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Grace and peace to you,
This Sunday we gather together to remember the saints who have gone before us. There are many stories of the saints in particular from this congregation from ages past. Many thanks to MaryAnn Whitfield and her willingness to share this story she wrote about her father, Carl Stern, a faithful saint whom I have never had the privilege to meet. However, when I read MaryAnn's words, I see each of you, carrying on all these calls of life together at HLC that Carl used to do. I have thanks for Carl and for you living saints as you share Christ's light in this place.
The stories our life creates. The opportunities provided for becoming who we are.
When I hear the bell ringing at Hutto Lutheran Church calling worshippers to a service, childhood memories come drifting back back to me.
Ringing the Bell
Sunday mornings
Up early
Important works
of service
To do
Unlock the door
Of the church
Its Swedish founders
Presence still felt
Turn on the heat
When the weather
Carries a chill
Turn on the air conditioning
To cool everyone
When hot days set in
Tend to other needs
That he observes
In the quiet
Sanctuary and Parish Hall
Wind the old clock
That hangs on the wall
Behind the pulpit
A loving touch used
Respecting its beauty
And the messages it delivers
Begin to greet
The early arrivals
The pastor,
Someone brings flowers
For the altar,
The organist
Prepares the music
That will be used,
An altar guild volunteer
Readies the altar paraments
And sets out communion
Soon worshipers arrive
With smiles on their faces
Eager to greet each other
Or sit quietly in the Sanctuary
Surrounded by the beauty
Of the stained glass windows
Carl Stern
With his watchful eye
Looks for needs that might arise
Offers a quiet smile,
A kind greeting,
A welcome for visitors
Then the pastor
Comes forward
To begin the service
With announcements
That can take a while to deliver
Members chime in
With additional information
To share
Carl stands
In the balcony
Looking out
Waiting by the long rope
Attached to the bell
In the belfry
“And now we’ll ring the bell”
The pastor announces
Pulling the rope
With perfect strokes
And rhythm
Carl helps
The bell sing its song
Of welcome
Carl Stern, my father, was a quiet, gentle man who loved Hutto Lutheran Church deeply. He had deep Lutheran roots. His grandfather had been the pastor at Immanuel Lutheran just down the road. After my father and mother married they built a house in Hutto. It was a practical matter for them to join Hutto Lutheran Church. My father sometimes worked Sundays and our family had only one car. Hutto Lutheran was two blocks away. Walking distance for my mother and her children. Soon both my parents became devoted members of the church. Their acts of service often put them in roles of leadership.
My dad loved ringing the church bell. It seemed like the bell was a dear friend. I hold that time at the beginning of the church service as a dear memory. I can vividly picture him ringing the bell.
Another memory that often surfaces comes from a more recent time. My young granddaughter, Carl’s first great grandchild, was sitting in a pew beside me waiting for church to begin. She was only two or three at the time. When the bell began to ring a huge smile spread across her face. Her recent experiences with the ringing of a bell came from riding a little train in a shopping area in a town in Louisiana where she lived. The conductor of the train would ring a bell and call out “All Aboard!” She dearly loved that train. So as soon as she heard the church bell, she called out in her loudest voice “All Abroad!” Smiles appeared on everyone’s faces. A little quiet laughter could be heard. My granddaughter took the smiles and soft laughter as approval for her words. After all, what better way to call a congregation to worship than the invitation given by the words “All Aboard!”
Maryann Whitfield
This Sunday you are invited to light a candle for anyone who has died at any point as you remember the gift of their life and the promise of God's eternal love in their death.
God’s peace,
Pastor Amanda
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