St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church

Part of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

417 Howertown Road
Catasauqua, PA 18032
ph: 610-264-3221
fax: 610-264-5732

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When a Yoke Means Freedom

Jesus said "Come to me all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light (Matt. 11:28-30)." Jesus offers a yoke to tired listeners and tells them that a yoke will give them rest. The yoke as a means to rest was a strange idea for the disciples. A yoke as a means to rest ought to sound strange to us, as well. The early hearers of this biblical passage would have known a yoke to be a means of engaging the energy of oxen as heavy lifters in the enterprise of farming. Yokes are still employed in our world and they are still a burden and a way of harnessing animal's hard work, especially in places where people don't have access to the internal combustion engine. The first ancient readers or hearers of Matthew also viewed a yoke as a symbol of obedience to God's law and wisdom. ayrex login

Generally, our instinct is to resist yokes and laws, or at least not immediately connect them with the idea of freedom. Through the image of the yoke, however, Jesus invites us to think of God's law and wisdom as a means to surrender, give way, and accept something graceful and positive—rest, ease, lightness. Jesus reframes the idea of a yoke by telling us that a yoke will help us grow as disciples. The gospel links humility to freedom.

Summer 2011 Worship Service

July 3: 3rd Sunday after Pentecost
9:15a.m. – Holy Comm (Sanctuary)

July 10: 4th Sunday after Pentecost
8:00 a.m. – Spoken HolyCommn
9:15 a.m. – Worship (Chapel)

July 17: 5th Sunday after Pentecost
8:00 a.m. – Spoken Holy Comm
9:15 a.m. – Holy Communion (Chapel)

July 24: 6th Sunday after Pentecost
8:00 a.m. – Spoken Holy Comm
9:15 a.m. – Worship (Chapel)

July 31: 7th Sunday after Pentecost
8:00 a.m. – Spoken Holy Comm
9:15 a.m. – Worship (Chapel)

August 7: 8th Sunday after Pentecost
8:00 a.m. – Spoken Holy Comm
9:15 a.m. – Holy Communion (Chapel)

August 14: 9th Sunday after Pentecost
8:00 a.m. – Spoken Holy Comm
9:15 a.m. – Worship (Chapel)

August 21: 10th Sunday after Pentecost
8:00 a.m. – Spoken Holy Comm
9:15 a.m. – Holy Communion (Chapel)

August 28: 11th Sunday after Pentecost
8:00 a.m. – Spoken Holy Comm
9:15 a.m. – Worship (Chapel)

at St. Paul's

Summer worship services will begin on Sunday, June 19^th. From then until Labor Day, all worship services will be held in our air-conditioned and wheelchair-accessible chapel.

Spoken Holy Communion will still be celebrated every Sunday at 8:00 a.m.
Second worship service will be held at 9:15 a.m. Holy Communion for this service will continue to be celebrated on the first and third Sundays of each month and music will be provided by our family choir and anyone is welcome to participate! See Mike Fister for more information

Additionally, as in recent years there will be one joint Epistle for the months of July and August.

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417 Howertown Road
Catasauqua, PA 18032
ph: 610-264-3221
fax: 610-264-5732