236: Anterus Stands Firm
January 3, 236: Anterus, bishop of Rome, finished a pastorate that lasted barely six weeks, yet it was marked by courage under pressure. Coming after the exile and death of Pontian, he shepherded a shaken church while the shadow of Maximinus’s persecution still lingered. Early records say he ensured the testimony of earlier martyrs was carefully preserved, honoring their confession and strengthening believers to stand fast. Soon he himself was taken, and his death—remembered as a martyr’s end—sealed what he had preached: Christ is worth any cost, even life itself.

320: Gordius the Centurion Confesses Christ
January 3, 320: Gordius, a centurion stationed in Caesarea of Cappadocia, laid aside his rank when persecution demanded compromise, choosing solitude and prayer in the wilderness over applause and safety. When a public festival filled the city and believers were pressured to bow to idols, he returned and stepped into the crowd, confessing Jesus Christ without shame. Brought before the magistrates, he refused sacrifice, endured threats and torture with calm resolve, and was condemned to death—remembered as one who counted earthly honors loss to gain the better crown, fearing God more than man.

502: Genevieve Prays for Paris
On January 3, 502, Genevieve—already known in Paris for a life of prayer, fasting, and steadfast service—strengthened her frightened neighbors as danger threatened the city. Rather than stirring panic, she called the people to trust God, to stay faithful, and to care for those most at risk. Her courage showed itself in quiet perseverance: praying through fear, urging repentance and hope, and pairing faith with practical mercy toward the poor and vulnerable. In an age of uncertainty and violence, her steady witness reminded Paris that God’s protection is sought first on one’s knees and lived out in love.

1521: Luther Excommunicated, Scripture Set Free
On January 3, 1521, Pope Leo X issued the bull Decet Romanum Pontificem excommunicating Martin Luther for refusing to recant teachings he believed contradicted Scripture, following months of warning after Exsurge Domine. Cut off from Rome’s communion, Luther did not retreat in fear; he clung to Christ and to the authority of God’s Word. His stand helped awaken consciences to salvation by grace through faith and the call to repentance. Soon afterward, while under threat and upheaval, he pressed on to translate the Bible into German, laboring so ordinary people could hear God speak plainly in their own tongue.

1638: Faith Under Siege at Hara Fortress
On January 3, 1638, shogunate forces drove Christian and impoverished farmers back across Shimabara, and the rebels withdrew to Hara Castle, seizing the abandoned fortress and turning it into a last refuge. Led in part by the young Amakusa Shirō, they held fast amid harsh winter and tightening siege, choosing prayer and courage over surrender. Though the uprising would be crushed and Christianity soon outlawed in Japan, this moment remembers believers who clung to Christ when faith was counted as treason, and whose steadfastness still calls us to endure with hope.

1785: A Church Born in Holy Resolve
On January 3, 1785, the Methodist Christmas Conference in Baltimore concluded after gathering since Christmas Eve at Lovely Lane, marking a decisive step for gospel witness in the new nation. Under the leadership of Thomas Coke—sent by John Wesley—and the faithful Francis Asbury, the preachers organized the Methodist Episcopal Church in America, set a clear order for worship and doctrine, and chose shepherds for a scattered flock. Asbury’s humble reluctance, followed by his acceptance of the call, reflected sober devotion rather than ambition. From this moment, tireless itinerant ministry spread Scripture, repentance, and holy living across the frontier.

1892: J.R.R. Tolkien Born
On January 3, 1892, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, a man whose imagination would later serve truth with uncommon beauty. Orphaned young and raised under the faithful care of a Catholic priest, he learned early the cost of loyalty and the need for steadfast hope. Through the trenches of the First World War and the long, patient labor of scholarship, he crafted tales where courage persists, mercy proves stronger than might, and providence quietly guides even the smallest hands. His life reminds believers to work faithfully, trusting the true King’s victory.

1918: “I Need Thee Every Hour” Remembered
Annie Sherwood Hawks, beloved hymnwriter whose words have strengthened countless believers, died January 3, 1918, in Bennington, Vermont. Though she wrote many hymns, she is best known for “I Need Thee Every Hour,” a simple confession of continual dependence on Christ, later paired with music by Robert Lowry. Hawks once spoke of writing from a place of cheerful faith, yet learning through sorrow how deeply true the hymn’s plea is. Her legacy endures as a steady call to prayer, humility, and trust in the Savior’s near presence.

1927: From Fear to Freedom in Christ
On January 3, 1927, Fray Luis—Dr. Walter Montaño—fleeing a Dominican monastery and the crushing weight of unanswered guilt, knelt in prayer beside Protestant missionary Charles A. Patton and entrusted himself to Jesus Christ as Savior. In that humble moment, scholarship and religious effort gave way to the simple, saving gospel: forgiveness secured by Christ alone. Montaño’s surrender showed courage to follow truth at personal cost and faith to rest in God’s mercy. In the years that followed, he became a bold evangelist, carrying this message across Latin America.

1930: Opening Windows for Literacy
On January 3, 1930, missionary educator Frank C. Laubach, serving in the Philippines among the Maranao of Mindanao, wrote with humble astonishment, “I have done nothing but open windows—God has done the rest.” After years of slow progress and cultural barriers, he saw how simple, patient literacy work could unlock minds and transform lives, not by force, but by love and steady presence. Laubach’s words shine with the quiet heroism of a servant who labored diligently yet refused the credit, giving glory to the Lord who alone brings true light and lasting fruit.

1934: Christ Alone Against the Reich
On January 3, 1934, at Barmen-Gemarke in Germany, about 320 pastors of the Confessing Church gathered to resist the Nazi-backed “German Christian” movement that tried to remake the church in the image of the Reich. With leaders like Karl Barth and Martin Niemöller, they labored toward a clear confession that Jesus Christ—not blood, race, or state power—is the one Word of God and the only Lord of the church. Their stand, later expressed in the Barmen Declaration, modeled costly courage, faithful preaching, and a refusal to trade the gospel for safety.

1956: A Name That Bore Witness to Dignity in Christ
On January 3, 1956, the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church—organized in 1870 in the aftermath of slavery—officially adopted the name Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, choosing a title that lifted eyes from racial designation to gospel identity. In a season when many sought to define people by color, this step quietly affirmed that believers are first named by Christ. The change strengthened a church that had endured hardship with prayer, preaching, and faithful service, and it encouraged a broader Christian witness. Today, headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, it continues with nearly 500,000 members.

1963: Faith at the Embassy Gates
On January 3, 1963, Peter Vashchenko and several other Russian Christians, worn down by years of harassment, made a desperate bid for freedom: they overwhelmed the policeman at the U.S. Embassy gates in Moscow and entered to plead for asylum in the West. Their suffering had included the cruel removal of their children to state juvenile homes, where faith and family were deliberately pressured and mocked. Though their request opened a complicated story that would stretch across three decades, their bold step testified that obedience to God can require costly courage—and that Christ is worth more than safety.