Augsburg Fortress is the publishing ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Each month ELCA Worship highlights resources from Augsburg Fortress Publishers that support worship leaders, worship planners, musicians, and all who care about the worship of the church. ELCA Worship also features resources from other partners in a monthly blog post.

Calendar of Word and Season: Sundays and Seasons, Year B 2027

Celebrate the church year through the vibrant art of Kelly Latimore. This beautiful full-color wall calendar combines inspiring contemporary iconography with practical tools for worship planning and daily life. Featuring striking artwork by acclaimed iconographer Kelly Latimore, each month invites reflection on faith, justice, and the presence of God in the world around us. Alongside stunning artwork, the calendar identifies church festivals, U.S. and Canadian holidays, and includes all Revised Common Lectionary readings for Sundays and major church festivals throughout the year. Spiral-bound and punched for hanging.

Around the Circle: Celebrating the Church Year

Around the Circle invites young children to join the journey through the seasons of the church year. Season by season, the rich colors and meaningful symbols help young readers get to know these special times, how they connect to the story of Jesus, and to their own lives.

Evangelical Lutheran Worship Occasional Services for the Assembly

Occasional Services for the Assembly is the second volume of services, readings, and prayers in the Evangelical Lutheran Worship family, complementing Pastoral Care. Commended for use by the ELCA Church Council in 2009, this book contains more than 60 services and 200 prayers relating to congregational life that are normally used in the gathering of God’s people for worship. Featuring a durable hardcover format and ribbons, the volume is designed to be suitable for use in public worship. Also available as an eBook.

Evangelical Lutheran Worship Large Print Text Edition

Make worship more accessible to your congregants! This large-print edition of Evangelical Lutheran Worship provides the pew edition text (words only) of weekly liturgies, daily prayer services, assembly song, psalms, service music, and hymns in standard large-print type (18-point, sans serif font) and formatting. Packaged in three shrink-wrapped sets of pages in an 8 ½ x 11” size, three-hole punched. Each set begins with a title page and table of contents. Designed for storage in three one-inch binders and for assembling selected pages into a single binder for use during worship.

Each month ELCA Worship highlights resources and events from other organizations and institutions. These Lutheran and ecumenical partner organizations work alongside the ELCA to support worship leaders, worship planners, musicians, and all who care about the worship of the church. ELCA Worship also features resources from Augsburg Fortress Publishers in a monthly blog post.

Lutheran Summer Music Academy & Festival

Transforming and connecting lives through faith and music since 1981.

THIS WEEK! Join us online through Live from LSM and enjoy more than 30 free concerts, recitals, and worship services streamed live from Lutheran Summer Music at St. Olaf College.

Highlights include a special guest performance by Cantus, Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, the Bach Cantata Eucharist, the Festival of Hymns, and joyful performances by the Festival Band, Choir, and Orchestra.

View the full schedule and watch live at LSMacademy.org/calendar

The Church Music Institute

The Church Music Institute is dedicated to the advancement and stewardship of the best liturgical and sacred music for Christian worship, serving clergy, musicians and congregants. Offerings include educational workshops and courses, inspirational festivals of church music, newsletters addressing current issues in church music, and online and print resources.

Invitation to Early Career Church Musicians: Apply for the Dr. Paul Lindsley Thomas Society

The Paul Lindsley Thomas Society benefits trained musicians who want to further their understanding of church music.  Membership is by application, asking respondents to react to the document “Aspiring to the Ideals of Paul Lindsley Thomas” as they view their own calling as church musicians.

Accepted applicants will enjoy monthly online meetings with other early career church musicians to share and learn about church music, admission to online and in-person CMI events, and complimentary CMI membership to access the 65,000 title choral and organ libraries. Apply at HERE and email a resume to info@churchmusicinstitute.org, include “PLT Application” in subject line.

Submission Deadline:  September 1, 2026

Association of Lutheran Church Musicians

ALCM nurtures and equips musicians to serve and lead the church’s song.

ALCM  2026 Conference “Now and Forever”

St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn.
Celebrating the 1986 ALCM Constituting Convention
Overlapping with Lutheran Summer Music’s Festival Week!
Featuring Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, Bach Collegium Valparaiso, Christopher M. Cock, artistic director. (Made possible through generous support provided by Pauline and John Kiltinen.

Day registration is still available.

Augsburg Fortress is the publishing ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Each month ELCA Worship highlights resources from Augsburg Fortress Publishers that support worship leaders, worship planners, musicians, and all who care about the worship of the church. ELCA Worship also features resources from other partners in a monthly blog post.

Sing Many Names: Scriptural Images for God in Hymnody

No single word or image conveys the mystery of God; we need many images in lively conversation and even then, all our language cannot capture the fullness of the living God. In Sing Many Names, scholar and musician Zebulon Highben invites the reader into conversation with the abundant images for God in the Bible, dedicating each chapter to an image or group of related images. Drawing on his scholarship and using the “Scriptural Images for God” in All Creation Sings as an organizing principle, this book invites pastors and musicians, teachers and students, and all who sing to reflect more deeply on the song of the church across time and space.

Lectionary for Worship NRSVue Study Edition Year B

This study edition of the Lectionary for Worship contains the Year B Revised Common Lectionary using NRSV Updated Edition Scripture texts. Pronunciation aids and convenient summaries help lectors prepare with confidence. The lectionary includes a helpful introduction with several charts. Artwork from Evangelical Lutheran Worship introduces each liturgical season and a Scriptural Index is included. Keep a copy in your church office and sacristy and gift to a recent seminary graduate!

Hymns Together: Solo and Duet Settings for Piano and Instruments

Hymns Together: Solo and Duet Settings for Piano and Instruments provides twenty-five hymn arrangements for friends and families to play together. Each arrangement may be a solo, a duet, or an ensemble with treble and bass instruments. Difficulty levels and arrangement lengths are intentionally varied to provide a wide range of possibilities, whether the pianists are beginners or more accomplished.

Celebrating Women’s Proclamation and Leadership Resources

We mourn the loss of women’s voices in the Southern Baptist Convention. Explore these resources uplifting women in the church’s history, as well as titles delving into the expansive language present in scripture. Want more? Learn about why the ELCA affirms and celebrates women in ministry leadership in the blog by Deacon Dr. Laura Gifford titled “Poorer Indeed: A Response to the Restriction of Women in Ministry Leadership by the Southern Baptist Convention” linked on this page.

Augsburg Fortress Music Clinics – 70th Anniversary Celebration!

Locations
Columbia, S.C. — July 24-25
Twin Cities, Minn. — July 27-28
Columbus, Ohio — August 3-4
Philadelphia, Pa. — August 6-7
Chicago, Ill. — August 10-11

More information about the event and registration for a FREE music clinic near you is available here.

Augsburg Fortress is the publishing ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Each month ELCA Worship highlights resources from Augsburg Fortress Publishers that support worship leaders, worship planners, musicians, and all who care about the worship of the church. ELCA Worship also features resources from other partners in a monthly blog post.

A Dazzling Bouquet: Songs on the Path of Justice and Community

A Dazzling Bouquet contains 101 songs by Bret Hesla for churches, community sings, and social change movements to sing together. These beautiful, singable tunes lift up our common journey toward a just and beloved community, our call to care for the earth, and a trust in the Spirit who awakens our imagination for change. With a beautiful forward by Mary Preuss and tips for using this collection by Bret Hesla, the songbook includes indexes for topics and themes, scripture references, background notes, performance ideas, and additional resources including prayers and litanies. The book is spiral bound with ample room for notes.

More Days for Praise: Festivals and Commemorations in Evangelical Lutheran Worship

For centuries the church has paired its church year—focused on Christ’s life, death, and resurrection—with a second calendar that uses the lives of saints as a lens to see God’s gracious acts. Evangelical Lutheran Worship has continued that practice with its calendar of festivals and commemorations. In this volume teacher and scholar Gail Ramshaw shows that those whom the church has lifted up are both faithful and fascinating, always pointing to Christ. Here is a guide to help you include these observances in your prayer life. Each day’s entry includes a brief chronology of the person’s life; a summary of why the person is remembered by the church; an image of, or related to, the commemoration; a quote from the person, where possible; and devotional hymn and prayer suggestions for the day.

Indexes to Evangelical Lutheran Worship and All Creation Sings

This revised edition of Indexes to Evangelical Lutheran Worship has been expanded and supplemented with new material from All Creation Sings. Because the Revised Common Lectionary and many hymns and songs are held in common by many denominations, the contents of this volume may be helpful to those beyond the Lutheran tradition.

It provides the prayer of the day and gospel acclamation, citations for appointed readings, listing of hymns and songs suited for the day, and a complete index to the Revised Common Lectionary. Moving beyond a simple planning volume this volume is formatted to allow worship planners to consider hymns and songs from several perspectives at once, including place in the service and relationship to the readings for the day and the season.

Additional Reference Tools Included:

• A complete index to the appointed readings in the three-year Revised Common Lectionary (including Evangelical Lutheran Worship additions for lesser festivals, commemorations, and occasions not included in the RCL) arranged in biblical order.
• Scriptural and topical indexes to the hymns in Evangelical Lutheran Worship and All Creation Sings prepared for the leader’s editions.
• An alternate tune index.

A Lutheran Welcome Booklets

These highly visual and engaging booklets are for everyone. Whether someone is a visitor looking for a church home, a new member, or a life-long Lutheran, these booklets are designed to capture their attention and help them learn more about the Lutheran expression of faith. Place them in a narthex or welcome area display rack, include them in new member packets, or keep them handy for whenever someone may have questions about the basics of Lutheran faith.

Titles in the set include:

• A Lutheran Welcome to Holy Baptism
• A Lutheran Welcome to Holy Communion
• A Lutheran Welcome to Jesus
• A Lutheran Welcome to the Bible
• A Lutheran Welcome to Forgiveness
• A Lutheran Welcome to a Reformation Way

Augsburg Fortress Music Clinics – 70th Anniversary Celebration!

Locations
Columbia, S.C. — July 24-25
Twin Cities, Minn. — July 27-28
Columbus, Ohio — August 3-4
Philadelphia, Pa. — August 6-7
Chicago, Ill. — August 10-11

More information about the event and registration for a FREE music clinic near you is available here.

This post gives the background and practical implications for an addition to the church year calendar. “Creation in Christ” (or “Feast of Creation”), to be observed on September 1 or the Sunday following, is supported with lectionary readings and worship resources.

This post was updated on July 21, 2026 with links to new worship resources . See below under “Worship Resources.”

A New Ecumenical Observance

Following several years of study, prayer, and collaboration, a new ecumenical observance is encouraged in the church throughout the world. Grounded in the ancient liturgical tradition of the Orthodox Church, “Creation in Christ” (or “Feast of Creation”) celebrates God as Creator and ponders the great mystery that everything was created through Christ. And, as a result, it also inspires us to care for the gift of the created world. Although the rich theme of Christ’s activity in creation abounds throughout the liturgical year, setting aside this day brings an important focus to this mystery.

As summarized on the feast of creation website, “since the 1989 invitation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to pray together on September 1, many churches and ecumenical networks have adopted the Creation Day observance and collaborated to encourage its celebration. In 2023, various global Christian bodies began to dialogue about the ancient roots of Creation Day in the Byzantine liturgical calendar and its potential to enrich non-Byzantine calendars even more meaningfully. Since then, a series of theological dialogues have taken place in what came to be known as “The Assisi Process,” with the participation of 13 Christian world communions and various ecumenical bodies.”

ELCA Worship shared a blog post written by Dr. Benjamin Stewart  in September 2024 that introduced this process to ELCA congregations, specifically noting the churches that convened in Assisi in March of 2024. You can learn much more about the process at www.feastofcreation.com and more about its theological grounding here.

The ELCA is a member of both the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the World Council of Churches (WCC), two of the more than thirteen Christian communions that have encouraged the adoption of this festival. LWF shared helpful information in March 2026 and the WCC offered a helpful webinar on March 19 and it is still available for viewing.

For the past two years, the Consultation on Common Texts—of which the ELCA is a member– has worked with the ecumenical conveners of this proposed celebration, namely in the task of selecting lectionary texts. See a listing of the proposed texts and the methodology report approved by the Consultation on Common Texts. The CCT also suggests the name of the day be “Creation in Christ (or Feast of Creation)” for Christological clarity, ecumenical breadth, and alignment with the Revised Common Lectionary naming conventions. For example, “Creation in Christ” is similar to “Christ the King (or Reign of Christ)” or “Baptism of Our Lord.” See pg. 5 of the methodology report for further background.

Observing “Creation in Christ”

What does this mean for the ELCA? Supported by the Lutheran World Federation and World Council of Churches, ELCA worshiping communities are encouraged to celebrate the day, using the lectionary texts provided by the Consultation on Common Texts. The date to observe “Creation in Christ” will need to be determined locally. Although celebration is encouraged on September 1 or the Sunday following, with the observance of Labor Day in the United States, some communities may opt to celebrate in late August or later in September, perhaps aligning with the autumnal equinox. Yet others may keep a Season of Creation, beginning on or near September 1 and ending with the commemoration of Francis of Assisi on or near October 4.

We anticipate that adopting this new date on the liturgical calendar will be an evolving process, just as the process to get to this point involved much thought, prayer, and deliberation. You are encouraged to discern what works best in your context, knowing that resourcing and support for this day will be available over time and will be renewed and refined along the way.

Worship Resources for “Creation in Christ”

Some resources are already available to assist you in preparation and planning and more will follow in the weeks, months, and years ahead.

The ELCA and Augsburg Fortress now have resources online. The resource “Creation in Christ Worship Resource- Year A” is available from the ELCA in both PDF and DOC formats from the ELCA. This resource includes liturgical texts, music suggestions, and preaching guidance.

 “Creation in Christ” has been added to SundaysandSeasons.com as both a day and a Sunday, following the practice for Reformation and All Saints. The available resources are identical on both days, including Day Texts, Day Resources, Music Suggestions, and Preaching. They are also available via Library/Sundays and Seasons/Seasonal Worship Texts/2026 Year A Creation in Christ. 

In addition, an ecumenical call was put out to submit resources to be considered for wider sharing. These are being reviewed and compiled and will be accessible later this summer on the feast of creation website.

This is an exciting time, as the last time there was an addition to the liturgical calendar was Christ the King (Reign of Christ) in the 1920s (though it was only adopted by Western churches). It is the first time a new feast/festival has been adopted since the release of the common lectionary in 1983. To be in communion with the Eastern church in celebration of Creation in Christ (Feast of Creation), holds great promise, even in this time of global crisis and uncertainty.

On July 4, 2026, the US will mark the semiquincentennial of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Worship resources are now available for this specific occasion that both celebrate and lament this nation’s history, affirm the reality of the current moment, and seek to unite the diverse body of Christ for the life of the world. These resources may be used at a special service or on Sunday, July 5, and are available as a PDF or DOC. The resources are also available on SundaysandSeasons.com. 

These resources include liturgical texts: confession and forgiveness, prayers of the day, prayers of intercession, offering prayer, thanksgiving at the table, invitation to communion, prayer after communion, blessing, and dismissal. An Affirmation of Christian Vocation in Civic Life included in the sending rite could be used in other contexts beyond this semiquincentennial observance.

This set of liturgical texts was developed in the context of the readings appointed in the Revised Common Lectionary for Lectionary 14, year A, complementary series (Zechariah 9:9-12; Psalm 145:8-14; Romans 7:15-25a; Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30), and within the broader national context of the US Semiquincentennial. If your worshiping assembly uses the semicontinuous series of first readings and psalms, you are encouraged on this occasion to use the complementary series so that the connections among the scriptural and liturgical texts are most evident.

In addition to the liturgical texts, a preaching help will guide preachers navigating the juxtaposition of the Lectionary 14 texts with the national observance. Rev. Angela Denker poses important questions about how to meet the moment, with the important reminder to attend to the needs of your particular context alongside scripture study.

A resource for church musicians by Wayne Wold presents suggestions for assembly song, choirs, piano, and organ. But just as helpfully, it assists musicians and other worship planners to frame the choices that need to be made, asking the “why” and “how” questions. Pastors and musicians would benefit by reading Wold’s commentary together as part of their planning process.

If you access these as a Sundays and Seasons subscriber on SundaysandSeasons.com, you will see that the day texts, preaching help, and portions of the music resource are accessible in the Day Texts, Music, and Preaching tabs. Select “Lectionary 14: US Semiquincentennial” in the Planner. The full resource is also available in the Library/Other Resources.

We hope you find these new resources helpful as you consider how you might mark this occasion in your congregation. As you do so, it is good to be reminded that we are grounded in the central things: “We gather around word, water, and meal by Christ’s invitation: ‘Come to me, all you that are weary.’ Here we find rest for our souls and hope for life in the beloved community” (Introduction to the Day).