Plain words
Every word the journey uses, said simply. Nothing here assumes you have been to church.
- absolution
- The words of forgiveness spoken to someone after they confess.
- altar
- The special table in a church where the bread and wine are blessed and shared.
- Amen
- A word said at the end of a prayer meaning 'yes, this is true, I trust it.'
- Apostles' Creed
- A very old Christian creed with three short parts about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
- baptism
- A ceremony where water is used with God's words to welcome a person into Christian life.
- blessing
- A prayer that asks for God's care and gives thanks for God's gifts.
- catechesis
- Teaching the basics of faith by asking a question and giving a set answer, over and over.
- catechism
- A way of learning the basic ideas of Christian faith, often through questions and answers.
- catechumen
- A person who is being taught the basics of the faith before being baptized.
- commandment
- A rule God gives, like a promise about how to treat God and other people well.
- communion
- Another name for the Lord's Supper, meaning sharing closely together with Jesus and other believers.
- confession
- Telling the truth out loud about the wrong things you have done.
- covet
- Wanting so badly to have what someone else has that you might try to take it.
- creator
- One who makes something exist that did not exist before.
- creed
- A short statement that sums up the most important things someone believes.
- daily bread
- Everything your body needs to live, like food, clothes, home, and health.
- disciple
- A student who follows a teacher and learns from them.
- faith
- Trusting that God's promise is true, even without seeing proof.
- Father
- A name for God that shows God loves us closely, like a parent loves a child.
- fear
- Here it means taking God's power and goodness seriously, the way you respect someone important.
- forgiveness
- Letting go of the wrong someone has done, instead of holding it against them.
- gospel
- The good news that God loves and forgives you no matter what.
- grace
- A free gift of love and kindness that is not earned.
- Holy Spirit
- The person of God who is active in the world today, giving faith and life to people.
- Household Chart
- A list of Bible verses in the catechism about how to live well in daily roles like family, work, and community.
- idol
- Anything you trust more than God to make your life good, even if it isn't a statue.
- kingdom of God
- The idea that God is ruling and caring for the world and for our hearts.
- last supper
- The final meal Jesus shared with his twelve closest followers before he died.
- Lord's Prayer
- The prayer Jesus taught his followers to pray, also called the Our Father.
- Lord's Supper
- The meal of bread and wine that Jesus started at his last meal with his friends, also called Holy Communion.
- love
- Trusting someone completely and wanting good things for them.
- neighbor
- Anyone near you whose life touches yours, not just the person next door.
- pastor
- A leader who cares for and teaches a church community.
- petition
- One request inside a prayer, like one item on a short list of asks.
- prayer
- Talking honestly with God, the way you would talk with someone who loves you.
- priesthood of all the baptized
- The idea that every baptized Christian, not just church leaders, has equal access to God and can serve others.
- real presence
- The belief that Jesus himself is truly there in the bread and wine, not just a symbol of him.
- redeem
- To free someone from something that holds them captive, like paying to set a prisoner free.
- reformer
- Someone who works to change and improve something, like how a church teaches and worships.
- resurrection
- Coming back to life after being dead.
- sabbath
- A set time to rest and to listen to God's word instead of rushing around.
- sacrament
- A holy action that uses a physical thing, like water, along with God's word to give grace.
- sign of the cross
- Tracing a cross shape over your body to remember you belong to Christ.
- table blessing
- A short prayer of thanks said before and after a meal.
- temptation
- A pull toward doing or believing something that hurts your trust in God.
- Trinity
- The Christian idea that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three persons who are one God.
- trust
- Believing someone will take care of you, so you can lean on them.
- two kingdoms
- Luther's idea that God rules both heaven (through the gospel) and earth (through law and order) with two hands.
- visitation
- An official visit by church leaders to check on how well pastors and people knew their faith.
- vocation
- The everyday work or role God calls a person to do to help and serve others.
- walks of life
- The different roles and places God puts people, like family, work, government, and church.
- Wittenberg
- A small town in Germany where Martin Luther lived and taught.
Level 5 · Water and a New Name
Level 6 · A Meal at the Table
Level 4 · Teach Us to Pray
Level 3 · What We Believe
Level 5 · Water and a New Name
Level 7 · Morning, Evening, and the Everyday
Level 1 · A Faith That Lives in the Heart
Level 1 · A Faith That Lives in the Heart
Level 1 · A Faith That Lives in the Heart
Level 2 · The Ten Words
Level 6 · A Meal at the Table
Level 5 · Water and a New Name
Level 2 · The Ten Words
Level 3 · What We Believe
Level 3 · What We Believe
Level 4 · Teach Us to Pray
Level 1 · A Faith That Lives in the Heart
Level 5 · Water and a New Name
Level 4 · Teach Us to Pray
Level 2 · The Ten Words
Level 3 · What We Believe
Level 2 · The Ten Words
Level 3 · What We Believe
Level 3 · What We Believe
Level 7 · Morning, Evening, and the Everyday
Level 2 · The Ten Words
Level 4 · Teach Us to Pray
Level 6 · A Meal at the Table
Level 7 · Morning, Evening, and the Everyday
Level 6 · A Meal at the Table
Level 2 · The Ten Words
Level 2 · The Ten Words
Level 1 · A Faith That Lives in the Heart
Level 4 · Teach Us to Pray
Level 4 · Teach Us to Pray
Level 7 · Morning, Evening, and the Everyday
Level 6 · A Meal at the Table
Level 3 · What We Believe
Level 1 · A Faith That Lives in the Heart
Level 3 · What We Believe
Level 2 · The Ten Words
Level 5 · Water and a New Name
Level 7 · Morning, Evening, and the Everyday
Level 7 · Morning, Evening, and the Everyday
Level 4 · Teach Us to Pray
Level 3 · What We Believe
Level 2 · The Ten Words
Level 7 · Morning, Evening, and the Everyday
Level 1 · A Faith That Lives in the Heart
Level 3 · What We Believe
Level 7 · Morning, Evening, and the Everyday
Level 1 · A Faith That Lives in the Heart