Author: FELC Office

September 29 – Feast of St. Michael & All Angels

Saint Michael the archangel, captain of the heavenly hosts, is remembered on this day along with the other angels and archangels. The word “angel” means messenger, and in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, these beings have a fully spiritual nature and no physical body.

Prayer of the Day

Everlasting God, you have wonderfully established the ministries of angels and mortals. Mercifully grant that as Michael and the angels contend against the cosmic forces of evil, so by your direction they may help and defend us here, through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God whom we worship and praise with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven, now and forever. Amen.

Scripture Readings

Daniel 10:10-14; 12:1-3

All who are dead shall arise on the day of the Lord.

Psalm 103:1-5, 20-22

Bless the Lord, you angels, all you hosts of God.

Revelation 12:7-12

Michael defeats Satan in a cosmic battle.

Luke 10:17-20

Jesus gives his followers authority over the enemy.

Theological Reflections

Lutheran seminary professor Rev. Barbara Rossing, ThD, puts apocalyptic literature like Revelation in context, showing the way it provided hope for its first readers but functions very differently in contemporary North America. Her book is The Rapture Exposed: The Message of Hope in the Book of Revelation (New York: Basic Books, 2004); you can find summaries, reviews, and videos of her teaching online, including (click here) a lecture given at Trinity Church Wall Street.

“Forget the vain pursuit of halo and harp. Enough of those larger than life, militant seraphim who support our propensity for war. Put aside the hierarchical, patriarchal imagery. Angels have something important to teach us about ourselves and God. Angels remind us that our material world is influenced by the world of the spirit, and that we are intrinsically capable of inhabiting both worlds with equal ease. Humanity may rank a little lower than the angels because we are flesh as well as spirit, yet through Jesus who is God’s own Word made flesh, we can rise above the angels to share in the very life of God. Observe closely, and you may experience that angels reveal God’s ways, guard and protect the vulnerable, are witness to miracles, are called to unending praise. Today we celebrate not only their achievements, but also that potential in ourselves to be and do the same.”—Miriam Therese Winter, SCMM

[Miriam Therese Winter, SCMM, in Homilies for the Christian People, 567.]

[The Sisters of Charity of Our Lady Mother of Mercy]

Your Racial Justice Taskforce invites you to join us for a trip to Montgomery, Alabama, to visit “The Legacy Museum:  From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration” and “The National Memorial for Peace and Justice” sponsored by The Equal Justice Initiative. This is how the sites are described:

“The Legacy Museum provides a comprehensive history of the United States with a focus on the legacy of slavery. From the Transatlantic Slave Trade and its impact on the North and coastal communities across America through the Domestic Slave Trade and Reconstruction, the museum provides detailed interactive content and compelling narratives. Lynching, codified racial segregation, and the emergence of over-incarceration in the 20th century are examined in depth and brought to life through film, images, and first-person narratives. 
 

Situated on a site where enslaved Black people were forced to labor in bondage, the Legacy Museum offers an immersive experience with cutting-edge technology, world-class art, and critically important scholarship about American history.  

Along with the critically acclaimed National Memorial for Peace and Justice, the museum presents a unique opportunity for visitors to reckon with challenging aspects of our past. A Transatlantic Slave Trade wing includes more than 200 sculptures and original animated short films narrated by award-winning artists Lupita Nyong’o, Don Cheadle, and Wendell Pierce.”

Please learn more about them here.

View an interview with activist and author Bryan Stevenson here.

ARE YOU INTERESTED?  Please email Barbara Wiederaenders immediately at bwiederaenders@att.net with your questions and to learn more. 

All who are interested in having a part in planning the how and when of such a trip are invited to a no-obligation Trip Development Meeting on Sunday, October 2 at 11:30 AM in the parlor. We hope you’ll join us.  It promises to be a transformational experience.

September 25, 2022 at 9 AM

Our next Holy Moly story is Sarah and Abraham. Children (through 5th grade) are invited to join Pastor Coffey in the library on Sunday morning as we hear and explore this central story of the Bible. Each week children watch a video, wonder about the story, use an activity leaflet, and receive a coloring sheet and a take-home family page.

Parents were sent a link to the materials online so they can use them to review the story with their children, or share the video, lesson, coloring sheet, and family page with them if they are not present on Sunday. Please contact Pastor Coffey if you need the link.

September 18 at 9 AM

The first Holy Moly story we will hear this year is Abraham. Children (through 5th grade) are invited to join Pastor Coffey in the library on Sunday morning as we hear and explore this central story of the Bible. Each week children watch a video, wonder about the story, use an activity leaflet, and receive a coloring sheet and a take-home family page.

Parents will receive a link to the materials online so they can use them to review the story with their children, or share the video, lesson, coloring sheet, and family page with them if they are not present on Sunday.

September 18 at 11:30 AM

Our first Sunday Symposium will use the ELCA’s Social Message on Government and Civic Engagement to explore how we understand ourselves as people of faith living in a democracy. The social message document can be found here. Printed copies will be available.

Sunday Symposium is a once-a-month gathering on a wide variety of topics. We’ll gather after hospitality in the parlor on the third Sunday for presentations, conversations, and explorations on everything from social issues and theological questions to spirituality and faith. Participants will be encouraged to join in the conversation as they wish. We will emphasize respectful, open dialogue that welcomes a diversity of viewpoints. We will be open to how we might change our own views. We may have occasional guest speakers.

Join us for this new opportunity for learning, growth, and community.

Tuesdays at 7 PM on FELC Community Zoom

September 27 — October 25

We are living in an increasingly divided society. It often seems impossible to have conversations about important issues with people we disagree with. We may find it particularly challenging to have difficult conversations with family, co-workers, neighbors, and friends with beliefs that are very different from our own.

What is our mission as the church in such a divided time? Is it to argue and win in conversations with those we disagree with? Or is it to find a way to have conversations that create relationships and foster reconciliation rooted in mutual respect? What is difficult conversation like if we don’t have to win and don’t have to agree, and why bother? How do we communicate in ways that lead to deeper trust and understanding? How does the church help heal our divided world by standing in the gap of our current deep divisions?

Pastor Coffey leads us in an adult class on Zoom exploring biblical texts that speak to standing in the gap and practicing techniques that create new possibilities when faced with difficult conversations. To join in the class, use the FELC Community Zoom information shared at the bottom of each weekly email news.

The presentation can be found here.

On Sunday, September 11 we were not able to livestream our worship service. We provide the links below for use in your reflections this week. The bulletin includes the scripture readings and the church community announcements. We also link the prayers of intercession and the sermon. The sermon was offered by FELC member and guest pastor, Timothy Lincoln.

The worship bulletin from Sunday, September 11 is here.

The prayers of intercession from Sunday, September 11 are here.

The sermon from Sunday, September 11 is here.

If you have an interest in learning about or joining our livestream ministry team, or know someone who might, let Pastor Coffey know.

Thursday, September 15 at 6:30 PM

Young adults at FELC are invited to join Pastor Coffey for a dinner gathering at Matt’s El Rancho on South Lamar. We’ll catch up with each other and make plans for a future service project and other events.

The cost of the meal will be covered by the FELC young adult ministry grant. RSVP to Pastor Coffey by Wednesday, September 14. Let him know if you need a ride from central Austin.

A Word of Gratitude from Pastor Kelsey Kresse

Kelsey Kresse returned to FELC last weekend as our guest preacher. It was a wonderful time together giving thanks for Kelsey’s ministry among us, and rejoicing in her current call. Kelsey served as the 49th vicar of FELC from August 2019 to June 2020. Pastor Kresse is called as associate pastor of Abiding Presence Lutheran Church in Burke, VA, In addition to regular pastoral life, she focuses on youth and college age ministries. She is a 2021 graduate of the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, and was ordained by Bishop Leila Ortiz (ELCA Metro DC Synod) on October 9, 2021.

Pastor Kelsey writes:

“Dearly Beloved FELC Members and Friends,

It was my joy and honor to be with you last weekend! It was such a special thing to be in your midst again, to sing with you, and to reflect on our time together two years ago. I cannot thank you enough for this homecoming and for the indelible mark you have left on me and my ministry. My experience at FELC was a special one from the moment I arrived until I left, always planning to be back. The relationships I built, the incredible leadership I witnessed and was welcomed into, and the space to grow that was made for me will always be something I treasure for myself and tell others about. You welcomed me in and then sent me out as prepared as one could possibly be for the journey ahead. You are a community that educates leaders, it is part of your DNA, and you’re really good at it. So, thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I love you.

Peace be with you. –Kelsey”

Here is a link to Pastor Kelsey’s Sunday sermon

For continued connection:

The Rev. Kelsey Kresse

1150 North Fayette Street, Unit 2406

Alexandria, VA 22314

kelseykresse@gmail.com

In 2012 we turned the south transept of our sanctuary into the Chapel of the Saints. As part of this transformation, we added the columbarium — a place to inter cremated remains. The columbarium consists of separate niches that can hold up to two urns each. Names are engraved on the stone tile in front of the niche. This option for interment is available to all FELC members and family. For more information, speak with Pastor Coffey.

When we gather in the Chapel of the Saints, we gather as the baptized saints of God in prayer, worship, and community. We gather with the saints of the past that we remember in various ways: the names engraved on the columbarium, the Cloud of Witnesses saints mobile containing the names of all who have died at FELC since 1936, and the saints icons displayed on the walls that remind us of faithful people who inspire our faith today.