Posts from December 2023
E-Note December 29, 2023
Dear Peace members and friends, The excitement and festivities of Christmas are largely over. Even some of those Christmas decorations are already put away! Now is a good time for us to ponder the meaning of the coming of God in the flesh, Jesus Christ. Christ has been born in Bethlehem. But what has changed? We go back to our routines. And yet, in the world, it’s New Year’s Eve weekend. As the old year ends and the new year…
CYF Blast December 28, 2023
Dear Families and Friends of Peace, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend, and that you were able to spend quality time with the people you love. And I hope that the joy that Christmas brings extends in your homes throughout this weekend and beyond as well. Here at Peace, we’ll be continuing the celebrations. This weekend will be the first Sunday after Christmas, and then we begin the six-week season of…
E-Note December 22, 2023
Dear Peace members and friends, “You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” —Psalm 16:11 When I went to the Shrine Circus in grade school there were, of course, clowns. I remember the clown car pulling into the main ring. And the clowns would come piling out, one after another after another after another. How many clowns can fit inside of a tiny clown car? Enough to…
CYF Blast December 21, 2023
Dear Families and Friends of Peace, Christmas blessings to all! First, a huge thank you to everyone who helped make the Christmas Program possible! Sunday was such a joyous morning of worship, and all of the Sunday School children did an amazing job. Through their singing and acting, they shared both the Christmas story and the love of God. As I mentioned on Sunday and wrote in the bulletin, it took a great team of people to bring everything together,…
E-Note December 15, 2023
Dear Peace members and friends, I’m looking forward to Sunday and one of the highlights of the year: the Children’s Christmas program (9:30am). Actually it’s more than that! It’s less a program than it is worship. The participants are not only children, but the Peace Choir and all of us gathered together. Though it is still Advent, we will get to hear the Christmas story told and sung about by the children of the congregation. They have been working hard on their parts and they are excited! Join us for a wonderful…
CYF Blast December 14, 2023
Dear Families and Friends of Peace, This Sunday will be a very special day, as we will be hosting the annual Peace Christmas Program. This year’s program is called “Heaven to Earth: A Service of Lessons and Carols.” We have 29 Sunday School Singers participating; the Alleluia Singers and the Peace Choir will both sing as well. They’ve all been doing a wonderful job rehearsing and preparing and are so excited to praise God with you on Sunday–because you all, as a congregation, will play a part…
E-Note December 8, 2023
Dear Peace members and friends, It was terrific to see so many of you at Advent worship on Wednesday. To gather this time of year in the evening; to share a meal and conversation; to worship quietly—well, it was wonderful, thank you! Advent evening worship (6:30pm) and a light meal (5:30-6:15pm) continue this coming Wednesday, December 13th. Join in! Coming up this weekend is the Third Sunday of Advent. In the Gospels, there are two main Advent characters: John the Baptist and Mary, the mother of Jesus. Last Sunday, John the Baptist was…
CYF Blast December 7, 2023
Dear Families and Friends of Peace, This week I’d like to share some thoughts from last night’s conversation during Confirmation, which I think are incredibly important for all of as we read and do our best to make sense of the Bible. After focusing on the Ten Commandments last week, this week our Confirmation group focused on all 613 of the laws given in the first five books of the Bible. The laws existed to help people better love God and their neighbors…
E-Note December 1, 2023
Dear Peace members and friends, Coming up this weekend is the Second Sunday of Advent. We will mark the progress of Advent by lighting a second candle on the Advent wreath. The candles represent the coming of Jesus, the Light of the World. Zechariah says as much in the Gospel: “By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness…..” We will continue our sermon series, “Heaven to Earth” with that theme of light.…
CYF Blast November 30, 2023
Dear Families and Friends of Peace, This past Sunday was the first Sunday in the season of Advent—the four weeks that lead up to Christmas (similar to how Lent is the season that precedes Easter). For us, Advent is a season of hopeful expectation. Over 2000 years have past since Christ’s birth, and we know what we’re going to celebrate on Christmas—that God came to us in the flesh, fully God yet fully human—through the birth of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Yet…