Lutheran worship is liturgical. We follow a common pattern (aka. liturgy) in our worship services - gathering; listening to the Word; meal (aka. communion); and sending.  If there is no communion, we use prayers of thanksgiving as our response to God. 

Within the liturgy, there is room for creativity. While every congregation follows a similar pattern, worship services can look very different. The music styles, prayers, and visual elements of the worship vary. 

Generally, our congregations prepare a worship bulletin will outline the liturgy for worship, or a slideshow that guides everyone through the service. 

If you need ideas and resources for worship, you can check our Worship Resources page. 

The Church Year

Lutheran worship follows an annual pattern called the church year, or a liturgical year. It is slightly different from the calendar year. The church year begins on the first Sunday of Advent, four weeks before Christmas. 

The various seasons of the church year are colour-coded. When you come to worship, you will see the colours of the season in the paraments (aka. textiles decorating the worship space) and the vestments (aka. the various garments the pastor is wearing over their white alb or black cassock.) 

If you want to learn more about the various liturgical seasons and colours, see here.