Liturgical Seasons

Follow the rhythm of the church year with historic Lutheran practices and devotions

Current Season

Ordinary Time

Adapt your prayer life to the current liturgical season
Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
— St. Paul, 1 Corinthians 5:8

Liturgical Seasons

Advent

Four weeks before Christmas

Preparation for the coming of Christ

Spiritual Focus

Hope, expectation, and preparation

Rosary Emphasis

Joyful Mysteries emphasized

Liturgical Colors

Purple vestments and candles

Historic Practices

  • • Weekly lighting of Advent candles
  • • Advent wreath prayers
  • • Advent calendars for daily Scripture
  • • Jesse Tree readings
  • • Fasting or penitential emphasis
  • • O Antiphons

Christmas

12 days from December 25 through Epiphany

Celebration of the Incarnation and Epiphany

Spiritual Focus

Joy, light, and God made flesh

Rosary Emphasis

Joyful Mysteries, especially the Nativity

Liturgical Colors

White and gold vestments

Historic Practices

  • • Twelve Days of Christmas devotions
  • • Nativity meditations
  • • Epiphany blessing of homes with chalk
  • • Celebration of the octave of Christmas

Lent

40 days before Easter plus Holy Week

Preparation for Easter through penance and Holy Week

Spiritual Focus

Repentance, fasting, and spiritual discipline

Rosary Emphasis

Sorrowful Mysteries emphasized

Liturgical Colors

Purple vestments, no flowers

Historic Practices

  • • Ash Wednesday liturgy
  • • Midweek Lenten services
  • • Private or family fasting and almsgiving
  • • Maundy Thursday confession and communion
  • • Good Friday Tenebrae
  • • Holy Saturday Vigil

Easter

50 days from Easter Sunday through Pentecost

Celebration of the Resurrection

Spiritual Focus

Victory over death, new life in Christ

Rosary Emphasis

Glorious Mysteries, especially the Resurrection

Liturgical Colors

White and gold vestments, flowers

Historic Practices

  • • Paschal Vigil with new fire
  • • Paschal candle in church and home
  • • Renewal of baptismal vows
  • • Easter octave
  • • Alleluia restored

Pentecost & Trinity Season

From Pentecost through the end of the church year

Growth in Christian discipleship and the work of the Spirit

Spiritual Focus

Steady spiritual growth, learning, and sanctification

Rosary Emphasis

All mystery sets in weekly rotation

Liturgical Colors

Green vestments (red for Pentecost)

Historic Practices

  • • Pentecost vigil and octave
  • • Red flowers and vestments for Pentecost
  • • Ember Days for prayer and fasting
  • • Commemoration of saints
  • • Regular office cycle

Advent Witness

Therefore, Mary is a virgin who conceived, a virgin who bore her child, a virgin pregnant, a virgin bringing forth, a virgin perpetual.
— Ambrose of Milan, Exposition of Luke 2.7
Advent is nothing else than a time of remembering that Christ came, and preparing ourselves for His coming again.
— Martin Luther, Church Postil for Advent I

Christmas & Epiphany Witness

Of what benefit is it to me that Christ was born of a virgin if He is not also born in me? That is the faith which makes this birth my own.
— Martin Luther, Christmas Day Sermon, 1530
Behold a new and wondrous mystery. My ears resound to the shepherds' song… the angels sing, the archangels blend their voice, all rejoice seeing God on earth and man in heaven.
— John Chrysostom, Homily on the Nativity

Lent & Holy Week Witness

We must constantly keep at it, and not think that we know it all… for the devil, with all his power and wiles, is constantly on the prowl.
— Martin Luther, Large Catechism, Preface
Fast and give alms, that your prayers may be heard. Fasting humbles, almsgiving raises, prayer obtains.
— Augustine of Hippo, Sermon 205

Easter Witness

This is the day of resurrection! Let us be illumined by the feast! Let us embrace each other! Let us call brothers even those who hate us, and forgive all things on the resurrection.
— John of Damascus, Paschal Canon, Ode 1
Our Lord has written the promise of the resurrection not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime.
— Martin Luther, Easter Postil, 1533

Pentecost & Trinity Season Witness

The Spirit comes gently and makes Himself known by His fragrance. He comes with the tenderness of a true friend and protector to save, to heal, to teach, to counsel, to strengthen, to console.
— Gregory of Nazianzus, Oration 41, On Pentecost
We must acknowledge that everything is done by the Holy Spirit through the Word and Sacraments, who kindles faith in our hearts and makes us new creatures.
— Martin Luther, Sermon on Pentecost, 1522

Seasonal Home Devotion

Icon Corner Decoration

  • • Purple cloth during Advent and Lent
  • • White or gold for Christmas and Easter
  • • Green for Trinity/Ordinary season
  • • Red for Pentecost and martyrs' days
  • • Seasonal flowers when appropriate

Family Practices

  • • Advent wreath lighting and prayers
  • • Epiphany home blessing with chalk
  • • Lenten family fasting and almsgiving
  • • Easter Vigil candle lighting
  • • Daily office adapted for seasons

Visit our Prayer Corner guide for detailed instructions on creating a sacred space for seasonal prayer.

Adapting Your Prayer Life

Daily Offices

  • • Use seasonal collects and prayers
  • • Adjust psalm selections for the season
  • • Include seasonal antiphons
  • • Modify intercessions for seasonal themes
  • • Observe traditional fasting days

Personal Devotion

  • • Focus on appropriate mystery sets
  • • Add seasonal meditations
  • • Incorporate traditional practices
  • • Adjust frequency of certain prayers
  • • Commemorate saints of the season