St. Paul Lutheran Church - Drawing by Kevin Berndt

Take a look at the serigraph

 Can you see animals in this picture?  Take a look at it in our sanctuary. If you can count five animals, you score Fair. If you count 10, you score Good.  Over 15.....Excellent.  (Tell us how many animals there are in the picture!)

Joining the permanent collection of religious artworks at St. Paul is a new work by an aboriginal Canadian. "Art is everything. When God created earth, that was art," said Dene native artist Archie Bealieu. ideas for his paintings come from the land and even his dreams. As a member of the Dogrib First nation, and a native of Ft. Rae, NWT, Archie is an active Roman Catholic and supporter of "On Eagles' Wings" ecumenical ministry. Traditions of the Dene people and animals of the north are the main subjects of his work. His originals are in the collection of Queen Elizabeth II and Pope John Paul II. Our VBS volunteers with "On Eagles' Wings" saw the original painting in Yellow-knife, NWT this past July. This signed, limited edition print is a gift to St. Paul from several donors.

The Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene

According to the ancient tradition of the East, Mary Magdalene was a wealthy woman from whom Christ expelled seven demons.  During the three years of Jesus' ministry she helped support Him and His other disciples with her money.  When almost everyone else fled, she stayed with Him at the cross.  On Easter morning she was the first to bear witness to the resurrection of Jesus.  She is called "Equal to the Apostles."  The Eastern tradition tells us that after the Ascension she journeyed to Rome where she was admitted to the court of Tiberius Caesar because of her high social standing.  After describing how poorly Pilate had administered justice at Jesus' trail, she told Caesar that Jesus had risen from the dead.  To help explain His resurrection she picked up an egg from the dinner table.  Caesar responded that a human being could no more rise from the dead than the egg in her hand turn red.  The egg turned red immediately, which is why red eggs have been exchanged at Easter for centuries in the Byzantine East.

Mary traveled the Mediterranean preaching the resurrection.  Like Peter and Paul, she died a martyr.  She bears witness to the important role women once played in the Church.

This icon was commissioned for Grace Cathedral in San Francisco to commemorate the election of Barbara Harris, the first woman bishop in the Anglican communion.

The inscription at the bottom of the the icon reads: "Saint Mary Magdalene."  This title is written in Syriac, a dialect of the language spoken by Jesus.  The Gospel comes to us most directly, not from Rome or Greece, but from the deserts of the Middle East.  We owe our faith to Semitic Christians such as Mary Magdalene.