Concordia Publishing House

Planning the music for Lenten services can be a monumental task. Not only are there Sunday services but midweek and Holy Week services too. Open up your options with digital music that you can preview, download, and print instantly. These five hand-picked selections are perfect for the Lenten season and Holy Week to share with your church.

It’s that time of year: the weather has gotten colder, the lights have gone up, and the Christmas music has been playing for some time now. It’s a season of celebration, especially the celebration of the birth of Christ, our Savior come to earth. At this point, your children or students are antsy for the festivities to begin and to open their presents. But before that, take this time to remind them of the greatest gift we have ever received, the gift of God’s Son, born for us. Here are our top children’s hymns for Christmas from One and All Rejoice to encourage the children in your life in their worship of Jesus.

The celebration of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, is fast approaching, and with it comes an abundance of music. It’s easy to bypass Advent and skip ahead to Christmas. But Advent is a crucial time of reflection inwardly as we prepare for the Prince of Peace and what His birth means for believers. Music is just one of the many ways in which you can share about Jesus and reflect on why Advent is an important part of our Church Year. Here are our top children’s hymns for Advent to add to the mix of music your children or students will hear.

Why have certain hymns grown to be synonymous with the Reformation? With these excerpts from Eternal Anthems and Companion to the Hymns, you’re invited to journey through the contexts of some of these Reformation favorites. 

The historic church used to partake in a set of daily services called the Daily Office. This kept people connected to God and in community with His Word throughout their working lives. While most churches do not observe these Daily Offices today, we still retain their settings, and they are certainly beneficial to incorporate into the life of the church, devotions with family, or other settings. Today, we look at the order of Vespers and some appropriate hymns to accompany it. The following has been adapted from Lutheran Service Book: Companion to the Services and Lutheran Service Book: Companion to the Hymns. 

As you assembled in silence in a church by candlelight or with your family before turning in for the night, you may have prayed the office of Compline. This evening office is reflective and focuses on preparing your soul for the night. Read the following adaptation from the Lutheran Service Book: Companion to the Services to discover the rich history of the office of Compline.

You may have heard someone in your church referred to as a cantor (sometimes spelled “kantor”). You probably know that a cantor works with church music, but what makes a cantor distinct from an organist or director of church music? Carl Schalk provides insight into what a cantor is historically in church tradition and what it means for us today. The following has been adapted from The Cantor in the Lutheran Tradition. 

When you hear the word doxology, what comes to your mind? For many, it’s a familiar tune and the words:

Pentecost hymns have been passed down for generations. Many of them have intricate and interesting histories to them, including that of “Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord” found in Lutheran Service Book as hymn 497. Read this excerpt from Lutheran Service Book: Companion to the Hymns and Eternal Anthems: The Story Behind Your Favorite Hymns, Volume 1 to learn about one of Martin Luther’s Pentecost hymns and its origins. 

Dr. John A. Behnke is a frequent handbell clinician, festival director, and organ recitalist. He enjoys composing and arranging, and he has 450+ handbell, choral, and organ compositions in print with nineteen different publishers in the United States, Germany, and Taiwan. Behnke’s relationship with Concordia Publishing House started in 1994, and he has since composed more than 200 of those pieces with CPH. In honor of his 70th birthday, we asked John to share some words of wisdom and key lessons he has learned throughout his career.