As I reflect on the end of the Epiphany season and the beginning of Lent, I like to turn to the hymn that transitions us from one to the other on Transfiguration Sunday: “Alleluia, Song of Gladness” (LSB 417). The early Latin text adequately conveys tension between life here on earth and the eternal joy we look forward to in heaven.

Merry Christmas! What a joy to know that the Church’s Christmas song continues through the next eleven days. Enjoy these twelve hymns as you rejoice in the Savior’s birth!

This post is taken from The Hymns of Martin Luther, with historical summaries authored by Henry V. Gerike and edited by Peter C. Reske.

Music can be a powerful teaching tool, and Luther knew that well. By teaching his parishioners hymns about the Ten Commandments or the persons of the Trinity, he could reinforce Christianity’s essential teachings in a memorable and moving way. Learn about his six catechetical hymns below, and at the end of the post, you can download a set of devotions based on the hymns.

Here are some ideas for how church musicians, pastors, and teachers can help families use the hymnal at home. You also download a free family devotions guide with hymns and readings for each week during the school year.

Who decides when it’s time to create a new hymnal? When did the Missouri Synod switch from a German hymnal to an English one? How have our liturgy and hymns changed over time?

In a recent webinar, we went through a brief overview of the history of LCMS hymnals. Read an excerpt below and watch the full webinar on our YouTube channel.

I know what you’re thinking. There are already too many favorite Christmas hymns and carols to try to fit into one Christmas Eve and one Christmas Day service. If we’re singing “Joy to the World,” “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” and “Silent Night,” where am I going to fit more? But consider the many other opportunities for using Christmas hymns beyond the service: at school, at home, at Sunday School, in the Christmas program, as part of your personal devotions, while caroling. Give these often-forgotten hymns that tell of Christ’s birth a second look.

When you think about singing, what emotion comes to mind? Often, we immediately assume that singing is what we do when we’re happy. We figure that hymns are for praise. But we can sing when we’re sad. We can use hymns as prayers of sorrow. We can use these words of comfort anytime—during personal devotion and daily study, whether spoken in prayer or sung aloud.

Inside the Easter section of Lutheran Service Book, you’ll find thirty-four hymns for the season. With so many choices, it would be impossible to sing them all on Easter Sunday! But are we in the habit of returning to the same favorites over and over and perhaps neglecting some true gems? Explore our collection of five hymns that you may not be singing on Easter Sunday, or even during Eastertide, and discover why these treasures of the Church deserve a second look. You will be blessed!

Often, as we recall and recount the events of the Reformation, the focus is on the large sociopolitical movements of the time or the vital theological issues at stake. We tend to forget the people involved were no different from you and me. They knew joy and sorrow, sickness and grief, tragedy and triumph, the daily frustrations of balancing work and home, and the stresses of maintaining friendships and relationships with those around them, and yes, they were people who fell in love. One of those persons was Elisabeth Cruciger. Let’s get to know Elisabeth a bit better.