Luther on the Annunciation. . .

On the Annunciation, it would do well to listen to Martin Luther on the Blessed Virgin Mary:

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Martin Luther is well acquainted with the Immaculate Conception (long before it was defined by a Pope):

“It is a sweet and pious belief that the infusion of Mary's soul was effected without original sin; so that in the very infusion of her soul she was also purified from original sin and adorned with God's gifts, receiving a pure soul infused by God; thus from the first moment she began to live she was free from all sin"   -Martin Luther (Sermon: "On the Day of the Conception of the Mother of God,” 1527).

Along with virtually all important Protestant Founders (e.g., Calvin, Zwingli, Cranmer), Luther accepted the traditional belief in the perpetual virginity of Mary (Jesus had no blood brothers), and her status as the Theotokos (Mother of God):

"Christ, ..was the only Son of Mary, and the Virgin Mary bore no children besides Him... "brothers" really means "cousins" here, for Holy Writ and the Jews always call cousins brothers."   -Martin Luther (Sermons on John, chapters 1-4.1537-39).

"He, Christ, our Savior, was the real and natural fruit of Mary's virginal womb.. .This was without the cooperation of a man, and she remained a virgin after that."  (Ibid.)

"God says... "Mary's Son is My only Son." Thus Mary is the Mother of God.".  (Ibid.)

"God did not derive his divinity from Mary; but it does not follow that it is therefore wrong to say that God was born of Mary, that God is Mary's Son, and that Mary is God's mother...She is the true mother of God and bearer of God...Mary suckled God, rocked God to sleep, prepared broth and soup for God, etc. For God and man are one person, one Christ, one Son, one Jesus. not two Christs. . .just as your son is not two sons...even though he has two natures, body and soul, the body from you, the soul from God alone."  -Martin Luther (On the Councils and the Church, 1539)

"She is full of grace, proclaimed to be entirely without sin—something exceedingly great. For God's grace fills her with everything good and makes her devoid of all evil."   -Martin Luther (Personal {"Little"} Prayer Book, 1522)

Luther preached on the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the sermon of August 15, 1522, is the last time:

"There can be no doubt that the Virgin Mary is in heaven. How it happened we do not know. And since the Holy Spirit has told us nothing about it, we can make of it no article of faith... It is enough to know that she lives in Christ."  -Martin Luther (Sermon, Feast of the Assumption of Mary, 1522)

Luther highly esteemed Mary and his piety and devotional practice of the veneration of Mary were sustained throughout his life:

"The veneration of Mary is inscribed in the very depths of the human heart."  -Martin Luther (Sermon, September 8, 1522).

"[She is the] highest woman and the noblest gem in Christianity after Christ. ..She is nobility, wisdom, and holiness personified. We can never honor her enough. Still honor and praise must be given to her in such a way as to injure neither Christ nor the Scriptures."   -Martin Luther (Sermon, Christmas, 1531).

"No woman is like you. You are more than Eve or Sarah, blessed above all nobility, wisdom, and sanctity."   -Martin Luther (Sermon, Feast of the Visitation. 1537).

"One should honor Mary as she herself wished and as she expressed it in the Magnificat. She praised God for his deeds. How then can we praise her? The true honor of Mary is the honor of God, the praise of God's grace.. .Mary is nothing for the sake of herself, but for the sake of Christ...Mary does not wish that we come to her, but through her to God."  -Martin Luther (Explanation of the Magnificat, 1521) 

Luther speaks of the Blessed Virgin Mary as also the "Spiritual Mother" for all Christians, the first of the Christians who consented to the Angel's Word, pondered all these things in  her heart, and whose own soul was pierced as Simeon prophesied:

"It is the consolation and the superabundant goodness of God, that man is able to exult in such a treasure. Mary is his true Mother, Christ is his brother. God is his father."  -Martin Luther (Sermon. Christmas, 1522)

"Mary is the Mother of Jesus and the Mother of all of us even though it was Christ alone who reposed on her knees...If he is ours, we ought to be in his situation; there where he is, we ought also to be and all that he has ought to be ours, and his mother is also our mother."  - Martin Luther (Sermon, Christmas, 1529).

Whoever possesses a good (firm) faith, says the Hail Mary without danger! Whoever is weak in faith can utter no Hail Mary without danger to his salvation. -Martin Luther (Sermon, March 11, 1523).

Our prayer should include the Mother of God.. .What the Hail Mary says is that all glory should be given to God, using these words: "Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus Christ. Amen!" You see that these words are not concerned with prayer but purely with giving praise and honor.. .We can use the Hail Mary as a meditation in which we recite what grace God has given her. Second, we should add a wish that everyone may know and respect her...He who has no faith is advised to refrain from saying the Hail Mary. -Martin Luther (Personal Prayer Book, 1522). 

Martin Luther (like most theologians Reformation and Roman) condemned any Christian who regards Mary as equal to Jesus or who implies that Jesus was less than equal to the Father and the Spirit.  But if there could be a second status, below Jesus, but elevated above the noble saints and ordinary Christians, Luther would have placed Mary there.  Luther's Commentary on the Magnificat remains the fullest treatment of his Mariology.

In number 75 of the 95 theses Luther places blasphemy against the Virgin as a sin so great that papal indulgence cannot set it aside. Luther preached on Mary on all her feast days, perhaps with more faithfulness that do many Roman Catholic priests today. Many of these Marian feasts remained not only on the calendar but faithfully observed for a century after Luther’s death. Luther kept images of the BVM in his churches where they remained until the time of “Enlightenment” in the 18th century when the images began to be removed or covered.  Modern day Lutherans are much more reserved in their treatment of Mary than Luther or the Lutherans of the first couple centuries after the Reformation.

My point is not to shock or embarrass Lutherans but to point out that Luther was very catholic in his faith and piety and, though some of this changed or diminished slightly by the end of his life, Luther did not find appreciation for the Blessed Virgin Mary something in competition with Christ.  Just the opposite, it was the Blessed Virgin herself who sang, inspired by the Spirit, that all generations will call me blessed.  True honor and devotion to the Virgin Mary does not detract from Christ at all but honors Him.  She from whom He took His human flesh remains an example of faith and trust for all who would follow her in following Christ as Savior.  On this day when we remember the Annunciation of Our Lord to the Blessed Virgin Mary, a little reminder of the devotion to Blessed Mary which Luther expressed is well needed among the heirs of Luther who sometimes fear to speak her name out loud.  
 
To the nervous Lutherans reading this let me say.  Of course, and let me say it again, of course none of these affirmations not explicitly stated in Scripture (immaculate conception, perpetual virginity, or the assumption) could ever be required belief or be set as doctrine along side, for example, the creed.  No Lutheran and not even Luther was saying this.  But that did not and does not preclude one from believing such.  Where Lutherans differ from Protestants is that we allow these traditions to be held as private opinion which, while not found in Scripture, do not contradict it.  Roman Catholics, on the other hand, do not affirm Scripture as both source and norm of all doctrine and therefore regard tradition to be an equal source of doctrine (tradition which does not conflict with Scripture).  For Lutherans it is a matter of private faith but for Roman Catholics it is a matter of public doctrine.