Election at the Grossmünster (1518)

On December 11, 1518, the chapter of Zürich elected 34-year-old Ulrich Zwingli as People’s Preacher at the Old Minster (Grossmünster), the city’s great church overlooking the Limmat River. The appointment placed him at the heart of civic and spiritual life, where sermons shaped public conscience and policy. Zwingli arrived as a gifted humanist and pastor, yet the office demanded more than learning: it required courage to speak plainly in a city accustomed to inherited custom and religious routine.

Preaching Christ Through Matthew (1519)

Beginning on New Year’s Day 1519, Zwingli set aside the customary lectionary selections and preached consecutively through the Gospel of Matthew. This was more than a change in method; it was a call to let Scripture govern the church. He urged Zürich to hear Christ’s voice in the Word and to rest in what Christ has finished rather than striving to purchase peace with God through human merit, religious performance, or man-made traditions. The steady, chapter-by-chapter preaching trained ordinary people to think biblically, to test teachings, and to anchor hope in God’s promises. As the message took root, reform moved from private conviction to public renewal.

Plague and Pastoral Resolve (1519)

In 1519, plague swept through Zürich. Zwingli contracted the disease and nearly died, experiencing weakness that stripped away any confidence in strength, status, or intellect. His survival was received as mercy, and his return to the pulpit carried a sobriety that deepened his compassion for the suffering and his urgency to proclaim grace. In that season, faith showed its heroic shape—not in spectacle, but in steadfastness: staying with a threatened flock, facing mortality, and continuing to preach when life itself felt uncertain. “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted; He saves the contrite in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).

Lasting Renewal in the Swiss Lands

For thirteen years at the Grossmünster, Zwingli’s Bible-centered ministry helped awaken enduring reform in Zürich and beyond, strengthening a clearer witness to the gospel throughout the Swiss lands. The emphasis remained simple and bracing: Christ is sufficient, Scripture is authoritative, and God’s people are called to trust and obey. “For by grace you have been saved through faith… not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9).