I’m not a stranger to being away from my family. Last spring, I graduated from a university in another state than my family. During my four years of study, I  celebrated many holidays and birthdays with my friends only. However, the difference this year is that I will be alone for Easter. My mother is in Michigan, my father is in Indiana, and I am in St. Louis. We are all in different states for work, unable to get back to one another for Easter celebrations.

With the current pandemic, this scenario is a new and stark reality for many people. I want to be angry about having to celebrate Easter alone. But in all of this, I have co-workers who remind me that even if it seems bleak, God has a plan. And He has given us amazing and beautiful tools to connect as a family and rejoice together. Read below to find ways to stay connected with family, friends, and the Church, even when isolated from them.

I know for me the idea of not having Easter at my church is strange. Easter is always the most beautiful service: lilies lining the altar, white and gold banners everywhere, beautiful trumpet fanfares ringing throughout the sanctuary. This year, Satan has tried to put a stop to the celebrations. He would rather you stay locked inside, forgetting the Savior’s resurrection and victory on the cross! But as Christ’s Church, you can celebrate Him from anywhere. Read below to see how you can prepare and celebrate Easter at home, and download this month’s free content: coloring pages and a bookmark for Easter.

Today’s Old Testament Reading, the account of Daniel and the lions’ den, is our focus. We take our devotion from Portals of Prayer.

Today, our devotion continues with the celebration of Pentecost, and we read about Acts 8 in an excerpt from The Big Book of New Testament Questions and Answers.

As we continue to celebrate God’s giving of the Holy Spirit to His Church, we read about the Spirit in an excerpt from Lutheran Bible Companion, Volume 2.

Today's devotion for the Day of Pentecost comes from A Longer Look at the Lessons: Year A—Pentecost I.

This Sunday, we focus on the reading from Acts and take our devotion from To the Ends of the Earth: A Journey through Acts.

Our devotion for this Sunday focuses on the Gospel reading and comes from Luther’s Works, Volume 24 (Sermons on the Gospel of St. John Chapters 14–16).

Our devotional reading for today focuses on the reading in Acts and comes from Deacons and Deaconesses Through the Centuries.

Our devotional reading on the Fourth Sunday of Easter comes from the letter to parents in the Arch Book The Twenty-third Psalm.