As we take time to pause and reflect on this 4th of July, I am reminded of one of my favorite memories of this national holiday.  Just before our son was born 12 years ago, we moved into a diverse, urban neighborhood in Milwaukee called “Riverwest.”  For a number of reasons, this little neighborhood was unique and close-knit.  One of the ways in which this manifested was in their annual 4th of July celebration.  Unlike the parades of my childhood, where we carved out our little space with our lawn chairs by the side of the road to watch floats and fire trucks drive by (a m ..read more

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me…to proclaim liberty to the captives.” - Isaiah 61:1 Many are familiar with the Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, officially abolishing slavery in the United States. Sadly, this declaration of freedom took over two more years to be enforced in the Confederate state of Texas and to reach the enslaved people living there. But on June 19, 1865 (now celebrated as “Juneteenth”) in Galveston Bay, Texas, liberation was finally ordered for 250,000 enslaved black people in the state. Many African Americans learned of their liberati ..read more

Celebrating Pride Month A message from our rector The final questions asked of the people in our baptismal covenant are “Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?” and “Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?” In these sacred vows, we commit ourselves to exemplify God’s love for every person without exceptions. Christians living out these vows toward all people is good news for the whole world, and it’s also the basis for our celebration of Pride this June.  This month, we pause to give t ..read more

We hope you have a great Thanksgiving! As you gather to celebrate with those we love, let us remember to thank God for all of the gifts of this life. To help us do that, we have prepared a litany of prayer from the Book of Common Prayer (p837) for your use. This short prayer litany can be led by anyone before or during your Thanksgiving celebration. Before you begin, let everyone know their response to each petition will be “We thank you, Lord.” You may also pause briefly at each line and invite specific prayers of thanks for each topic. Name * First Name Last Name Email * Checkbox Tell us abo ..read more

During our season of stewardship, our community is discerning one question in prayer together, “God, where do you want me in my giving?” We’ve asked our leaders to share stories of gratitude for ways they have witnessed the generosity of God’s people. By Fr. Shawn McCain Tirres One of my favorite things to do is baptize. I especially enjoy the packed room around the baptismal font with kids in the “splash zone” and the excitement of welcoming a new member into the household of God. You recall we light a candle from the large “Christ candle” and give it to the newly baptized, saying, “Receive ..read more

A Letter from the Rector For the conflict in the Holy Land I know that many of us have been following the events in the Holy Land and the tragic loss of life for Palestinians and Israelis. Bishop Andy Doyle recently wrote to the diocese about this,  The news is devastating and sad. The Patriarchs of Jerusalem reminds us, “Our faith, which is founded on the teachings of Jesus Christ, compels us to advocate for the cessation of all violent and military activities that bring harm to both Palestinian and Israeli civilians.” With them, I ‘unequivocally condemn any acts that target civilians ..read more

Why Does Life Seem So Restless? For our world, the hustle and non-stop pace of life seems totally normal. But I don’t think we can enter the Kingdom of God at break-neck speeds. There’s a better way. “Sabbath” is a word that literally means “stop.” It comes from the Hebrew Shabbat. But it’s more than just a moment of inactivity, or a break from the fast pace of the world—Sabbath is a way of life. In fact, it is so essential to human flourishing that God made the fourth commandment is about Sabbath. Life built on a rest in God is one that really takes hold of Jesus invitation to all those who w ..read more

This Sunday, August 25 2019, we are commissioning Rez's first lay catechist! It's a really big deal and for really good reason. But "catechist" and "catechesis" aren't words we often hear, if ever. If you're wondering what catechesis is, we wanted to give you a quick introduction, adapted from our Anglican catechism: To Be A Christian. It's about making disciples:Christian Catechesis (from the Greek katecheo: “to instruct”) is an essential part of Christian disciple-making. It is a process aimed at making clear to everyone what it means to be a Christian. It lays out what is essential for Chr ..read more

An invitation of the Spirit's work in us If you missed our Pentecost celebration last Sunday, we considered how the Holy Spirit has empowered the church to participate with God for the sake of others. Fr. Shawn shared stories of how Pentecost is already seen and put to work by so many in our community. When we see those gifts at work we are reminded that we have everything we need as a parish to thrive, joining in God's mission in South Austin.   To help you join in, we've put together a brief survey of questions. Take a few minutes to fill this out so we can learn how to best sup ..read more

Resurrection family,  As I preached on Palm Sunday, it is appropriate to have some nervous joy as we anticipate the journey we have begun this week. You should know that the staff and I are praying for you all this week. To help each of us enter into this most holy occasion, I thought I'd write a brief guide to Holy Week with some practical notes about what you can expect this week.   Service times: Maundy Thursday 6:00 PM Good Friday 6:00 PM Holy Saturday Vigil 9:00 AM-Noon Easter Sunday 10:00 AM (party following) Childcare for 0-2 yrs will be provided for Thursday a ..read more