"On this day it is customary to distribute new year’s gifts from the pulpit, as if one did not have enough useful and beneficial matters to preach about, and it were necessary to hand out such useless tales instead of the word of God and to turn this serious office into a game and a joke. The Gospel demands that our sermon be about the circumcision and the name Jesus, and we are going to observe this."
"Auff dießen tag pflegt man das new iar außzuteylen auff der Cantzel, als hett man sonst nit gnug nutzlichs, heylsams dings zu predigen, das man solch unnutz fabeln an statt gottlichs worts furgeben muste und auß solchem ernsten ampt eyn spiel und schimpff machen. Von der beschneydung foddert das Euangelium tzu predigen und von dem namen Jhesus, da wollen wyr auff sehen."
Martin Luther, "The Gospel for New Year's Day, Luke 2[:21]," LW 52, p. 149 =WA 10.1, 504. I see that this has been translated on LW 76 (Church postil II, 2013), p. 39 (pp. 39-47), as follows:
On this day it is customary to dispense from the pulpit [good wishes for] the new year, as if there were not enough other useful and salutary matters to preachy, and it were necessary to present such useless fables in place of the divine Word and to make a game and a joke of so serious an office. The Gospel reading requires us to preach on the circumcision and the name of Jesus, and this we will do!
P. 39n2 (references omitted): "A custom is referred to here which arose in the latter part of the Middle Ages. On New Year's Day, the eighth day after Christmas, the preacher declared from the pulpit special new year's wishes to his hearers with reference to the eight different classes among them. . . . The custom introduced many absurdities and improprieties into the worship service. . . ."
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