Christmas In The Lutheran Tradition: A Worship Service of Music and the Word

Christmas in the Lutheran Tradition is a worship ministry project originally designed to fulfill the desire for a Christmas Cantata with a focus on the Lutheran love of music as part of worship service. The thesis includes discussions about the early origins of the Christmas celebration and Martin Luther’s incorporation of congregational singing as part of worship service. The thesis details the author’s original concept and the multiple alterations that became necessary as the community, state and nation continued to struggle with the Covid-19 pandemic in the year 2020. The thesis briefly discusses the North Dakota responses to the increasing number of cases of Covid-19 as well as a discussion about the difficulties experienced in the process of creating a faithful and fulfilling worship experience for the congregation of Zion Lutheran Church in Minot, North Dakota. A liturgical script based on a worship setting from the Evangelical Lutheran Worship hymnal, music scores notated by the author and supportive correspondence and Zion Lutheran Staff minutes are included in the Appendix