Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent and, if Sundays are omitted, is 40 days before Easter.
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Annunciation of our Lord
The Annunciation commemorates the visit of the angel Gabriel to the blessed Virgin Mary, announcing that the eternal Son of God would take up human flesh in her womb and, in accordance with Isaiah’s prophecy, be born of a virgin.
Palm Sunday
The Son of David comes in gentle humility, “sitting on a donkey’s colt,” yet as the King of Israel “in the name of the Lord” (John 12:13–15). He comes to be lifted up in glory on the cross in order to cast out “the ruler of this world” and draw all people to Himself (John 12:23–32).
Holy (Maundy) Thursday
As disciples of Jesus, we recline at the table with Him to eat and drink in peace (Mark 14:18). In Him, we see “the God of Israel” (Ex. 24:10), and yet He does not lay His hand on us to punish us.
Good Friday
Good Friday calls for sober reflection on the cost of our redemption. Jesus, the Lamb of God, is led to the slaughter of His cross as the Sacrifice of Atonement for the sin of the world.
Easter
By the shed blood of Christ, eternal death has passed over us, and now we pass with Christ through death into life everlasting. For Christ the crucified One is risen!
Pentecost
The word “Pentecost” comes from the Greek word pentekostos which means “fiftieth.” Exactly 50 days after Jesus rose from the dead, the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples in the form of flames of fire.
St. Michael’s Day
“Fear not.” So every angel begins his speech in the Scriptures. They are the fearsome warriors of the Most High God, commanded by Michael the Archangel, forming the “Sabbaoth,” the armies of the Lord.
Reformation Day
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.
All Saints’ Day
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.
First Sunday in Advent
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.
Second Sunday in Advent
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.