The upper portion of
The Transfiguration by Raphael
portraying Jesus speaking with Moses and Elija
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St. Paul Lutheran Church U.A.C.  
(Historic Name - New Gehlenbeck - Located in Hamel, Illinois)
U.A.C. - Unaltered Augsburg Confession
A Congregation of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
For information About St. Paul | For Pastoral Care | For questions or comments About This Web site.
This site established In the Reign of Our Lord - April 2005, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Hamel, Illinois. 
Guest Book
"School"...Trinity-St. Paul Lutheran School
Society of St. Polycarp
Links...for more information about Lutheran churches
About St. Paul
Sermon Archives
Ask Pastor...
Pastor's Scribblings...
Sermon of the Week
Divine Service Liturgy
What We Believe
TO OUR VISITORS - Welcome to St. Paul Lutheran Church in Hamel, Illinois.  We are glad that you are here.  This site is best viewed in Internet Explorer.  To avoid causing a distraction to content, most navigation links are found at the bottom of this site's pages (excluding this Home Page).  This Web site is updated weekly on Mondays.
St. Paul as seen by night from "Interstate 55" and "Historic Route 66"-"Church of the Neon Cross"
"Daycare"...St. Paul Early Childhood Learning Center
This Week at St. Paul
Aerial View of St. Paul Church and Congregation on the Occasion of the 150th Anniversary
Holy Days Schedule
Includes Links to Readings and Homilies
Contact Us
Visit Us
The Priesthood Prays
Daily Scripture Reading,
Meditation and Prayer
Resources
A Treasury of Prayers
Notice to our visitors - We are working to improve the Sermon Archives pages on this Web site.  During this time, some sermons may be temporarily inaccessible.  We apologize for this.
  "We Preach Christ Crucified"
Jesus Came for Gentiles, Too

The Gospel of Christ is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Gentile (Romans 1:8-17).  Even in the Old Testament, the Gentiles were beneficiaries of God's saving power.  Though unimpressed at first with the Word of God, a Syrian commander is persuaded to receive that Word, and in the water he is cleansed and brought to faith in the God of Israel (2 Kings 5:1-15a).  Evil is overcome by good (Romans 12:16-21).  So also in the New Testament, a Roman centurion demonstrates great and humble faith in the Lord (Matthew 8:1-13).  All he needs is the Word of Christ, for he trusts that Jesus' Word of healing has authority to accomplish what it says.  And indeed it does.  The centurion's faith is praised by our Lord above that of any Israelite.  For the last shall be first, and the first last.  Apart from faith in Christ, there is no salvation--not even for a Jew--but only weeping and gnashing of teeth.
This Week: The Third Sunday after the Epiphany    
The upper portion of The Transfiguration
by Raphael
Readings and Homilies for
New Year's Eve and New Year's Day
Epiphany
Homily
Next Week - Transfiguration