Category: News

“Hosanna” or “Hoshana” (הושענא) is a Hebrew word meaning save us now. Saint Augustine, fourth century bishop of the church, called Holy Week, the “Great Week” because of the great things that were accomplished during these days. Augustine said, “Unless the church can learn to identify itself with Christ in his death and resurrection, unless it can, on Palm Sunday, approach Jerusalem with Jesus, die with him on Holy Friday, and rise with him at the culmination of the Easter feast, the church cannot accomplish its mission, which is not only to proclaim the good news but to embody it in the world.” Many in the church recently celebrate Palm Sunday in two parts – the entry into Jerusalem and then the Passion of Jesus. FELC chooses to observe a more ancient custom and celebrate Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and reserve the Passion for Good Friday. We celebrate the Lord of heaven and earth riding on a donkey – and we, too, join the procession of people – whoever we are and from wherever. Jesus welcomes all.

We approach the days of the passion of our Lord. In the gospel story for the fifth Sunday in Lent, Jesus reveals his power over death by raising Lazarus from the dead. The Hebrew prophet Ezekiel prophesies God breathing new life into dry bones. To those in exile or living in the shadows of war, violence, and death, these stories proclaim God’s promise of resurrection. God is very near, and as near as our breath – and even beyond our breathing. We are never alone.

Sing madrigals together with other early music buffs on Saturday, March 14, 3:00 PM at FELC. No experience is required. TEMP will be joined by Austin vocalist Morgan Kramer who will serve as guest conductor. This event is pay-what-you-can, but TEMP is requesting a suggested donation of $20 per person with a minimum entry of $10 to cover the expenses. Come join our community music partners! For more information, and to register to receive music to sing-along, visit www.early-music.org.

Laetare Sunday is the fourth Sunday in Lent in the western Christian liturgical calendar. This Sunday has been a day of celebration within the austere season of Lent, and gets its name from the first few words of the traditional entrance verses in Latin, Laetare, meaning Rejoice. On Laetare Sunday (as similarly with the Third Sunday of Advent’s Gaudete Sunday) the church expresses hope and joy in the midst of our Lenten wandering and fasting. The traditional color of pink/rose indicates a glimpse of the joy that awaits us at Easter. Before we enter the holy days of Passiontide, our music, prayers, and liturgical texts reflect this “mini” Easter. The gospel this Sunday is the story of the man born blind, healed by Christ. As we rejoice in healing and wholeness, we welcome and install the 2026 congregation officers and council leaders. We are God’s beloved children. Rejoice!

On the third Sunday in Lent we proclaim the gospel story where the Samaritan woman asks Jesus for water, an image of our thirst for God. Jesus offers living water, a sign of God’s grace. The early church used this gospel and those of the next two Sundays to deepen baptismal reflection toward Easter. As we journey to the resurrection feast, Christ comes among us in word, bath, and meal—offering us and all creation the life-giving water of God’s mercy, forgiveness, and justice.

On the second Sunday in Lent, we receive the story of Jesus telling Nicodemus that he must be born of water and Spirit. God made a covenant with Abraham, and in baptism, God promises to raise disciples of Jesus in all the world. We continue the Lenten journey with acts of love: prayer, fasting, and giving to the poor.

Join Repertory Chorus in concert on Monday, March 2, 8:00 pm at University Presbyterian Church, 2203 San Antonio St., Austin. The program includes the Missa Brevis (Little Organ Mass) by Franz Joseph Haydn and J.S. Bach’s Christ lag in Todesbanden (BWV 4) after one of Martin Luther’s most famous chorales, Christ Lay in Death’s Bonds. Free admission. FELC partners with UT’s Butler School of Music to provide a laboratory, rehearsal, and venue experience for these professional, educational vocal leaders. We are grateful to our friends at University Presbyterian for hosting this concert.  

On Ash Wednesday we began our journey toward Easter with a day of fasting and repentance. This Sunday’s gospel story tells of Jesus’ temptation in the desert. His forty-day fast becomes the basis of our Lenten pilgrimage. In the early church Lent was a time of intense preparation for those to be baptized at Easter. This focus on the meaning of faith is at the heart of Lent as we hunger for God’s mercy.

A small subset team of the First English Racial Justice Action Team was formed in January 2022 to do a focused evaluation of the whiteness of First English Lutheran Church and seek meaningful ways in which this church can strive for and embody both strategic and authentic diversity.

The FELC Diversity Development Taskforce shared its report with the Congregation Council at their August 15, 2022 meeting. Team members also offered report highlights in Sunday worship over the summer months. We share the report with the community now.

The report encompasses the call by the ELCA to exhibit authentic diversity–demographically matching the ethnic and racial composition of our context (Austin) and recognizes that First English Lutheran Church is overwhelmingly white. While we acknowledge that there isn’t a prescribed formula for achieving an authentically diverse community, we know there are direct actions to take, within our control, to relate to and live out the gospel message with a fuller expanse of God’s beloved community and creation. Our prayer is that this effort continues to unfold throughout the life of the whole church and in this church community of First English. 

The Diversity Development Taskforce members are: Nancy Baden, Erin McCracken, Cantor Bryan Rust, and Barbara Wiederaenders. If you would like to join in this work or have more questions, please feel free to contact Erin McCracken at: erin922@gmail.com.  

View the report at the link below:

FELC Diversity Report + “How Strategic and Authentic is Our Diversity: A Call for Reflection, Confession, and Healing Action” (ELCA, 2019)

The season of Lent begins with this solemn day of repentance and receiving ashes as a sign of mortality and humility. We are invited to begin the Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting, almsgiving – works of love. This year we will gather at 7:00 pm onsite and livestream on YouTube. The liturgy includes confession and absolution, imposition of ashes, holy communion, and special music. Returning to God’s mercy and grace, we make our way through Lent toward the joy of Easter.