael Kerullarios. The reading is a prayer by Søren Kierkegaard.

The year was 288. We remember St. Sebastian. The reading is from Gerhard Forde, “On Being a Theologian of the Cross.”

The year was 399. We remember Pulcheria, the silent star of the 5th century. The reading is from George Herbert, “The Hold Fast.”

The year was 1951. We remember one of the most famous of all missionaries, Amy Carmichael. The reading is an octave from Ms. Carmichael.

The year was 1677. We remember Ludovick Muggleton. The reading is "If Birds that neither Sow nor reap" by Roger Williams.

The year was 1899. We remember Charles P. Chiniquy. The reading for today comes from the Almanac's favorite Brennan Manning, "Ragamuffin Gospel."

The year was 1998. We remember Harold Lindsell. The reading is from Anselm of Canterbury, a prayer from the 11th century.

The year was 1623. We remember Father Paolo Sarpi, a Servite and Venetian critic of Rome. The reading is from Juergen Moltmann and his "The Crucified God."

The year was 614. We celebrate St. Mungo's Day. The reading for today comes from a Scottish Poet, George Mackay Brown, "A Poem for Shelter."

The year was 1960. We remember Charles Emmanuel Grace. The reading is from Frederick Buechner's "Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy, and Fairy Tale."

The year is 1759. We remember the Corporation for the Relief of Poor and Distressed Presbyterian Ministers and of the Poor and Distressed Widows and Children of Presbyterian Ministers. The reading is “Mercy” by John F. Deane.

The year is 1514. We remember the Complutensian Polyglot Bible. The reading is from C.S. Lewis, "Prayer."

The year is 1806. We remember the Baptist preacher Samuel Stillman. The reading is from William Arthur Dunkerley, "Wakening."

The year was 482. We remember Severinus of Noricum. The reading for today will be a poetic interpretation of Psalm 150 from Isaac Watts.

The year was 367. Athanasius sent his festal letter, which confirmed the canon of Scripture. Our reading is from Malcolm Guite, "Epiphany."

The year is 1973. We remember Theodore "Tommy" Hicks. The reading for today, the feast of Epiphany, comes from Peter Chrysologus.

The year is 567. We remember the Second Council of Tours and the 12th Night of Christmas. The reading is from William Butler Yeats, "The Magi."

The year is 1953. “The Catholic Hour” made its debut on NBC television. The reading is by Pauline Johnson, a 19th century Canadian Poet, “Christmastide.”

The year was 1785. We remember the founding of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The reading is from Charles Wesley, "What angel can the grace explain."

The year was 1940. We remember our latest Dr. Gene Scott All-Star, Jim Bakker. The reading is "Saving Jesus" by Paul Lake.