After an unexpected two-year hiatus, the Ladies’ annual New Year’s Wishes and Prognostication episode is back! After first looking back over their 2023 prognostications to see if any came true (spoiler alert: wide-leg jeans — who knew?), Sarah, Erin, and Rachel each present listeners with a good wish, a zany "prognostication” for what life will hold in 2026, and a word of blessing for a good New Year. Click to revisit the Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge New Year’s specials from 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. Connect with the Lutheran Ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and on Instagram @lutheranladieslounge. Follow Sarah (@hymnnerd), Rachel (@rachbomberger), and Erin (@erinaltered) on Instagram!Sign up for the Lutheran Ladies' Lounge monthly e-newsletter here, and email the Ladies at [email protected].

Spoiler alert: We're back to shamelessly regifting our Poetry Slams because we love them so much, but this year is a first-time regift!Five years after their first Christmas Poetry Slam in 2019 (routinely “regifted” ever since), the Ladies have finally picked up their pens to write a fresh batch of poems for the holiday season. And this time, they have help. Joining Sarah, Erin, and Rachel in the Lounge are authors Katie Schuermann and Lisa Clark. Together, they share original Christmas poems ranging from psalms of lament to epic odes to hilarious parodies. Whether you cry or laugh (or do both at once), you’ll almost certainly be inspired to make poetry a more regular part of your holiday celebrations. Katie Schuermann is a household name in many LCMS circles, beloved for her cozy novels (among them, our summer book club pick The Saints of Whistle Grove) and for her nonfiction books including He Remembers the Barren and Pew Sisters. Click to visit Katie’s website or browse her books from Concordia Publishing House, Kloria Publishing, and Emmanuel Press. Download the music for her poem “The Last Shall Be First” here. Lisa M. Clark is an editor at Concordia Publishing House and the author of devotions, picture books, Bible curricula, Christmas programs, young adult novels — and literally hundreds of original hymn texts. Click to browse Lisa Clark’s books at Concordia Publishing House. Connect with the Lutheran Ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and on Instagram @lutheranladieslounge. Follow Sarah (@hymnnerd), Rachel (@rachbomberger), and Erin (@erinaltered) on Instagram!Sign up for the Lutheran Ladies' Lounge monthly e-newsletter here, and email the Ladies at [email protected].

Former co-host and semi-regular guest Bri Gerzevske stops by the Lounge for a holiday visit — and this time, she’s mining her own recent life experience to offer Sarah, Erin, and Rachel her expert “Guide to a Fun and Fabulous Christmas Program at Church.” Among Bri’s words of wisdom are these key takeaways: Don’t go it alone! YOU NEED A VILLAGE FOR THIS. Treat the kids like “professionals.” Show gratitude by keeping the main thing the main thing. “Producing a children’s Christmas program is hard work,” Bri says, “but it’s deeply fulfilling. With collaboration, joyful structure, child empowerment, and gratitude, the program becomes meaningful for everyone. True ‘success’ lies not in perfection, but in ministry, community, and shared joy.” Brianne Gerzevske is a fellow Lutheran lady, LCMS pastor’s wife, and director of managed contributor care for LCMS Mission Advancement. She is a former co-host of The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge and remains a regular guest and occasional contributor to the program. Connect with the Lutheran Ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and on Instagram @lutheranladieslounge. Follow Sarah (@hymnnerd), Rachel (@rachbomberger), and Erin (@erinaltered) on Instagram!Sign up for the Lutheran Ladies' Lounge monthly e-newsletter here, and email the Ladies at [email protected].

Normally, when one of the Ladies asks a Big Question, the answer ends up being exploratory and open-ended — but not today. Today, Erin isn’t asking. She's telling. It’s Erin’s Soapbox: The Internet Ruined Christmas Lists. In this episode, Erin compares the traditional handwritten Christmas list (with its general descriptions of needs and wants) to the modern Amazon wish list (with its detailed prescriptions for specific gifts, right down to the desired size, pattern, and color) and finds that there is really no comparison. “Part of what happens with an old-fashioned Christmas list is relational,” says Erin. “The person giving the gift gets to really consider what they know about the person they are selecting a gift for, and consider what they would enjoy. And the receiver gets to learn something about the person who gave it.” Amazon and other online wish lists, by contrast, are transactional, require (and allow) no creativity, and do little to enhance relationships. Throughout the conversation, Erin, Sarah, and Rachel all share stories about good, bad, and sometimes highly idiosyncratic Christmas wish list experiences and offer practical tips for how to craft — and shop from — a well-made Christmas list. Connect with the Lutheran Ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and on Instagram @lutheranladieslounge. Follow Sarah (@hymnnerd), Rachel (@rachbomberger), and Erin (@erinaltered) on Instagram!Sign up for the Lutheran Ladies' Lounge monthly e-newsletter here, and email the Ladies at [email protected].

How do imagination, poetry, and fantasy literature like of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis help us deepen our faith in Christ? Sarah sits down with esteemed poet Malcolm Guite in this special Wild Card episode (recorded on location at the Getty Sing! Conference) for a conversation full of delightful storytelling, brilliant insight into the Christian faith, and encouragement to lean into the imagination God has given each of us.  “What they [Tolkien and Lewis] meant was that the human mind and the depth of the imagination, especially the imagination, knows more than we do. There's a deeper wisdom. And that story knows more than we do, that a great story, a story which is working at the level of myth. Mythopoeic is actually older and wiser than we are, and even the author writing the story doesn't know everything that's in it. And a really great story is continuously suggesting more.” Malcolm Guite is a poet, musician, Anglican priest, and literary scholar who has taught at universities including Cambridge, Duke, and Regent. He’s penned five volumes of poetry, several books on Christian faith and theology, and a highly acclaimed biography of Samuel Taylor Coleridge entitled Mariner. He has lectured widely on the fantasy writings of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis and is currently undertaking his own epic retelling of the legends of King Arthur. Find his writing wherever books are sold and view his YouTube channel at youtube.com/@MalcolmGuitespell. Connect with the Lutheran Ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and on Instagram @lutheranladieslounge. Follow Sarah (@hymnnerd), Rachel (@rachbomberger), and Erin (@erinaltered) on Instagram!Sign up for the Lutheran Ladies' Lounge monthly e-newsletter here, and email the Ladies at [email protected].

“Bring us some Figgy Pudding!” Inspired by the traditional Christmas carol, Andy Bates (co-host of The Coffee Hour) joins Sarah (also a co-host of The Coffee Hour) and Erin in the Lounge for a festive, fig-filled crossover episode all about the legendary dish everyone’s heard of (but few have ever actually tasted): Figgy Pudding, also known as Christmas Pudding. What is it made from? Is it secretly its own food group? Will Erin try it again? From its origins as a savory dish, through the faux liturgical feast day of “Stir Up Sunday,” and ending with Andy sharing his first go at making this dish at home, this episode invites you to celebrate the holiday season with the hosts of The Coffee Hour and The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Podcast. Click to learn more:Andy's recipe Figgy Pudding Recipe - Food.com (Replaced butter with plant butter, milk with oat milk, and brown sugar with madhava raw sugar)A Lutheran Witness article mentioning Stir Up SundayThe Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge cover Fruitcake in this Recipe Card Episode Connect with the Lutheran Ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and on Instagram @lutheranladieslounge. Follow Sarah (@hymnnerd), Rachel (@rachbomberger), and Erin (@erinaltered) on Instagram!Sign up for the Lutheran Ladies' Lounge monthly e-newsletter here, and email the Ladies at [email protected].

Although Scripture is never trivial, Bible trivia games can be an effective and motivational teaching tool — as the Ladies discover in this week’s episode. Inspired by Sarah’s account of the New Testament knowledge exam she took upon matriculating into Concordia Seminary’s deaconess program, Rachel here quizzes her friends — and all the ladies listening at home — on their New Testament acumen. From sleepy sermon-goers to sparring sisters-in-Christ to Greco-Roman power couples, Rachel's questions will help you test your own biblical literacy — even as they inspire you to dig in and get even better acquainted with the people, places, numbers, and key passages of the New Testament. Connect with the Lutheran Ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and on Instagram @lutheranladieslounge. Follow Sarah (@hymnnerd), Rachel (@rachbomberger), and Erin (@erinaltered) on Instagram!Sign up for the Lutheran Ladies' Lounge monthly e-newsletter here, and email the Ladies at [email protected].

Class is back in session, Ladies, this time at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis! What even is deaconess ministry, and how do deaconesses serve the church? Sarah begins her studies in the Online Deaconess Studies program at Concordia Seminary, and she’s revisiting experiences from Orientation Week at the Seminary and her first class in Deaconess Ministry, including insights into personality types and theological frameworks. Are you an eagle, parrot, dove, or owl? Sarah shares how understanding another person’s tendencies in group work, stressful situations, or everyday relationships helps you walk better together. Building on this understanding of self and others, she briefly describes how we can rightly understand insights from God’s First Article Gifts and discern theological wisdom to grow into better leaders and guides for those around us. “I’m understanding more and more why they call it church worker formation. Wearing the blue, putting on my crucifix every day, being more bold about talking theology with people, it’s all part of the formation. This program isn’t just to learn theology and be let free in the wild. We’re learning about what it means to serve people, to serve in the church, to really bring God’s Word to people in a hugely wide variety of ways. It's the unexplainable feeling of growth. You are wildly conscious that you’re a different person than you were a week ago because of what you’ve learned and experienced, and it’s wonderfully scary and amazing.” Next time, Sarah will share insights from her Introduction to Spiritual Care class. Stay tuned! Click to learn more: Concordia University’s Online Deaconess StudiesThe DISC Assessment Birds and Taking Flight Profiles Dr. Mark Rockenbach’s Practical Theological Framework Connect with the Lutheran Ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and on Instagram @lutheranladieslounge. Follow Sarah (@hymnnerd), Rachel (@rachbomberger), and Erin (@erinaltered) on Instagram!Sign up for the Lutheran Ladies' Lounge monthly e-newsletter here, and email the Ladies at [email protected].

While “Halloween” for most people involves scary costumes, candy, and jack-o'-lanterns, the Ladies are tracing the word back to its roots — “All Hallows’ Eve” — as they team up to plan a Halloween-alternative All Saints/Reformation Day party around the theme of “saints, reformers, and heretics.”* The episode starts with each of the Ladies suggesting a pair of apropos costume ideas. Sarah then shares a curated Spotify playlist (link here) to set the musical mood before providing a range of ideas for party decorations, favors, and crafts. With the party “vibes” all in order, Erin offers recipes fit for a feast and Rachel demonstrates a handful of fun party games, including “Two Doctrines and a Heresy” and saints-based pub trivia. Check out ... Companion Party Spotify PlaylistRecipe for eyeball buckeyes Pics and instructions for a fake fire craft *Fun fact: Martin Luther fits all three categories. Connect with the Lutheran Ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and on Instagram @lutheranladieslounge. Follow Sarah (@hymnnerd), Rachel (@rachbomberger), and Erin (@erinaltered) on Instagram!Sign up for the Lutheran Ladies' Lounge monthly e-newsletter here, and email the Ladies at [email protected].