Posts from 2023 (Page 12)
2/22/2023 Lenten Daily Devotional
Ash Wednesday, February 22 Psalm 51:1-17 1Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.2Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.3For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.4Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment.5Indeed, I was born guilty,…
E-Note Febuary 17, 2023
Dear Peace Members and Friends, Our Epiphany sermon series, “Jesus Rediscovered” concludes Sunday with the question: “Why Jesus?” With Bible readings from Galatians and John’s Gospel in hand, Pastor Joe will remind us why God gave us Jesus and what it means for our following him. We will also receive new members, Jim and Carolyn Bergum, Marcia Craig, and Mona Gerike. Join me in welcoming them to Peace this Sunday! Following worship, the Education Hour will start (10:45am), and we’ll continue with the series, “On Faith and Justice with ‘A Peace…
CYF Blast & Family Tip Of The Week February 16, 2023
Dear Peace Families, Lent begins next week on Ash Wednesday (February 22). And as we approach the season that leads up to Easter, I realize that there is a misnomer about Lent—it’s a pervasive one, but not one that is necessarily biblical. In my growing years, however, it’s one that I used to believe too. It is the belief that Lent is all about sin, suffering, and death. And because of that, we need to engage in practices of…
E-Note Febuary 10, 2023
Dear Peace Members and Friends, I’m looking forward to being back in worship with you on Sunday. We will continue our Epiphany worship series, “Jesus Rediscovered.” We have made our way through just some of the different Jesus’ that I, and maybe you, have known: friend, teacher, Savior, Lord, and way. This Sunday, we’ll look at another Jesus; “Jesus….As Presence.” What does it mean to say, Jesus is “present”? How do we experience Jesus’ presence? I’ll say more on Sunday. Following worship, the Education Hour will…
CYF Blast & Family Tip Of The Week February 9, 2023
Dear Peace Families, Last Saturday our Confirmation students enjoyed a day-long retreat at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter. The time at Gustavus is always a highlight for the students—many have never been to a college campus before, and everyone gets excited for something new and different. After our fall retreat was spent learning about world religions and visiting their houses of worship, this day was spent learning about Christian denominations, and Lutheranism in particular. Our closing time was spent…
E-Note Febuary 3, 2023
Dear Peace Members and Friends, On Sunday in worship we will continue with our sermon series, “Rediscovering Jesus.” We have looked at Jesus as Friend, as Teacher, and as Savior. This weekend, Pastor Joe will continue the series with a message entitled, “Rediscovering Jesus: Way.” Pastor Joe writes, “There are so many ways we can describe Jesus, but what do we do when other people misunderstand our beliefs about Jesus? How do we respond when preconceived notions about what we believe…
CYF Blast & Family Tip Of The Week February 2, 2023
Dear Peace Families, In about three weeks, the season of Lent will begin. When I shared this with our Confirmation class last evening, one student replied, “You mean like the lint that gets stuck in my belly button?” No, not that… Lent is the season that precedes Easter and is symbolic of the 40 days that Jesus spent wandering in the wilderness before beginning his ministry. Beginning on Ash Wednesday (February 22), we are reminded of our finite mortality as well as our…
E-Note January 27, 2023
Dear Peace Members and Friends of Peace, I want to first thank the many of you who responded to Wednesday’s email and its urgent call to help clothe, in this cold, cold weather, some Ecuadoran refugee students who will begin school in Bloomington next week. I also want to thank those who have answered the call for the need of infant diapers at VEAP (and John Sandness’ great joke to inspire that effort. You had to be there in worship last week. It was good!). In the name of Christ,…
CYF Blast & Family Tip Of The Week January 26, 2023
Dear Peace Families, This Sunday after worship, we will all gather together for the Peace annual meeting. During the meeting, we will review and rejoice in our 2022 ministries , elect new church council members, pass our 2023 budget, and hear some of the wonderful ways God is moving through our community. In addition, the annual report itself contains ministry reports from Pastor Mark and me; Council President Scott Moe; Treasurer Gayle Haugen; and from the Worship and Music Committee, CYF…
E-Note January 20, 2023
Dear Peace Members and Friends, In 1966, Minnesota musician Bob Dylan in an interview reported that he had “done everything I wanted to do.” “So, to what do you have to look forward?” Dylan responded: “Salvation. Just plain salvation.” When the interviewer pressed him further about what he meant by “salvation,” Dylan said, “I’d also like to start a cookbook magazine….I want to referee a heavyweight championship fight.” I’m not sure if Dylan’s answer was tongue-in-cheek (I suspect so!), but…
CYF Blast & Family Tip Of The Week January 19, 2023
Dear Peace Families, On Sunday, eleven elementary aged students and their parents got to enjoy our annual communion class. While Peace gives communion to everyone who wants it—therefore we don’t have a “first communion” like many of us adults may have had in the past—this class gave students the opportunity to learn more about communion, why we do it, why it’s important, and where it comes from. The group also got to enjoy a meal together, do a taste test…
E-Note January 13, 2023
January 13, 2023 Dear Peace Members and Friends, I started kindergarten sometime around 1960 or ’61. My Mom brought my twin brother and me to (now long gone) St. Patrick Church school on 102nd Street between Xerxes and Penn Avenues. This was a whole new experience. Now I had a desk and I had to sit in it. There were rules on how to behave (I spent some quiet time in the hallway!). That fall, Sunday School changed, too. Now there…