TLLC Sunday Morning Sermons

Crossroads at the Empty Tomb Service is viewable at: I never really thought about Easter or the empty tomb being a crossroads moment until this year. Maybe it’s because of our Lenten theme or maybe it’s because of the difficult year we’ve all faced in light of the pandemic or maybe because Mark saw it this way. There is something vastly different about the way Mark tells the resurrection story, and you can tell that it was viewed as odd by others from pretty early on. If you look in your Bible, you will see what is considered the original ending of Mark (16:8a) followed by “the shorter ending” (16:8b) and “the longer ending” (16:9-20). Mark’s original ending is abrupt and awkward, and to me, these additions seem an attempt to sanitize that. If Mark’s ending is a bit messy, I assume there’s a reason for that… and the reason might be you! So join us on Easter Sunday (whether online or in person) to hear the Resurrection according to Mark and see why! Join us to Worship Where You Are this Sunday at 9AM & 11AM or for our in-person SONrise Services at 9AM & 11AM (sign up details below). The scriptures for this Easter Sunday are 1 Corinthians 15:51-57 and Mark 16:1-8. Bring an empty cross, butterfly, egg or Easter lily to your home altar as a symbol of the resurrection and the crossroads presented by the empty tomb. We give thanks to WWYA Worship Leaders, Ralph & Ellie Erchinger. As we celebrate Holy Communion, remember to make or buy bread and wine/juice.

The Ultimate Crossroad - Palm/Passion Sunday Service can be seen at YouTube link: This week Jesus finds himself at the ultimate crossroads – the cross itself. We begin the day with palms and conclude with the passion. We move from shouting “Hosanna!” to crying “Crucify Him!” It is a day when our expectations of the Messiah we want and the Messiah we most desperately need collide at this crossroads. We may wonder which way to follow, but Jesus does not. Join us as we hear a dramatic telling of Mark’s Gospel – how Jesus stayed true to God’s mission all the way to the cross and through it showed the world that “truly this man was God’s son!” The scriptures for this Palm/Passion Sunday are Mark 11:1-11, Psalm 31:6-16, and Mark 14:1-15:47. Bring a cross to your home altar to remind you of Jesus’ willingness to follow the way of God at the ultimate crossroad. As we prepare for Holy Week and Easter, you may pick up palms as well as consecrated elements for Maundy Thursday & Easter Sunday at the church this Saturday 10:00-11:30. We give thanks to this week’s WWYA Worship Leaders, Mike and Cheryl Wendling; Davis and Ed Perron; Dan, Henrik and Caleb Koellhofer; Deb Reswik-Hilton; Sujan Sirivella; Kevin McClure; Sara Burden-McClure; Robert Gonzalez; and Jeff Buchle (who played roles and helped behnd the scenes), Production Crew, and Musicians.

Grace at the Crossroads Service can be seen at YouTube link: In this week’s Worship Where You Are sermon, guest preacher Pastor Dave Seddelmeyer asks us to get in touch with our feelings. What feelings have you had throughout Lent? Are there certain feelings we are “supposed to have?” Do we have different feelings or heightened feelings this Lent in particular? Our scripture for this Sunday is well known and gives us a hint at one feeling we experience that just might surprise us. Join us this Sunday to see what it is!

Covenant at the Temple Service can be seen at YouTube link: Throughout Lent we have been hearing the covenant stories from the Old Testament – Noah and the rainbow, Abraham & Sarah and numerous-as-the –stars descendants. This week we hear the story of the Ten Commandments. The word commandment is pretty off-putting for most of us I imagine, but when we remember these Ten Commandments are really the Third Covenant, perhaps that might shift how we view them - as relational rather than legal, as affirmations rather than demands, as a promise rather than simply a list of prohibitions. I really struggle with the commandment to honor the Sabbath. I know – I’m a pastor… I should have that one covered, but I don’t. Honestly, I have a lot of guilt about that… so shifting my focus from commandment to covenant helps! It helps me remember that God gave us the Sabbath as a gift not an obligation so that we could be in deeper relationship with our Creator not check some spiritual box. If you haven’t taken time to rest in God for a few weeks because of COVID chaos or snow-magedon side effects or superfluous screen time, join us for a little R&R with Worship Where You Are or take a little time to do a walking meditation or hum a hymn on your back porch. Rest in God and God’s promise: I am your God and you are my people!

Crossroads Confession Service can be seen at YouTube link: https://youtu.be/y1dSyvkveNw After Peter correctly confesses Jesus as the Messiah, Jesus tells his disciples what this means and what lies ahead for him in Jerusalem - that he will be rejected and killed and after three days rise again. Peter's initial response demonstrates the crossroads at which we as people of faith often find ourselves: the Jesus we want is at a crossroads with the Jesus we get, the kingdoms of the world are at cross purposes with the kingdom of God, and our way often collides with the Lord's Way. Yet, Jesus meets us in these moments of tension, continuing the invitation to follow as His disciples, and on the cross he shows us the only way to salvation.

Crossroads of the Kingdom Sundays Video can be seen on youtube link: https://youtu.be/tG0JN0gRwdU Wow! What a week! As a native Austinite I must say, “We just aren’t made for this stuff!” Sometimes I feel like that as a Christian too. How about you? Discipleship is hard, especially when it comes to the disciplines of Lent, even more so in the midst of a pandemic. It feels a bit like we are at a crossroads – wondering which way to go, certain that we will fail, yet desperate to be faithful followers. And perhaps that is the key to remember not just this Lent but every Lent. We are followers, not leaders. We follow Christ, who himself has faced these very crossroads, shows us the way, and saves us each time we fail, falter, or fumble.

Covenant at the Crossroads Video of this podcast can be seen on Youtube at: https://youtu.be/rJ0nmwVDu9c The reading for today is Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 the Gospel is: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Transfiguration Sunday: You are able to watch the service on Youtube at Link: https://youtu.be/NcLWLvGR8xc As church festivals go, Transfiguration Sunday does not get as much clout as Christmas or Easter, yet it is an important day in the church as we turn from the light of Epiphany to the wilderness of Lent (which begins with Ash Wednesday, February 17th). It sits at an intersection of these two larger church seasons taking on (poignantly) a cruciform shape. Still, sometimes it is difficult to discern the purpose of Transfiguration. Christmas is about the birth of Christ as one of us. Easter is about the resurrection of Christ to save us. What is Transfiguration for? Maybe Transfiguration is about seeing Christ and seeing ourselves through his light.

Souper Service Video Service can be viewed on You Tube at: https://youtu.be/MCQU1dnIjRg Yes, it’s Super Bowl Sunday, and I imagine the festivities will not look exactly like they usually do. Yet, if you’re house is like ours, food will still be part of the fun! Did you know that on an average Super Bowl Sunday Americans consume 30,000,000 pounds of pretzels, chips, popcorn, and nuts? Meanwhile, Texas is ranked 2nd in the U.S. for food insecurity. This is undoubtedly more problematic in this pandemic year. Years ago a church youth group started the Souper Bowl of Caring in response to this disparity, and it stuck! As we listen to the Gospel text about the healing of Simon Peter’s mother-in-law this Sunday, perhaps we will be inspired by her response of service, leading to our own Souper Service! Throughout February we will be collecting items for Austin City Lutherans (ACL) Bread for All Food Pantry (see below for requested items). As you are snacking this weekend or throughout the week remember those who are going without and do some Souper Service like Peter’s mother-in-law!

Forming Faith From Roots to Fruit. You can watch the full video service on YouTube Here: https://youtu.be/zyXPrZOlajk On the surface of things 2020 would not seem a year where there would be much excitement in our ministry, but as I flip through the pages of our Annual Report I am blown away by the way God’s work is flourishing even in the midst of a pandemic! I hope you will join us for the Annual Meeting on January 31st at 12PM. While we can’t serve you BBQ like we did last year for our first annual “meat”ing, you are welcome to BYOB (Bring Your Own BBQ)! While we can’t gather together physically, we can gather together virtually to give thanks for all that God is doing in our midst and through our congregation. Come and See how God is Growing a Generous Faith right before our very eyes!

Crisis Discipleship Watch the service on Youtube : https://youtu.be/HNKABFbm-BM I don’t know about you, but it seems to me that we have been in a crisis moment in our country lately. The pandemic has put us all in crisis mode as we learned new ways to work, worship, go to the grocery store, and educate our children. The racial unrest in our country reignited a crisis moment as we reevaluated “things we have done and things we have left undone” when it comes to systemic and individual changes. The political divide at our Capitol revealed a crisis of conscience as we realized our democracy is simultaneously frail and resilient. In all of these instances crisis might seem to have a negative connotation. Certainly the characters that make up the word in Chinese would believe that because the first is translated as “danger.” The second, however, is best translated as “turning point.” As we turn the page on a new year, as we turn the pages of history, Jesus also calls us to turn. He calls us to turn away from fear and toward him in hope. He calls us to turn away from sin and toward him in repentance. He calls us to turn away from idols and bad news and toward him and the good news of the kin-dom of God. For in our moments of deepest crisis, God-with-us calls us to be his disciples and to catch others with God’s reign of justice, peace, resurrection, and love!

Title: Come and See You can watch the Youtube video of this service at: https://youtu.be/YljYjxGsfeA The reading This week is: 1 Samual 3:1-6, The Gospel Is: John 1:43-51 It is perhaps the best invitation you could give or receive – come and see! It is simple, non-threatening, open-ended, and intriguing. In John’s Gospel Jesus uses these words to invite his first disciples to follow him and then some of those disciples repeat it as an invitation to others. We hear part of this contagion in our scriptures for this Sunday. Later in John the phrase is used by the Samaritan woman at the well and at the raising of Lazarus. With these simple words, we too have been invited to come and see the amazing things God is doing! We, in turn, are called to invite others: Come and See our Worship Where You Are this week, Come and See our Women’s Prayer & Devotion, Come and See our amazing CDC program! On the surface of things 2020 would not seem a year where there would be much to “come and see,” but as I flip through the pages of our Annual Report I am blown away by the way God’s work is flourishing even in the midst of a pandemic! I hope you will join us for the Annual Meeting on January 31st at 12PM and for our pre-meeting workshops on the 17th & 24th at 10AM. While we can’t serve you BBQ like we did last year for our first annual “meat”ing, you are welcome to BYOB (Bring Your Own BBQ)! While we can’t gather together physically, we can gather together virtually to give thanks for all that God is doing in our midst and through our congregation. Come and See how God is Growing a Generous Faith right before our very eyes!

Title: Torn Apart, Brought Together You can find the video version of this service at Youtube link: https://youtu.be/uST0iLDAcgQ Wednesday morning I was in the TLLC Sanctuary preparing for Worship Where You Are. Since this Sunday is Baptism of Our Lord Sunday, my thoughts were focused on baptism and in particular of Mark’s description that Jesus saw the “heavens torn apart” during his baptism by John. I did not expect the flow of news that would come in the hours that followed as we saw the fabric of our nation straining; some might even say “torn apart”. To me though, it differed greatly from the tearing apart done by God in baptism, which is done out of love rather than anger and out of a desire to bring us together rather than separate. The tearing apart at the Capitol differed from the tearing apart done by Jesus in his ministry, which was done peacefully and non-violently. And so we pray for our country and its leaders: Gracious God, in this time when anxiety is infectious and anger runs rampant. Help us to tear apart the barriers of mistrust that divide us, end violent protests, and open doors of conversation between disparate groups. Grant us all peace and reassurance, healing and hope, strength and wisdom in the days ahead. We ask this through Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. Worship Where You Are! Join us to Worship Where You Are this Sunday at 9AM & 11AM. The scriptures for this Baptism of Our Lord Sunday are Isaiah 64:1-5a, Acts 19:1-7, and Mark 1:4-11. As you gather at your home altar bring a bowl of water to represent baptism or a piece of fabric that you can tear to represent God tearing apart the heavens to reach us. As we celebrate Holy Communion, remember to bring your own bread and wine/juice to your home altar or you may pick up consecrated elements at the church on Saturday 10:00-11:30. We give thanks to this week’s WWYA Worship Leaders, Kelly Condon, Evan Kephart, and Beth Gonzalez, Production Crew, and Musicians.

First Sunday of Christmas This Sunday we sing perhaps the oddest of Christmas carols, Simeon’s “Lord, Now Let Your Servant Go in Peace” (the Nunc Dimittis). Luke’s account of Simeon’s troubling song hauntingly hints at the specter of his own death, not to mention his piercingly prophetic aside to Mary about her child’s future. Alongside the other Christmas carols we still sing this first Sunday of Christmas, this one sounds odd, even dissonant. But just as the specter of the cross cast a shadow over the manger, the specter of death still casts a pall over this pandemic Christmas. Perhaps then it is not so out of place, not so dissonant after all. So yes, we sing of death just a few days after our Christmas celebration of life so that by naming death, it may no longer control, terrify, or diminish us and the life this birth intended for us. For in the birth of the Christ-child so long ago, and each time we gather around word and meal, we too have seen and heard, tasted and touched, God’s steadfast and tenacious commitment to be both with us and for us…forever! Worship Where You Are! Join us to Worship Where You Are this First Sunday of Christmas. The scriptures for December 27th are Isaiah 61:10 - 62:3, Galatians 4:4-7, and Luke 2:22-40. As we celebrate Holy Communion, remember to bring your own bread and wine/juice to your home altar.

ADVENTageous Magnifying in the Wilderness Youtube video link of this Service: https://youtu.be/WwzOjTM6Lno On the fourth week of Advent, we celebrate our annual Lessons & Carols service. Among the lessons, anthems, hymns, and carols, we will hear the song of Mary’s Magnificat. She must have felt a sense of wilderness wandering as the angel proclaimed the holiness about to be birthed inside her, and yet she sings to her cousin Elizabeth about how her soul magnifies the Lord. On this Sunday, we sing along with Mary, “My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices to God my Savior.” Our worship magnifies the Lord, and this is a great week to further magnify the Lord by sharing our worship links with family, friends, and neighbors! Our serving magnifies the Lord. Our Advent preparations magnify the Lord as we share hope, joy, peace, and love in our community. Each year we join Mary in song, but this year in particular we can perhaps sense the wilderness in which she sang. Yet when we join in magnifying the Lord, it is ADVENTageous to us and the world.

Title: ADVENTageous Reflecting in the Wilderness, Readings: Psalms 126 1 Thessaalonians 5:16-24 Gospel Reading: John 1:6-8, 19-28 Discription: On the third week of Advent, John the Baptizer renews his call to us from the wilderness (perhaps because it is one we are so reluctant to heed. Most of us would prefer to stay in the comforts we are accustomed too, but each year John appears to beckon us again into the wilderness. It is a place that requires us to rely more on God than on ourselves. So each time we dare to journey into the wilderness it is ADVENTageous to our spirits as the stripping away of our comforts make us palpably aware of God’s abiding love through the Lord’s coming.

ADVENTageous Journey in the Wilderness The Youtube Link for the video of this service: https://youtu.be/_L4EFtY9U3Y What do you think of when you hear the word wilderness? Perhaps you think of a desert or wide wasteland. Perhaps you imagine a barren tundra or an arid expanse. I doubt you think advantageous, but every year John reminds us that the wilderness is indeed ADVENTageous. On the second week of Advent, John the Baptizer appears in the wilderness. Most of us would prefer to stay in the comforts we are accustomed too, but each year John appears to beckon us into the wilderness. It is the place where Israel wandered for 40 years. It is the place where we wait for 4 weeks of Advent. It is not the place we would volunteer to go especially in a year that has been wild with wilderness already. Yet each time we dare to journey into the wilderness, it is ADVENTageous to our spirits as John calls us to repent – or turn around – as we prepare for the Lord’s coming. It is ADVENTageous to our faith because the wilderness places – where we are stripped of our comforts, provisions, and facades – is where God always shows up. Worship Where You Are! Join us to Worship Where You Are this Sunday at 9AM & 11AM. As we gather together, on this Second Sunday of Advent, bring an Advent wreath or two candles to your worship space to light as we illuminate the sanctuary Advent wreath. We give thanks to this week’s WWYA Worship Leaders: Davis Perron, Kay Mueller, Janis Coltin, Dave Seddelmeyer, Tim Holck, Sara Burden-McClure, Deb Hilton, Laura Gonzalez, Courtney Petiprin, Mike Wendling, Mark Funderburk, Garry Durante, and Eric Daub and our tireless Production Crew: Sara Burden-McClure, Ian McClure, Reed Rinn, Jeff Buchle, and Matthew Wagner! The scriptures this week are Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13 and Mark 1:1-8.

ADVENTageous Journey to Christmas If you’ve never made or bought an Advent wreath, this might be the year to do so! If you want to make one, here are a few ideas and notes: The wreath can be as simple (or elaborate) as you like. Typically it has 4 candles in a ring and 1 candle – The Christ Candle – in the center. Don’t get too hung up on the colors. The 4 candles can be blue (representing the sky before dawn) or white (representing purity). Purple (the color of royalty), once used in Lutheran churches and still used in the Catholic tradition, works too! Even the more secular color red works. Any shape will do! While the ring represents eternity, Advent logs are common too, and typically place The Christ Candle at the center. Greenery is a great addition to a wreath or log as its ever-green nature offers a sign of hope in the midst of the bleak midwinter. Red berries also remind us of Christ’s sacrifice for us. Whatever shape or color your wreath takes, the important thing is that as the light grows successively each week, we remember John’s words, “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it.” As The Christ Candle is lit at Christmas, we remember the best gift of Christmas – Christ, The Light of the World! So make an Advent wreath for your home altar as you continue to Worship Where You Are. Having followed this tradition in every phase of my life, I can promise you that it will be ADVENTageous to your spirit!

Christ the King! This Sunday we celebrate the last Sunday of the church year – Christ the King Sunday. You can view the service on Youtube at: https://youtu.be/m2LF_I3aY6w Worship Where You Are! Join us to Worship Where You Are this Sunday at 9AM & 11AM. As we gather together, on this Christ the King Sunday, bring something that represents Christ as King to your worship space. We give thanks to this week’s WWYA Worship Leaders, Pastor Armin, Bennie Engelke, and Gale Pattison, our WWYA Musicians, and our WWYA Production Crew! Scriptures this week are Ephesians 1:15-23 and Matthew 25:31-46. As we celebrate Holy Communion, remember to make or buy your own bread and wine/juice

What do Toilet Paper, Talents, and Trees Have in Common Presented by Triumphant Lutheran Church, Austin, Texas. with: Pastor Danielle Moore Casey Video Link to this service can be found on youtube at link: https://youtu.be/y-qtSmI7x-M You’ll have to tune in to this Sunday’s Worship Where You Are to find out! But here’s a hint: it has something to do with Stewardship. Hopefully by now you have received your 2021 Stewardship Letter and Commitment Card in your mail box. As our weekly Temple Talks from Jonas Ellwanger, Mary Halaney, and Bennie Engelke attest, at Triumphant Love Lutheran Church we are transforming lives by Forming Faith from Roots to Fruit in each person to whom we minister. Every day, whether you are an infant in the beginning of your life journey or an octogenarian with all the wisdom of your years, we offer you the opportunity to be more deeply rooted in Christ, branch out through new learning, and bear good fruit in the world by planting the seed of faith in others. So take some time to pray about your commitment to our ministry for 2021, complete your commitment card (on paper or online), and return it to the church. Through your generosity we are able to adapt our ministry to the ever-evolving circumstances of the pandemic and continue sharing the good news of Christ wherever we are!

Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burnin’ Video Service Link: https://youtu.be/zhfLCmFLahw I have been humming this gospel song throughout the week as I, like many of you, stayed up late awaiting election results and what they would mean for our country in the days, weeks, and months ahead. Many of us burned the midnight oil and still we kept waiting. As I write these words, we are still waiting. Perhaps serendipitously, our Gospel text for Sunday is about waiting and watching and being ready for whatever might come… or be delayed in coming. This Sunday we hear the Parable of the 10 Bridesmaids. 5 bring enough oil for a long night of waiting, but the other 5 do not. It is a bit of a foreshadowing to our Advent season just around the corner. Yes, as Americans, we wait, but as Christians we wait hopefully rather than anxiously. We wait alertly rather than lacadaisically. We wait actively rather than passively. Most certainly we wait not expecting a president to save us but rather for a Messiah, who has already saved us. So keep your lamps trimmed and burnin’ … Worship Where You Are! Join us to Worship Where You Are this Sunday at 9AM & 11AM. This week as we gather together, bring a candle or better yet, an oil lamp to your worship space. We give thanks to this week’s WWYA Worship Leaders, our WWYA Musicians, and our WWYA Production Crew! Scriptures this week are Amos 5:18-24 and Matthew 25:1-13.

All Saints Join Us in Thin Places & Thin Moments Video Service at: https://youtu.be/NLYDxf8gy8E All Saints Day is Sunday. On this special day we honor the saints of the past and present. During our Worship Where You Are, we will honor the TLLC members who have joined the Saints Triumphant in heaven throughout the year, but I also invite and encourage you to gather items to make your own home ofrenda to remember the special saints in your life. An ofrenda is a traditional part of the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration. Home ofrendas include pictures and mementos of loved ones as well as saints of the church along with flowers, food, drink, and candles.

Here I Stand... You Stand Over There! Video Version On Youtube link: https://youtu.be/YabP_EmbFKM Yes, it’s Reformation Sunday, albeit in a way supremely appropriate… which is to say reformed. As Lutherans, we are rooted in the Reformation, but it should also mean that we are rooted in ongoing reformation. For us, the Reformation can’t simply be a celebration but also must be a transformation. It can’t simply be our past but must also be our future. And Luther will be with us on Sunday to make sure! Most scholars presume that Luther’s Reformation wouldn’t have stuck were it not for the media of the time – Gutenberg’s printing press – that allowed his ideas to be shared and his fame to keep him safe. Today our worship is being shared literally around the world thanks to the media of our time – the internet (not to mention a rarely-resting tech crew!). I know WWYA isn’t the same as our usual in-person worship, but I have heard from so many of you about how it is the one thing keeping you going at times. Because of the pandemic our worship, connections, and faith are being re-formed. May we trust in the transformation God is leading in us! Worship is essential, but how exactly we worship is adiaphora. On this, here I stand… you stand over there… at least for now! Lession and Gospel: Romans 3:19-28, John 8:31-36

God's work. Our hands. Let's serve today. Video of today's service can be found on the youtube link: https://youtu.be/W9o5zTXMdZE Scriptures this week are Psalm 104:24-30, 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, and Mark 2:1-12. On the 25th anniversary of the ELCA in 2013, church leaders decided (and I would say rightly so) that the best way to celebrate was not to simply give ourselves a party or a pat on the back but rather to serve our neighbor. That year, “God’s Work. Our Hands.” Sunday began, and it has become a yearly tradition for the thousands of congregations across the ELCA, including Triumphant Love. Despite needing to be physically distanced God still needs our hands at work in the world so Let’s Serve Today! Join us to Worship Where You Are this Sunday at 9AM & 11AM. This week God’s work is done through hands – those of Jesus and of four friends. For your worship space, bring something that symbolizes how you do God’s work with YOUR hands. Join us to Worship Where You Are this Sunday at 9AM & 11AM. This week God’s work is done through hands – those of Jesus and of four friends. For your worship space, bring something that symbolizes how you do God’s work with YOUR hands.

This Sundays Video of this service can be found on youtube using this link. https://youtu.be/_FnuR338tl4 Setting the Table Where We Are This Sunday’s texts will have your mouth watering because they are all about feasting! In Isaiah we are given a vision of the great feast to come. In Jesus’ parable about a great banquet, those invited do not come, so the invitation is extended to others. In Psalm 23 and in our communion liturgy God prepares a table before us. With great joy we feast at the table of the Lord, and we go forth to share the wonderful invitation with others hungering and thirsting for the abundant life of God. Worship Where You Are! Join us to Worship Where You Are this Sunday at 9AM & 11AM. This week Jesus tells the parable about a great banquet and invites us to the table where we feast together. As we celebrate Holy Communion, remember to make or buy your own bread and wine/juice. We give thanks to this week’s WWYA Worship Leaders, Deb Hilton, Robert Gonzalez, and Tim Holck, our WWYA Musicians, and our WWYA Production Crew! Scriptures this week are Isaiah 25:1-9, Psalm 23, and Matthew 22:1-14.

Bearing Fruits of the Kingdom In this week’s gospel, Jesus calls us to “produce fruits of the kingdom.” If I’m being honest, I am not feeling especially fruitful these days and yet our theme for the year is Forming Faith from Roots to Fruit. One of the ways my faith has been formed has been through service to others, but some of the ways I usually try to bear fruit have been altered by the pandemic so it was refreshing to see some of the exciting ways we can still make an impact in the kingdom through our God’s Work. Our Hands. Projects. Click HERE for more information and join us by serving this month and participating in our special worship service October 18th. Because our feet still follow Jesus and our hands still do God’s work and our branches still have fruit to bear! Worship Where You Are! Join us to Worship Where You Are this Sunday at 9AM & 11AM. This week Jesus encourages us to grow our faith through forgiveness. For your worship space, bring a piece of fruit (or several) to remind you to bear good fruit as you go through this week. We give thanks to this week’s WWYA Worship Leaders, Reed and Donna Rinn, and as always our wonderful WWYA Musicians, and tireless WWYA Production Crew! Scriptures this week are Psalm 80:7-15 and Matthew 21:33-46.

Standing on Shoulders “Stand on the shoulders of the women who came before you,” were the words preached by my Pastor, Rev. Dr. Beth Marie Halvorsen, at my ordination more than 15 years ago, and they ring true as we join with congregations across the ELCA to celebrate the gifts of women in ordained ministry for 50 years in the ELCA and its predecessor bodies! I hope you will join us to celebrate these special milestones in our 50-40-10 Service this Sunday: 50 years of the ordination of women, 40 years of the ordination of women of color, and 10 years of the ordination of openly partnered LGBTQIA+ pastors. I hope also that you will renew your commitment to lifting up the gifts of women and girls in our midst so that all can stand tall. Worship Where You Are! Join us to Worship Where You Are this Sunday at 9AM & 11AM. This week Jesus encourages us to grow our faith through forgiveness. For your worship space, bring an image or symbol to represent any women who have impacted your faith journey. As we celebrate Holy Communion, remember to make or buy your own bread and wine/juice, or we will also have blessed communion elements (wafers & juice) available for pick up at the church on Saturday 10:00-11:30 AM. We give thanks to this week’s WWYA Worship Leaders, Bishop Sue, Pastor Danielle, Deacon Bri, and Christina Kingslien, our WWYA Musicians,

Forming Faith from Roots to Fruit During the pandemic many folks have started gardens – everyone from those with green thumbs to complete novices seems to have taken up this hobby. It’s a good way to reconnect with the earth and our Creator as we get outside in nature. I imagine it also has something to do with our need to have some sense of control in an existence that feels increasingly out of control. Planting and tending a garden gives you something to do and you can watch (hopefully) as small sprouts give way to larger plants and perhaps even (if the Texas sun isn’t too hot) bear fruit!

I don’t know about you, but conflict can tie me up in knots! And it seems that conflict is everywhere these days – in our locked down, stressed out homes; in our trying-to-do-our-best school boards, in our justice-seeking streets, in our argumentative political pundits. In moments of conflict our fight or flight response tends to kick in (even when survival is not at stake). This is one of those natural instinct meant for self-preservation so when faced with a conflict we tend to either fight back with stinging words or run away leaving a festering problem. In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus offers us a third way – one focused not on self-preservation but on relationship-preservation. Jesus invites us to let loose of our anger, resentment, egos, and instincts to do the hard work of reconciliation for the sake of our siblings in Christ. Loosing is key! My computer helped me understand this because each time I typed the word, it wanted to correct it to read ‘losing’. Sometimes loosing – letting go, asking forgiveness, extending mercy – can feel like losing to us. Yet, when we let loose of our anger, resentment, egos, and instincts we make room for Jesus to be in the midst of our disagreements, and we realize that he and his love are bound to us forever.

To view the video version of our service please visit the Triumphant Love Lutheran Church website at: http://tllc.org Scoll down to Recorded Services and pick this weeks worship service. There Must Be another Way Peter’s confession may be the “rock” on which Christ will build the church, but when Jesus reveals the suffering that will come first, Peter becomes a tempter and “stumbling block.” Assuming God must have a different way to save the world, Peter protests Jesus’ suffering and death. Jesus explains to Peter and all his disciples that, in fact, this is the way to life—losing one’s life in order to find it.By tempting Jesus to an easier way than his journey through suffering to resurrection, Peter personifies a temptation common to all generations of Jesus’ disciples: seeking a way to avoid “losing oneself,” instead of surrendering all to and with the one we follow. But while “saving one’s life” sounds sensible, those things also stand in the way of the new life into which Jesus beckons us to follow him. Perhaps Peter’s problem – and ours – is that he sees only the suffering and death, without grasping the new life that comes through it. Let us take up our cross and follow! Worship Where You Are! Join us to Worship Where You Are this Sunday at 9AM & 11AM. This week Jesus clarifies what it means for him to be the Messiah. For your worship space, bring a cross and consider how it reminds you to take up your cross.We give thanks to this week’s WWYA Worship Leaders, Beth Gonzalez and Amy & Mason Roehl with ongoing thanks to our WWYA Musicians and WWYA Production Crew! Scriptures this week are Psalm 26:1-8, Romans 12:9-21 and Matthew 16:21-28.

For the video version please go to our website at www.tllc.org and scroll down to recorded services. The Church’s One FoundationThe Church’s One Foundation is Jesus Christ, her Lord; she is his new creation by water and the word… Oh, blessed heav’nly chorus! Lord, save us by your grace, that we, like saints before us, may see you face to face!– ELW #654 This hymn by the prolific hymn writer Samuel Wesley (brother of Charles Wesley) has graced many significant worship services in my life – ordination & installations particularly. It holds words that spring to mind when I hear this Sunday’s Gospel, where Jesus says to Simon Peter in response to his confession of faith, “You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church.” Theologians and Biblical scholars disagree whether Jesus is building his church on Peter or on Peter’s confession. I tend to fall with those who believe the latter because our foundation is Jesus Christ – Lord of the church & Lord of us all. When I sing the words of that hymn, I can’t help but think of the confessions of so many saints who have confessed their faith in Christ that make the foundation of my own faith so strong – parents and grandparents, siblings and children, seminary professors and youth ministers, friends and strangers… and so many of YOU! Thank you for the way you are being church where you are and the way you have been the church for me! Worship Where You Are! Join us to Worship Where You Are this Sunday at 9AM & 11AM. This week Jesus poses the question, “Who do you say that I am?” For your worship space, bring an image (cross, shepherd, vine, etc.) that represents who Jesus is for YOU. As we celebrate Holy Communion

Whenever our family gets to the beach I inevitably spend some time writing in the sand. This Sunday’s Gospel got me thinking about how sometimes we draw lines in the sand – lines that often separate, divide, distinguish, harm. This week I invite you to consider where you “draw the line” as well as times you have crossed those lines. How did both actions impact your faith? As we move into the 2nd year of our Growing a Generous Faith vision, we will focus on Forming Faith from Roots to Fruit. Throughout the year we will take time to periodically consider how our faith is growing and how we can form faith in others. As we bless those returning to school for a new – and unusual – year of learning, it’s a good time for all of us to take stock of what fosters and hinders our own faith formation Worship Where You Are! Join us to Worship Where You Are this Sunday at 9AM & 11AM. This week we find ourselves crossing boundaries and lines in the sand with Jesus. For your worship space, bring something that can help you draw a line – a plate with sand or something as simple as a paper and pen. Put yourself on one side of the line, and then draw or write things that represent “the other” you put across that boundary. We give thanks to this week’s WWYA Worship Leaders, John Paul Crawford, Kathy Wells, & Dave Seddelmeyer, with ongoing thanks to our WWYA Musicians and WWYA Production Crew! Scriptures this week are Isaiah 56:1, 6-8, Romans 11:1-2 & 29-32, and Matthew 15:21-28.

Tumultuous Times If you are feeling like you are smack dab in the middle of tumultuous times, you are not alone! The coronavirus pandemic has launched the world into a storm of difficult decisions and surrounded us with waves of uncertainty. Racial injustice has us feeling like our country is rowing into a gale-force wind, making less progress than expected. Financial hardships make us feel like we are drowning in debt. We struggle to find our bearings when the skies obscure the North Star and fog conceals the horizon. If you are feeling like you are smack dab in the middle of tumultuous times, you are not alone! The disciples are on a tumultuous sea in our gospel text for Sunday. And of course the sea is not just literal but also figurative – a glimpse at their journey of discipleship. Like those first disciples, most of us try to avoid such tumult in our lives, but I wonder if sometimes Jesus doesn’t call or intentionally send us into such storms. How has your faith changed or even grown in tumultuous times? Why is it important to keep your focus on Jesus when you feel you’re losing your bearings? Worship Where You Are! Join us to Worship Where You Are this Sunday at 9AM & 11AM. This week we find ourselves in a tumultuous sea. For your worship space, bring something nautical – a ship or boat, an image of water, even an oar To watch the worship service, visit our YouTube channel HERE: Link to Sunday Morning Worship on You Tube

Graduation Welcom from Deacon Bri I am filling in for Pastor Danielle this week in the newsletter. As I was preparing for the sermon for this week I found myself asking a question…. “when and how has Jesus fed me in this deserted place?” In the story of the feeding of the 5000 the disciples ask Jesus to send people away from the “deserted place” where they are to make sure they have food to eat for dinner. Jesus asks them why they would send them away when it is their job to feed them… reminding them that there will be more than enough. This week we are celebrating our Graduates. Who have certainly both been fed by this congregation and entered into a deserted place of uncertainty and loss of milestones. But again I ask…. how has Jesus fed you in this place. We believe that God does feed us. Manna and quail from heaven in the desert. More fish and bread than we could ever finish. And from his own body so we may never hunger or thirst again. While this is an odd time we have been fed. I hope you’ll reach out and let me know how Jesus has fed you, and that you will pray for and bless our graduates this week (and always).

Join us to Worship Where You Are this Sunday at 9AM & 11AM. Thank you to our weekly production crew as well as to our volunteers this week Sue Ellen Jackson (reading) and Tony Bonnema (prayers). Our service can be seen on the following youtube link. https://youtu.be/3drB_4Gnk We welcome Biship Sue Briner as our guest preacher this morning. Biship Briner is with us from the Texas South West Synid. The question she asks this morning is, describe what the kingdom of Heaven is like. The lesson this morning is from: Romans 8:26-39, The gospel is from Matthew 13:31-33 and 44-52.

Worship Where You Are! Join us to Worship Where You Are this Sunday at 9AM & 11AM. This week Jesus shares the Parable of the Weeds and Wheat. For your worship space, bring some weeds and plants to your worship space and take time to consider what weeds has the enemy planted in you and what faith has God planted in you. Is it growing and generous? We give thanks to this week’s WWYA Worship Leaders, Melissa Westhoven and Robert Gonzalez, with ongoing thanks to our WWYA Musicians and WWYA Production Crew! Scriptures this week are Psalm 86: 11-17, Romans 8:12-25 and Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43. To view our Sunday Service Video go to our Youtube Channel : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJMgOIOeMIj2-6YqkORSjlA?view_as=subscriber

Worship Where You Are! Join us to Worship Where You Are this Sunday at 9AM & 11AM. This week Pastor Armin preaches on Jesus’ familiar Parable of the Sower. For your worship space, bring some seed and/or soil to your worship space. As we celebrate Holy Communion, remember to make or buy your own bread and wine/juice or Pastor Danielle will also have blessed communion elements (bread & juice) available for pick up at the church on Saturday 10:00-11:30 AM. As we pray for our recently reimagined Camp Hope and pray for its leaders and campers, we also give thanks to this week’s WWYA Worship Leaders, who will be serving at Camp Hope, Zachary Petiprin and Suzannah Wells, with ongoing thanks to our WWYA Musicians and WWYA Production Crew! Scriptures this week are Isaiah 55:10-13 and Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23. To watch the worship service, visit our Web Site at: www.tllc.org Look under worhip menu.

Called to Remember and Repent As part of the 2019 Churchwide Assembly of the ELCA, voting members adopted a resolution designating June 17 as a day of repentance and a commemoration of the martyrdom of the Emanuel 9 — the nine people shot and killed on June 17, 2015, during a Bible study at “Mother Emanuel” (Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina). This service is an important step for us on a journey of faithfulness and healing, but I pray that it is only one among many yet to come that move us along the way of costly discipleship to which we have been called until the kingdom of God comes to earth as it is in heaven.

Worship Where You Are! To continue our sense of togetherness in this time of separation, we encourage you to join us to Worship Where You Are this Pentecost Sunday at 9AM & 11AM. As we celebrate the birth of the church, I invite you to wear red and bring red items into your home altar. In the sermon I talk about breathing BOLDLY in a time when many of us have been holding our breath. If you are able, you might bring a candle and jar to your worship space and experience the Children’s Message experiment as you discuss ways that you have been holding your breath and ways you might be inspired to breathe BOLDLY this Pentecost. As we celebrate Holy Communion, remember to make or buy your own bread and wine/juice. For further informatin visit our website at: tllc.org

I don’t know about you, but I am getting pretty tired of social distancing, isolation, and quarantine. Quarantine is a word that takes its meaning from 40 days of isolation, and today also marks day 40 of Easter, which is Ascension Day (the day Jesus ascended to heaven). I am experiencing this quarantine as slightly soul-sucking, but I wonder if that’s because I haven’t used my time like those first disciples did in their time of waiting. I probably need to take a lesson from them as they waited: “All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer,” we are told.

Sunday worship is the centerpiece of our ministry at Triumphat Love. If you couldn’t be present for a service and missed the sermon or if you just want to hear one again, this podcast is for you. We want you to experience God’s grace on the go and wherever you are so that you can celebrate and share this grace with others! We are Triumphant Love Lutheran Church, we are located in Austin Texas, you can find us through our web site at: www.tllc.org

Triumphant Love Lutheran Church located in Austin Texas welcoms you to our Fifth Sunday in Easter Sunday Service. This service may be viewed in full video on our website "www.tllc.org". We Wish all of you a happy Mothers Day.

Please worship with us this Sunday. The Fourth Sunday of Easter. Pastor Danielle Casey presiding and presenting the sermon titled "Do We Know the Psalm or the Shepherd".

We at Triumphane Love Lutheran Church welocme you to joun us this Third Sunday in Easter for our worship service. If you would like to contact us via email use "info@tllc.org.

We at Triumphane Love Lutheran Church welocme you to joun us this Second Sunday in Easter for our worship service. If you would like to contact us via email using "info@tllc.org.

“While It Was Still Dark” ”Very early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb.” This is how John begins his account of the resurrection story. Unlike the other gospels, John’s description notes that Mary Magdalene travels alone, she comes to the tomb in the dark, and we (readers) are outside the tomb ourselves. This description resonates with how many of us feel this Easter. We too are isolated and alone, our world still seems ominously dark, and we find ourselves in the midst of tombs and graves with death tolls rising around us and around the world. How can we celebrate Easter in such a time as this? Maybe we can look to Mary Magdalene as our example. If we do, perhaps we will find that while it is still dark, Easter dawns yet again.

Special Service for Easter Week - Good Friday Service at Triiumphant Love Lutheran Church, Located in Austin, Texas Visit our Website at "www.tllc.org"

Holy Week begins with Palm/Passion Sunday. This day is filled with the jarring contradictions that combine the palm parade with the passion plot. We begin waving palm branches with joyful shouts of “Hosanna,” but by the end of the service we find our own voices joining the shouts of “Crucify Him!” This year our Palm Sunday procession may be particularly peculiar as we process around our houses with homemade palms, but perhaps that is apropos for the peculiar sort of king we follow.

Sundays in Lent Series - Living Water In the midst of challenging times around the world, our scriptures for this Sunday remind us that hope overcomes despair for God’s people. The hope of new life is evident in the story of “dry bones” from Ezekiel. The story begs the question, “How do your bones feel?” The children of Israel declare their bones are dry and their hope is lost. The prophet’s own experience in the valley of dry bones inspires him to preach renewed hope to the people. God answers the very question posed to Ezekiel, “Mortal, can these bones live?” God’s answer demonstrates breathes new life into the people. Likewise, through the power of Christ, our Living Water, baptism renews us. Through the power of the Spirit, God’s living breath, new life is breathed into

“Living Water of Eternal Life” In today’s gospel the Samaritan woman asks Jesus for water, an image of our thirst for God. Jesus offers living water, a sign of God’s grace flowing from the waters of baptism. The early church used this gospel and those of the next two Sundays to deepen baptismal reflection during the final days of preparation before baptism at Easter. As we journey to the resurrection feast, Christ comes among us in word, water, and meal—offering us the life-giving water of God’s mercy and forgiveness. On this World Water Day, we are sent to share the gift of this living water with the world.

Triumphant Love leaders have prayerfully discerned that we will close the TLLC campus including for public worship beginning this Sunday and continuing through the month of March. Knowing that this was a possibility last week, worship leaders have pre-recorded an abbreviated worship service for Sunday, March 15. We encourage you to gather around the kitchen table with bread and wine, a Bible, and a lighted candle; listen to the podcast; and worship where you are. We especially invite you to do so at our normal worship times of 9 and 11 AM. Although we are complying with advice around “social distancing,” we need not feel spiritually distant! We are reminded that we can enter the practice of worship wherever we are.