Category: News

Transfiguration Sunday is a bridge between the Advent-Christmas-Epiphany cycle that comes to a close as the Lent-Easter cycle begins on Ash Wednesday, March 5. Throughout the liturgy we offer “alleluia” which is expressed in a variety of ways. Alleluia means “God be praised.” This word of joy is “buried” during the season of Lent and will be sung again at Easter. We pray that it will be true of all of us who see God’s glory in the word and in the supper and who are being “transformed into the same image” by God’s Spirit.

We join family, and many friends, colleagues, and parishioners, in giving God thanks for the life and witness of Pastor Steve Youngdahl. Pastor Youngdahl was the founding pastor of Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran in Austin, and served that congregation for 35 years. Steve was the sixth vicar/intern pastor at First English in 1970. A memorial service for Steve will be celebrated on Saturday, April 12, 2025 at 2:00 PM at Shepherd of the Hills. We trust that the promises of the resurrection of Christ are sure. For Steve’s obituary, please click here 

The promise and its fulfillment may not look at all alike, even though they are intimately connected. Saint Paul speaks about seeds and plants as he tries to picture resurrection life. Joseph’s brothers never thought they would see him alive again, so how shocking he must have appeared to them as an Egyptian leader! Jesus invites us to sow seeds of new life by loving enemies. The Epiphany season draws to a close as we experience manifestations of God’s revealing light.T

On Sunday, February 23, FELC welcomes the Rev. Brother Chris Markert. Brother Chris was born and raised in Houston, Texas. He graduated from Concordia University in Austin, Texas before attending graduate school in Berkeley, California. As a pastor, Brother Chris has served congregations in Philadelphia, New Orleans, and Houston. Brother Chris also served as the Bishop’s Associate for Mission in the Gulf Coast Synod for nearly nine years before coming to the Southwestern Texas Synod as Director of Evangelical Mission. The reason he is called “Brother” is because he is a friar in the Order of Lutheran Franciscans, the first officially recognized religious order of the ELCA. 

Also on February 23 FELC will welcome and install 2025 Congregation Council members, council officers, and team leaders.

The Austin marathon will take place on Sunday, February 16, 2025.  Race day road closures will begin as early as 5 a.m., and may continue along the route as late as 2 p.m, depending upon location.  Pre-race day closures will occur in downtown Austin beginning Friday evening, February 14, on Congress Ave. between Cesar Chavez and 11th St.

The Austin Marathon has published a comprehensive traffic guide which provides location specific information on how to access sections of the city during the event.  The traffic guide also includes links to church specific traffic guides that were created upon request.  Complete traffic information is available on the website at https://youraustinmarathon.com/traffic/.

Blessings and curses abound on the sixth Sunday after Epiphany. We would do well to listen closely to whom the “blessed ares” and the “woe tos” are directed and to find our place in the crowd among those who desire to touch Jesus. The risen Christ is among us with an invitation to live in him and offers power to heal us all.

February 9–the fifth Sunday after Epiphany–continues to highlight unlikely instruments and circumstances appointed to reveal God’s glory. “Who will go for us?” God asks. A person of unclean lips, a former persecutor of the church of God, and three fishermen who couldn’t catch a thing. More surprising still, perhaps, is that we are also called.

On Sunday, February 2, we welcome Pack 28. Only four years after founding First English Lutheran Church, church members organized and chartered Boy Scout Troop 28 (1940). Cub Scout Pack 28 was chartered in 1951. Since the 1990’s the Pack & Troop have gone through different iterations. Boy Scouts of America is now “Scouts BSA”.
 

Forty days after the birth of Jesus we mark the day Mary and Joseph presented him in the temple in accordance with Jewish law. There they were greeted by Simeon, an aged priest who offered the song “Lord, now you let your servant depart in peace,” as well as by the prophet Anna, who proclaimed the redemption of ancient Israel. The Presentation of our Lord is referred to in some corners of the Church as Candlemas because of an ancient tradition of blessing candles used in the church and in the home in the coming year during that Mass. It is a way of underscoring the truth of Simeon’s confession that Jesus was “a light for revelation to the Gentiles” and a light for glory to Israel. Let the light of every candle be a little epiphany of the love of God for all people in the person of Jesus, the light of the world.

On Sunday, January 26, we commemorate the life and ministry of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968), pastor, renewer of society, and martyr.  An American prophet of justice among races and nations, Pastor King was an ordained minister in the Baptist tradition, a leader of the nonviolent resistance to race-segregated society, and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Join us at the next Community Madrigal Sing at FELC on Monday February 3 at 7:00 pm, hosted by Texas Early Music Project! TEMP is a long-standing community music partner. Sing madrigals together with other early music buffs; no experience is required for this “TEMP-orary choir” – just a love of singing madrigals!  This event is pay-what-you-can, but we are requesting a suggested donation of $20 per person with a minimum entry of $10 to cover expenses. PDFs of the sheet music will be provided in advance to those who request it, but studying is NOT required – you can just show up and sing if that’s more your style! If you have any beloved madrigals that you’ve been dying to belt out in a communal setting, we’re all ears.  Email your suggestions to admin@early-music.org.  (We make no promises, but we’ll see what we can do!)  And don’t forget to RSVP to secure your spot! See and hear you on Monday, February 3 at 7:00 pm.