The Luther Rose, Martin Luther's seal Digital Lutheran Church Pray. Meet Jesus. Be ready for Sunday.
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Time after Pentecost · Green · Wednesday, October 7 · Year A What’s this?
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Church

Daily prayer, Sunday, the church year, and what Lutherans believe. This site is a companion, not a congregation.

Pray each day

The church’s daily prayers, in plain words, at the hour you’re in.

The prayer for this hourMorning, evening or night: the right one opens for the time where you are.Pray now Four minutesFor the days you have nothing left. A psalm, the Lord’s Prayer and a blessing.Pray it4 min Morning, Evening and Night PrayerThe prayers the church has said at these hours for over a thousand years.Choose an hourAbout 15 min Prayers for momentsWhen you’re anxious, grieving, or sitting with someone who is sick.Find yours2 min each

Sunday

Get ready for church, or follow along from home.

This Sunday’s GospelKnow the story before you hear it read, with a question for the dinner table.Read it5 short steps What happens at churchThe four parts of a Sunday, what you do, and bringing children.Know before you go6 min Hymns and hymn numbersType the number from the bulletin and read the words ahead.Look up a hymn Find a churchELCA-tradition congregations, described in their own words.Search near you

The church year

Seasons that tell the story of Jesus, one year at a time.

The church year, as a wheelSix seasons, their colours, and where we are right now.See where we are3 min AdventFour Sundays of getting ready for Christmas, and what each one is about.Start Advent4 Sundays Advent at homeOne more candle each week and five minutes at the table, for any age.See the four weeks5 min a week Lent at homeFrom Ash Wednesday to Easter, a few minutes each week as a family.See the weeks5 min a week Holy Week and Easter at homeFrom palm branches to the empty tomb, one evening at a time.See the week

What Lutherans believe

The tradition this site comes from, taught plainly.

What Lutherans believeGrace comes first. What Lutherans teach, and how they differ from other churches.Start here The Small CatechismLuther’s short book of the basics, one piece at a time, in plain words.Read a piece26 pieces BaptismWhat God does in it, and why Lutherans baptize babies.Read6 min CommunionThe meal Jesus gave, and what to do when you go forward.Read6 min What Jesus said about…Doubt, fear, money, grief: his words, read the way Lutherans read them.Pick a topic13 studies Five centuries of Lutheran writingLuther, the Book of Concord and more, free to read.Browse the library

Learn it step by step

On Luther’s World, our sister site for ages 10 and up.

Start here: eight short stepsFor anyone new. Nothing assumed.Open Luther’s World(opens Luther’s World in a new tab) ConfirmationThe Catechism, a piece at a time, with puzzles and stamps.Open Luther’s World(opens Luther’s World in a new tab)

Said in church every week

Your sins are forgiven. Not because you have understood this, and not because you managed to feel anything while reading it. Because Christ died for you, and God does not lie.

This is absolution, spoken after the confession. If you want it said to you by name, that is what a congregation is for, and you do not need to be a member to ask.

People

Jesus promised to meet us in his word spoken aloud, in baptism and in the meal he gave. Those happen among real people, so find a church near you.

Find a churchFor baptism, communion, and people to pray with.Search near you Find a pastorHow to find one near you, with a short email you can send.Reach a pastor Our pastors’ directoryTeaching from an ELCA pastor, to read or listen to.Meet our pastor Need help nowCrisis lines, someone dying, an emergency baptism.Get help