LCMS Calendar

2025 Illinois March for Life in Springfield
2025-03-25 | Trinity Lutheran Church: Springfield, IL, 220 S. Second Street, Springfield, IL, 62701, United States
The 2025 Illinois Pro-Life March for Life is Tuesday, March 25 in Springfield. The day begins with Matins Service at 11:00am and a light lunch at 12:00pm at Trinity Lutheran Church (220 S. Second Street). The rally begins at 1:00pm and the march at 2:00pm. We look forward to seeing you as we witness to the sanctity of life.

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LCMS Southern District Convention — 2025
2025-03-24 - 2025-03-25 | The Harbor Center: Slidell, La., 100 Harbor Center Blvd., Slidell, LA, 70461, United States
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s 2025 Southern District Convention is scheduled for Monday, March 24, and Tuesday, March 25, in Slidell, La., at The Harbor Center.
District conventions, which are held every three years by each of the Synod’s 35 districts, take place the year before the triennial LCMS national convention.
The schedule includes time for conducting business, electing officers, and sharing information. The conventions also offer opportunities for worship, nurture, inspiration, and fellowship.
Pastors, teachers, other commissioned ministers, and lay delegates elected by congregations are required to attend.
General sessions are open to anyone who wishes to attend as an observer, and guests are also invited to the worship services.
LCMS Southern District Office

Profile — Southern District

Web — southernlcms.org

Email — info@southernlcms.org

Phone — 504-282-2632

2025 Connecticut March for Life in Hartford
2025-03-19 | Connecticut State Capitol, 210 Capitol Ave, Hartford, CT, 06106, United States
The 2025 Connecticut March for Life is Wednesday, March 19, 2025. There will be a Worship Service prior to the march (more information to come). The rally begins at the Capitol at 12:00pm and the march begins at 1:00pm. Come and witness to the sanctity of life.

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Arizona March for Life in Phoenix
2025-03-15 | Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza, 1700 W Washington St, Phoenix, AZ, 85007, United States
The 2025 Arizona March for Life is Saturday, March 15. The rally begins at 11:00am at the Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza and the march at 12:00pm. Join us as we witness to the sanctity of life. For more information, contact Dr. Roni Grad at roni.grad@gmail.com

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Mercy: Love Throughout Life conference - 2025
2025-03-14 - 2025-03-15
The Mercy: Love Throughout Life conference, hosted by the LCMS Office of National Mission, will take place March 14–15, 2025.
Conference sessions, all of which will be livestreamed, will take place in three different locations. Participants may attend in-person at one of these locations, or they may watch online.
The three in-person locations will focus on the following subject areas:

Concordia University, Irvine, Calif., will host sessions on marriage, life and the family at its Concordia – Spectrum Campus.

Grace Lutheran Church in St. Petersburg, Fla., will host sessions on spiritual care.

The LCMS International Center in St. Louis, Mo., will host sessions on advocating, teaching and caring for human life.

Featured presenters will include:

Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison, LCMS president

Deaconess Dr. Tiffany Manor, LCMS Office of National Mission managing director

Rev. Michael Salemink, executive director of Lutherans For Life

Rev. Dr. Alfonso Espinosa, senior pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Irvine, Calif.

Rev. Dr. Brian Heller, manager of LCMS Specialized Spiritual Care Ministry

Several sessions, conducted in Spanish, will be available to watch online.
Registration
In-person early bird registration, which includes meals and snacks, is $49 per person through Feb. 14. After that, registration will be $74 per person. In-person registration closes on March 7.
Online registration (which can be used by an individual, couple, family or group) is $29 and will be open until the first day of the conference.
Both in-person and online attendees will have access to recorded sessions for 60 days after the conference.
All students at the Concordia universities and seminaries have free admission to this conference. To register, they will need a valid Concordia email address for verification. For more information, email SpecializedCare@lcms.org.
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YouthLead Training
2025-03-08 - 2025-03-11 | Pallottine Renewal Center: St. Louis, 15270 Old Halls Ferry Road, Florissant, MO, 63034, United States
LCMS Youth Ministry will host a YouthLead Training event Saturday afternoon, March 8, to noon Tuesday, March 11, 2025, at the Pallotine Renewal Center in the St. Louis suburb of Florissant.
Who can attend Youthlead?
Any high school youth who is an active member of an LCMS congregation and desires to be a leader along with adults who desire to mentor young leaders.
It is preferred that teens attend with an adult leader from their congregation, although arrangements can be made for teens to come unaccompanied.
How much does it cost?
Registration is $375 per attendee, which covers food and housing during the training, transportation to and from the airport if needed, supplies and a T-shirt. Attendees are responsible for their transportation to and from St. Louis.
We encourage you to contact your district before you register as some districts have support for those attending this training.
What happens at a YouthLead Training event?
Youth are equipped for leadership in two key ways. First, we engage them in studying God’s Word through a Bible study they experience and are trained to lead back home. Second, we focus on their unique identity and vocations as well as practical leadership skills that will benefit them in all aspects of servant leadership.
This annual training event is led by our teen Executive Team and gives fellow teens the tools they need to mature in their faith, become leaders in their congregations, and reach out to their peers with the love of Christ.
This year’s curriculum will focus on caring for those struggling or in crisis. Our leadership training will develop an attendee’s skill set, including how to communicate as a church leader.
If you have questions about the event, email LCMS Youth Ministry at youth.ministry@lcms.org.
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LCMS Youth Ministry

lcms.org/youth

youth.ministry@lcms.org

888-843-5267

facebook.com/LCMSyouth

facebook.com/lcmsgathering

twitter.com/LCMSyouth

LCMS Northern Illinois District Convention — 2025
2025-03-07 - 2025-03-08 | Concordia University Chicago: River Forest, Ill., 7400 Augusta Street, River Forest, IL, 60305, United States
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s 2025 Northern Illinois District Convention is scheduled for Friday, March 7, and Saturday, March 8, at Concordia University Chicago in River Forest, Ill.
District conventions, which are held every three years by each of the Synod’s 35 districts, take place the year before the triennial LCMS national convention.
The schedule includes time for conducting business, electing officers, and sharing information. The conventions also offer opportunities for worship, nurture, inspiration, and fellowship.
Pastors, teachers, other commissioned ministers, and lay delegates elected by congregations are required to attend.
General sessions are open to anyone who wishes to attend as an observer, and guests are also invited to the worship services.
LCMS Northern Illinois District Office

Profile — Northern Illinois District

Web — nidlcms.org

Email — office@nidlcms.org

Phone — 708-449-3020

Ash Wednesday
2025-03-05
Ash Wednesday, which will be commemorated on March 5, is the beginning of Lent and, if Sundays are omitted, is 40 days before Easter.
Ash Wednesday begins the church’s annual season of penitence, traditionally marked by fasting, almsgiving and prayer. In the LCMS, congregations often offer additional services in the week where the Word is preached and the Sacrament offered.
As the name suggests, many congregations practice the ceremony of the imposition of ashes on this day. Ashes are a symbol of mortality and repentance, since “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). When the pastor places them on the penitents, often in the shape of a cross, he speaks a sobering reminder: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Gen. 3:19).
We ourselves will not overcome the temptations of Satan, our sinful flesh and death, but Christ our champion will. Throughout the coming season, we will watch as He endures and overcomes the devil with his works and ways, suffers willingly for our sakes, and redeems us by His blood and Passion. Faith trusts in Him and believes, even from the ash heap, that “a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Psalm 51:17).
If you are homebound, traveling, or otherwise unable to attend a service in person, KFUO Radio airs worship services throughout the church year. Visit KFUO.org to view the schedule and listen to services.
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Liturgical color for Ash Wednesday and Lent
On Ash Wednesday, the altar is adorned with violet or with black. The calendar calls for black only twice — Good Friday and Ash Wednesday. There is no mistaking the message of this somber color: Black is the absence of light. Ash Wednesday calls for sober reflection on the outcome of sin, and Good Friday on the price of our redemption.
Without Christ’s sacrifice on the day the sky turned dark and hid the light of the sun, there would be no bright Light of Christ to live in, nor new life in Christ to enjoy. Yet we do not grieve as others do, without hope (1 Thess. 4:13).

Three-Year Series C
Scripture readings

Joel 2:12–19

2 Corinthians 5:20b–6:10

Matthew 6:1–6, 16–21

Lectionary summary
Return to the Lord Your God with All Your Heart
On Ash Wednesday, we come down from the mountain with Jesus and set our face toward His cross and Passion in Jerusalem. We make our pilgrimage with Him by way of repentance, and thus we return to our dying and rising in Holy Baptism. Christ Jesus, “who knew no sin,” became our sin, so that by His death we are released from sin and in His resurrection we “become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). As God has thereby reconciled the world to Himself in Christ, “now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2). He has provided the sacrificial Lamb, and He has left “a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering” (Joel 2:14) in the Eucharist. He summons us to return to Him with all our heart because He is “gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love” (Joel 2:13). We do so with faith and confidence in Him, and so we pray to Him as our Father, give to the needy from a heart of love, and fast for the sake of repentance (Matt. 6:3–4, 6, 17–18).

One-Year Series
Scripture readings

Joel 2:12–19

2 Peter 1:2–11

Matthew 6:1–21

Lectionary summary
Return to the Lord Your God with All Your Heart, for He Has Reconciled You to Himself
“Consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people” (Joel 2:15–16). Lent, with its corporate fast, begins today. “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Imposition of Ashes, from Gen. 3:19). “Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger” (Jonah 3:9). We know. Faith believes that, for Christ’s sake, “a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Psalm 51:17). He is “gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love” (Joel 2:13); therefore, we do not hesitate to return to Him “with all [our] heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning” (v. 12). He raises the dead, as we shall see in 40 days’ time. Satan opposes such reconciliation and life. He would twist our discipline into self-serving pride (Matt. 6:1–12), leading us into unbelief and unfruitfulness until we fall from the Lord’s “precious and very great promises” (2 Peter 1:4, 8). For this reason, our Lenten discipline not only gives something up but also takes up the sustenance and exercise of faith: hearing His Word and turning from ourselves—to God in prayer and to our neighbor with charity. “Make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love” (v. 5–7).

LCMS Worship

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Feast of the Transfiguration (Three-Year Series C)
2025-03-02
In The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, Transfiguration is observed on the last Sunday of Epiphany. In the Three-Year Lectionary, Transfiguration is on March 2, 2025, which is only three days before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent.
On this day, the church recalls the event of Christ’s Transfiguration on the mountain, revealing His divine nature to Peter, James and John before He set His face toward Jerusalem, where He would accomplish the world’s salvation by His death and resurrection for us.
Where Transfiguration is the last service before Ash Wednesday, many congregations say farewell to the word “Alleluia.” As Judah would not sing their songs in the land of exile (Psalm 137), so the church sets aside our simplest word of joy and praise — until we take it up again in triumph on Easter: “Alleluia! Christ is risen; He is risen indeed, Alleluia!”
To attend a worship service, visit locator.lcms.org/church to find a local Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod congregation. Enter your zip code and click “Search” to see a list of area churches, service times, and contact information.
If you are homebound, traveling, or otherwise unable to attend a service in person, KFUO Radio airs worship services throughout the church year. Visit KFUO.org to view the schedule and listen to services.
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Liturgical color for Transfiguration
White, the color of light, purity and completeness, adorns the altar to commemorate the Transfiguration of Our Lord. On the mountain, Christ’s face and clothes shone white as light (Matt. 17:2). In His light we see light and by Him, “though our sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow.” Christ’s incarnation and His resurrection, His Gospel and its message to all nations are cause for our rejoicing. His purity before His Father becomes our purity. White reinforces this message of joy.
White is also the appointed color for the Epiphany (Jan. 6) and the first Sunday following it, which is often observed as the Baptism of Our Lord. It is also the color of Easter. On high festive days when white is appointed, some congregations also use gold.

Three-Year Series C Lectionary
Scripture readings for Transfiguration

Deuteronomy 34:1–12

Hebrews 3:1–6

Luke 9:28–36

Lectionary summary
The Glory of God Is Manifested in the Body of Christ
“Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant,” but Christ Jesus “has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses” (Heb. 3:3, 5). A beloved and well-pleasing Son, faithful even to the point of death, Jesus’ own body was raised up on the third day as the house of God, and He has brought us into that house through the waters of Holy Baptism (Heb. 3:6). Thus, it was not Moses, the lawgiver, but his successor, Joshua (the Hebrew name for Jesus), who led the people into the Promised Land (Deut. 34:1–4, 9). Now, on the Mount of Transfiguration, the New Testament Joshua appears in the glory that He is about to manifest by His “departure” (exodus) in Jerusalem (Luke 9:31). Having entered the waters of the Jordan in His Baptism, He passed through those waters and entered into glory by His cross and Passion. What He thereby accomplished in His own flesh and blood, crucified and risen, He reveals and gives to His Body, the Church, by the means of His Word. Therefore, the Father declares from heaven, “Listen to him!” (Luke 9:35).

LCMS Worship

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LCMS Minnesota North District Convention — 2025
2025-02-23 - 2025-02-25 | Timberlake Lodge: Grand Rapids, Minn., 144 SE 17th Street, Grand Rapids, MN, 55744, United States
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s 2025 Minnesota North District Convention is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 23, to Tuesday, Feb. 25, in Grand Rapids, Minn., at Timberlake Lodge.
District conventions, which are held every three years by each of the Synod’s 35 districts, take place the before the triennial LCMS national convention.
The schedule includes time for conducting business, electing officers, and sharing information. The conventions also offer opportunities for worship, nurture, inspiration, and fellowship.
Pastors, teachers, commissioned ministers, and lay delegates elected by congregations are required to attend.
General sessions are open to anyone who wishes to attend as an observer, and guests are also invited to the worship services.
LCMS Minnesota North District Office

Profile — Minnesota North District

Web — mnnlcms.org

Email — mnndist@mnnlcms.org

Phone — 218-829-1781

LCMS Board of Directors - February 2025 meeting
2025-02-21 - 2025-02-22
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s Board of Directors is scheduled to meet on Feb. 21-22, 2025, in St. Louis.
The Board of Directors is the legal representative of the LCMS, and it is the custodian of all the property of the Synod — directly or by its delegation of such authority to an agency of the Synod.
The BOD exercises supervision over all the property and business affairs of the Synod, except in those areas where it has delegated such authority to an agency of the Synod or where the voting members of the Synod, through the adoption of bylaws or by other convention action, have assigned specific areas of responsibility to separate corporate or trust entities.
In such circumstances, the BOD retains general oversight responsibility as defined in Synod Bylaws.

LCMS Southern Illinois District Convention — 2025
2025-02-20 - 2025-02-22 | Regency Conference Center: O’Fallon, Ill., 400 Regency Park Drive, O'Fallon, IL, 62269, United States
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s 2025 Southern Illinois District Convention is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 20, to Saturday, Feb. 22, in O’Fallon, Ill., at the Regency Conference Center.
District conventions, which are held every three years by each of the Synod’s 35 districts, take place the year before the triennial LCMS national convention.
The schedule includes time for conducting business, electing officers, and sharing information. The conventions also offer opportunities for worship, nurture, inspiration, and fellowship.
Pastors, teachers, other commissioned ministers, and lay delegates elected by congregations are required to attend.
General sessions are open to anyone who wishes to attend as an observer, and guests are also invited to the worship services.
LCMS Southern Illinois District Office

Profile — Southern Illinois District

Web — sidlcms.org

Email — siddpaa@gmail.com

Phone — 618-234-4767

LCMS South Dakota District Convention — 2025
2025-02-16 - 2025-02-18 | Sioux Falls Convention Center: Sioux Falls, S.D., 1201 N. West Avenue, Sioux Falls, SD, 57104, United States
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s 2025 South Dakota District Convention is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 16, to Tuesday, Feb. 18, in Sioux Falls, S.D., at the Sioux Falls Convention Center.
District conventions, which are held every three years by each of the Synod’s 35 districts, take place the year before the triennial LCMS national convention.
The schedule includes time for conducting business, electing officers, and sharing information. The conventions also offer opportunities for worship, nurture, inspiration, and fellowship.
Pastors, teachers, other commissioned ministers, and lay delegates elected by congregations are required to attend.
General sessions are open to anyone who wishes to attend as an observer, and guests are also invited to the worship services.
LCMS South Dakota District Office

Profile — South Dakota District

Web — sddlcms.org

Email — jpike@midco.net

Phone — 605-361-1514

Council of Presidents - February 2025
2025-02-03 - 2025-02-06
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s Council of Presidents is scheduled to meet Feb. 3-6, 2025.
The President, vice-presidents, and district presidents of the Synod comprise the 42-member Council of Presidents, which meets four times each year to provide opportunity for mutual counsel regarding the doctrine and administration of the Synod and to edify and support one another in the work that they share, those responsibilities found throughout the Constitution and Bylaws of the Synod.

Board for National Mission – January 2025 meeting
2025-01-31 08:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago)
The LCMS Board for National Mission is scheduled to meet on Friday, January 31, 2025.
The Board for National Mission is charged with developing and determining policies for the coordination of and in support of district ministries which support congregations and schools.
Read more about the LCMS Board for National Mission.

LCMS Board for International Mission meeting – Jan. 30, 2025
2025-01-30
The LCMS Board for International Mission is scheduled to meet on Jan. 30, 2025, via Zoom video conference call.
The Board for International Mission is charged with developing and determining policies in support of mission and ministry in foreign countries for the Office of International Mission.

Topeka Life March
2025-01-29 12:30 - 14:00 (America/Indiana/Indianapolis) | Topeka Performing Arts Center, 214 SE Eighth Ave., Topeka, KS, 66603, United States
The Topeka Life March is Wednesday, January 29th, at 12:00pm, at the Topeka Performing Arts Center. For more information about the gathering place where participants will meet before the march, contact Rev. Kinney (pastoripkinney@gmail.com)

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Virginia Pro-Life Day 2025
2025-01-29 | Richmond, Virginia, VA, United States
The 2025 Virginia Pro-Life Day is Wednesday, January 29, 2025 in Richmond and offers an opportunity for attendees to meet with their legislators. More information will be shared when we have additional details.
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2025 Texas Rally for Life in Austin
2025-01-25 | Texas Capitol Building, 1100 Congress Ave., Austin, TX, 78701, United States
Join us at the Capitol in Austin for the 2025 Texas Rally for Life on Saturday, January 25, 2025.
More information to come.
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2025 Walk for Life West Coast
2025-01-25 | West Portal Lutheran Church, 200 Sloat Boulevard, San Francisco, CA, 94132, United States
The 2025 Walk for Life West Coast is January 25, 2025. Participants will meet at West Portal Lutheran Church (200 Sloat Blvd., San Francisco, 94132) before the event to travel to the march.
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2025 National March for Life in Washington, D.C.
2025-01-24 | Washington, D.C., 12th and 14th Streets, Washington D.C., 20002, United States
The 2025 National March for Life is in Washington, D.C. on January 24, 2025.
Register and join President Harrison and other Lutherans to stand boldly together in the public square and confess our beliefs about the sanctity of life.
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LCMS North Dakota District Convention — 2025
2025-01-19 - 2025-01-22 | The Grand Hotel: Minot, N.D., 1505 North Broadway, Minot, ND, 58703, United States
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s 2025 North Dakota District Convention is scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 19, to Wednesday, Jan. 22, in Minot, N.D., at The Grand Hotel.
District conventions, which are held every three years by each of the Synod’s 35 districts, take place the year before the triennial LCMS national convention.
The schedule includes time for conducting business, electing officers, and sharing information. The conventions also offer opportunities for worship, nurture, inspiration, and fellowship.
Pastors, teachers, other commissioned ministers, and lay delegates elected by congregations are required to attend.
General sessions are open to anyone who wishes to attend as an observer, and guests are also invited to the worship services.
LCMS North Dakota District Office

Profile — North Dakota District

Website — nodaklcms.org

Email — lcms.nd.aa@outlook.com

Phone — 701-751-3424

2025 Life March in Fort Wayne, Indiana
2025-01-18 12:30 - 14:30 (America/Indiana/Indianapolis) | Fort Wayne, Ind., AZ
The 2025 Life March in Fort Wayne, Ind. will take place on Saturday, January 18. The pre-march rally takes place at 12:30pm and the march follows at 1:00pm. Join us as we witness to the sanctity of life. More information to come.

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Tucson March for Life 2025
2025-01-18 09:30 - 12:30 (America/Phoenix) | Tucson Convention Center, 260 South Church Ave., Tucson, AZ, 85701
The Tucson March for Life is Saturday, January 18, 2025. Our LCMS marchers will meet in front of the Tucson Community Center at 260 South Church Avenue (across from St. Augustine Cathedral) at 9:30am. The Rev. Dr. John Stieve will lead devotions, and then we will march to Holy Hope Cemetery. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Roni Grad at roni.grad@gmail.com

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LCMS SELC District Convention — 2025
2025-01-16 - 2025-01-19 | Holy Cross Lutheran Church: Lake Mary, Fla., 960 Paul Hoyer Way, Lake Mary, FL, 32746
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s 2025 SELC District Convention is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 16, to Sunday, Jan. 16, in Lake Mary, Fla., at Holy Cross Lutheran Church.
District conventions, which are held every three years by each of the Synod’s 35 districts, take place the year before the triennial LCMS national convention.
The schedule includes time for conducting business, electing officers, and sharing information. The conventions also offer opportunities for worship, nurture, inspiration, and fellowship.
Pastors, teachers, other commissioned ministers, and lay delegates elected by congregations are required to attend.
General sessions are open to anyone who wishes to attend as an observer, and guests are also invited to the worship services.
LCMS SELC District Office

Profile — SELC District

Web — selc.lcms.org

Email — selc.lcms@gmail.com

Phone — 610-965-3265

Lutheran Visitation Education
2025-01-06 - 2025-06-23
A new cohort for Lutheran Visitation Education will begin the week of January 6, 2025. This 25-week program will conclude the week of June 23, 2025.
The Lutheran Visitation Education program equips three to six professional church workers in each session with enhanced skills for visitation, integrating helpful caring techniques with the historic Lutheran approach to spiritual care.
The program is open to all rostered LCMS church workers. The program will be administered online.

Learn more
For more information, please contact LCMS Specialized Spiritual Care Ministry at SpecializedCare@lcms.org.

Epiphany
2025-01-06
The Epiphany of our Lord will be commemorated on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025.
After focusing on the Incarnation of our Lord — God becoming flesh — during the 12 days of Christmas, the season of Epiphany emphasizes the manifestation or self-revelation of God in that same flesh of Christ.
To attend a worship service, visit locator.lcms.org/church to find a local Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod congregation. Enter your zip code and click “Search” to see a list of area churches, service times, and contact information.
If you are homebound, traveling, or otherwise unable to attend a service in person, KFUO Radio airs worship services throughout the church year. Visit KFUO.org to view the schedule and listen to services.
Find a church near me

Liturgical color for Epiphany
White is the appointed color for the 12 days of Christmas, Epiphany (Jan. 6), and the first Sunday following it, which is often observed as the Baptism of Our Lord. On high festive days when white is appointed, some churches also use gold.

Three-Year Series C and One-Year Series
Scripture readings for Epiphany

Isaiah 60:1–6

Ephesians 3:1–12

Matthew 2:1–12

Psalms

Series B — Psalm 72:1–11 (12–15)

One-Year Series — Psalm 24

Lectionary summary
The Lord God Is Manifested in the Incarnate Son
The Feast of the Epiphany centers in the visit of the Magi from the East. In that respect, it is a “13th day” of Christmas, and yet it also marks the beginning of a new liturgical season. Where Christmas has focused on the incarnation of our Lord, that is, on God becoming flesh, the season of Epiphany emphasizes the manifestation or self-revelation of God in that same flesh of Christ. For the Lord Himself has entered our darkness and rises upon us with the brightness of His true light (Is. 60:1–2). He does so chiefly by His Word of the Gospel, which He causes to be preached within His Church on earth, not only to the Jews but also to the Gentiles (Eph. 3:8–10). As the Magi were guided by the promises of Holy Scripture to find and worship the Christ Child with His mother in the house (Matt. 2:5–11), so does He call disciples from all nations by the preaching of His Word to find and worship Him within His Church (Is. 60:3–6).

LCMS Worship

lcms.org/worship

Worship planning resources

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Christmas Day
2024-12-25
Christmas Day is celebrated on Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024. 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.
To attend a worship service, visit locator.lcms.org/church to find a local Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod congregation. Enter your zip code and click “Search” to see a list of area churches, service times, and contact information.
If you are homebound, traveling, or otherwise unable to attend a service in person, KFUO Radio airs worship services throughout the church year. Visit KFUO.org to view the schedule and listen to services.
Find a church near me

Liturgical color for Christmas Day
White, the color of purity and completeness, adorns the altar to commemorate the Nativity of Our Lord. In His light we see light, and by Him “though our sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow.” Christ’s incarnation and His resurrection, His Gospel and its message to all nations are cause for our rejoicing. His purity before His Father becomes our purity. White reinforces this message of joy.
White is the appointed color for the 12 days of Christmas, Epiphany (Jan. 6), and the first Sunday following it, which is often observed as the Baptism of Our Lord. On high festive days when white is appointed, some churches also use gold.

Three-Year Series Lectionary
Scripture readings for Christmas Day

Isaiah 52:7-10
Psalm 2
Hebrews 1:1-6 (7-12)
John 1:1–14 (15-18)

Lectionary summary
The Living and Life-Giving Word of God Dwells Among Us in the Flesh
The Lord sends out His ministers of the Gospel to make disciples “of all the nations,” so that “all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.” For the Lord has “bared his holy arm” in the incarnate Christ (Is. 52:7, 10). The child in the manger, born of the Virgin Mary, is the very Word of God, the only begotten Son of the Father, “whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world” (Heb. 1:2). As “all things were made through him” (John 1:3), so are all things redeemed and made new in Him. In His body of flesh and blood, we behold “the radiance of the glory of God” (Heb. 1:3), “glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). He dwells among us in peace, that we might have life and light and salvation in Him. For by His Word of the Gospel, we are born again as the children of God, bearing His name and sharing His eternal life.

One-Year Series Lectionary
Scripture readings for Christmas Day

Exodus 40:17-21; 34-38
Psalm 2
Titus 3:4-7
John 1:1-14 (15-18)

Lectionary summary
The Living and Life-Giving Word of God Dwells among Us in the Flesh
In the beginning God created all things through His Word, His Son. But man fell into sin, and with man all creation was cursed. Therefore, God spoke His Word again, this time into the womb of the blessed Virgin Mary. The glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle of our human nature (Ex. 40:17-21, 34-38). “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:1-14). The Son of God took on our flesh and blood and died on the cross in order that we might receive the right to become the children of God through faith. Baptized into Christ’s body, we are made partakers of a new Genesis, “the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:4–7). In Christ, the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man has truly appeared.

Media kits
The LCMS has produced media kits for congregations to use in reaching out to their communities. The free, downloadable resources are designed to allow congregations to add invitations and local details about worship services. Congregations are invited to use these resources to advertise service information or simply to generate opportunities for pastoral conversations in the community.
View media kits

LCMS Worship

lcms.org/worship

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Christmas Eve
2024-12-24
Christmas Eve, which commemorates the Nativity of our Lord, is on Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2024.
To attend a worship service, visit locator.lcms.org/church to find a local Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod congregation. Enter your zip code and click “Search” to see a list of area churches, service times, and contact information.
If you are homebound, traveling, or otherwise unable to attend a service in person, KFUO Radio airs worship services throughout the church year. Visit KFUO.org to view the schedule and listen to services.
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Liturgical color for Christmas Eve
White, which adorns the altar on this evening, is the color of purity and completeness. In His light we see light, and by Him “though our sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow.” Christ’s incarnation and His resurrection, His Gospel and its message to all nations are cause for our rejoicing. His purity before His Father becomes our purity. White reinforces this message of joy.
White is the appointed color for the 12 days of Christmas, Epiphany (Jan. 6), and the first Sunday following it, which is often observed as the Baptism of Our Lord. On high festive days when white is appointed, some churches also use gold.

Three-Year Series and One-Year Series Lectionaries
Scripture readings for Christmas Eve

Isaiah 7:10-14
Psalm 110:1-4
1 John 4:7-16
Matt. 1:18-25

Lectionary summary
The Word of the Lord Is Fulfilled in the Flesh of Jesus
Though Ahaz would not ask, the Lord gives a sign to the House of David — “the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Is. 7:14). With this promise, He signifies that salvation is by His grace alone. It is no work or achievement of man, but the Lord’s own work and His free gift. The promise is fulfilled as the Son of God is conceived and born of the Virgin Mary, and the sign is received in faith by the House of David in the person of Joseph (Matt. 1:20–24). “Incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary” (Nicene Creed), God is with us (Immanuel) in the flesh of Jesus, Mary’s Son. Joseph believes that Word of God and so demonstrates a marvelous example in his immediate and quiet obedience, taking Mary to be his wife and caring for her in faith and love. He loves her because the love of God is manifest in this, that “the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world,” to be “the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10–14).

Media kits
The LCMS has produced media kits for congregations to use in reaching out to their communities. The free, downloadable resources are designed to allow congregations to add invitations and local details about worship services. Congregations are invited to use these resources to advertise service information or simply to generate opportunities for pastoral conversations in the community.
View media kits

LCMS Worship

lcms.org/worship

Worship planning resources

Subscribe to monthly resources email

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Fourth Sunday in Advent
2024-12-22
The Fourth Sunday in Advent will be commemorated on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024.
To attend a worship service, visit locator.lcms.org/church to find a local Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod congregation. Enter your zip code and click “Search” to see a list of area churches, service times, and contact information.
If you are homebound, traveling, or otherwise unable to attend a service in person, KFUO Radio airs worship services throughout the church year. Visit KFUO.org to view the schedule and listen to services.
Find a church near me

Liturgical colors for the Fourth Sunday in Advent
Blue or violet adorns the altar during 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.

Three-Year Series C Lectionary
Scripture readings

Micah 5:2–5a
Hebrews 10:5–10
Luke 1:39–45 (46–56)

Lectionary summary
The Lord Comes to Visit Us in Peace
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. As the Lord dealt graciously with her and did great things for her (Luke 1:48–49), so also He manifests Himself and His glory to us in mercy and gentleness. He comes to rule His people in peace, to “shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD.” He comes forth not from the great capital city of Rome or Jerusalem, but from lowly little Bethlehem (Micah 5:2, 4). He comes to sacrifice Himself, in fulfillment of His Father’s will, for the salvation and sanctification of His people (Heb. 10:10). He who once visited Elizabeth while hidden in the womb of Mary (Luke 1:39–45) now comes to visit us today, hidden in the lowliness of simple water, bread and wine.

One-Year Series Lectionary
Scripture readings

Deut. 18:15–19
Phil. 4:4–7
John 1:19–28 or Luke 1:39–56

Lectionary summary
John the Baptizer Points Everyone to the Messiah
The coming of God in all His unveiled power at Mount Sinai was terrifying to the people of Israel. The thundering voice of the Lord puts sinners in fear of death (Deut. 18:15–19). God, therefore, raised up a prophet like Moses — the Messiah, the Christ. God came to His people veiled in human flesh. The skies poured down the Righteous One from heaven; the earth opened her womb and brought forth Salvation (Introit) through the blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of the Lord (Luke 1:39–56). The fruit of her womb is the very Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, the One whose sandal strap John was not worthy to loose (John 1:19–28). In Jesus we are delivered from fear and anxiety. In Him alone we have the peace of God which surpasses all understanding (Phil. 4:4–7).

Media kits
The LCMS has produced media kits for congregations to use in reaching out to their communities. The free, downloadable resources are designed to allow congregations to add invitations and local details about worship services. Congregations are invited to use these resources to advertise service information or simply to generate opportunities for pastoral conversations in the community.
View media kits

LCMS Worship

lcms.org/worship

Worship planning resources

Subscribe to monthly resources email

Find a church near me
