On Oct. 31, 1517, Martin Luther posted the 95 Theses — the “Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences” — to the church door in a small city called Wittenberg, Germany. This ignited the Protestant Reformation, and thus the Lutheran church officially commemorates this important anniversary on Oct. 31.
Faith-filled saints from every place and time with unified voices eternally magnify the Lamb of God. The Holy Spirit through faith in Christ propels us forward, fortifying us in Word and Sacrament, to our eternal home.
The season of Advent focuses on the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and this first Sunday establishes this theme for the rest of the season.
Advent, a season of repentance, waiting and watching, looks forward in hope. Our Christian faith rests on the hope that Christ, who came in the flesh in history to accomplish our salvation, will also return in the same way to be our judge on the last day and bring us into eternal life.
Advent, a season of repentance, waiting and watching, looks forward in hope. Our Christian faith rests on the hope that Christ, who came in the flesh in history to accomplish our salvation, will also return in the same way to be our judge on the last day and bring us into eternal life.
The Fourth Sunday in Advent turns our attention toward the nativity of our Lord. With Mary, we await the coming of the Christ, her Son, conceived in her womb by the Spirit of God.
Heaven and earth rejoice this night because the glory of the holy Triune God is manifested in the human birth of “our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).
The Festival of the Nativity of our Lord is the traditional way of saying Christmas Day, on which Christians celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus.
While Christmas focuses on the incarnation of our Lord — God becoming flesh — the season of Epiphany emphasizes the manifestation or self-revelation of God in that same flesh of Christ.
In the One-Year Lectionary, Transfiguration is followed by three Sundays of preparation and instruction from Jesus before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent.
In the Three-Year Lectionary, the Feast of the Transfiguration is observed on the last Sunday in Epiphany and is only three days before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent.
Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent and, if Sundays are omitted, is 40 days before Easter.