News (Page 2)
From the Congregation President – Give Thanks Every Day
Dear St. Paul Family, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!” Psalm 100:4 In many ways, like Christmas, some would have us form an opinion about the “true meaning” of Thanksgiving. The history most of us learned as children tells us…
From the Board of Elders – Individual Confession and Absolution
From the Board of Elders
Dear St. Paul Family, LIGHT FOLLOWS DARKNESS I found those words on a sundial in downtown Gonzales on one of my Saturday road trips only a few months after I moved to Austin. Perhaps they’ve stuck with me because at the time I had just begun to see the light again after a very dark period in my life. They are of course appropriate for a sundial because each day at dawn,…
From the President of the Congregation
“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” — Luke 2:11 How many times have we read or heard this verse from Luke’s account of the birth of Christ? We’re familiar enough with it that we may take a specific word in the verse for granted – Savior. But think if you had been one of the shepherds…can you imagine how they must have…
St. Paul Handbells and Choir Visit Local Assisted Living Homes
What a thrill! What a happy experience! Quite simple, but profoundly appreciated! On December 9 choir members and bell players visited the residents of Buckner Villas, The Conservatory, and Harmony Point. Christmas carols were presented and the many special loved ones were invited to sing…
St. Paul, Austin, Representation at “Making the Case” Conference
A surprise awaited ten St. Paul members as they arrived at Memorial Lutheran Church in Houston on Friday, 10 November for a two-day Issues, Etc. conference. The conference featured nationally recognized leaders presenting topics on the interaction of Christianity and culture. Mollie and Mark…
Hurricane Harvey Relief Mission Trip
From the President of the Congregation – June 2017
During the confirmands “Statements of Faith”, every one of those young souls expressed how important it was in their life to worship in church each and every Sunday. Even when they would leave home for college their statements emphasized the importance of attending worship services every week,…
From the Board of Elders – June 2017
Dear St. Paul Family, By the time you read this, we will have celebrated the Feast of the Ascension. The “Ascension” section of Lutheran Service Book only contains a mere five hymns. The oldest of those, “A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing” (#493), was written 1,300 years ago by The Venerable Bede, one of the most important early English saints. Interestingly enough, he died in…
From the Board of Elders – May 2017
Dear St. Paul Family, A few days after Easter, I found myself looking at the lectionary readings for the coming days. I was struck by the reading for the Third Sunday in Easter – Exodus 32:15-35. This passage describes Moses’ descent from Mount Sinai and his subsequent discovery of the wild scene in the Israelite camp, where his people had, in his absence, begun to…
