Posts from November 2024
E-note November 29, 2024
Peace Members and Friends, Thanksgiving Day is past and, all of sudden, Advent and Christmas are upon us! Advent in church begins with the hymn, “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence.” The hymn has a deep, full melody that goes all the way back to the chants of the 4th century. The hymn also reminds us of something important: that the story of Christmas we are about to retell and the event we are about to celebrate again did not…
CYF Blast November 28, 2024
Dear Families and Friends of Peace, Happy Thanksgiving to all! Today and this weekend, as you gather with family and friends, it’s my prayer that your time together would be filled with love, joy, and gratitude; that you would be able to enjoy laughter and smiles with everyone gathered at your tables, and that the thankfulness shared would fill you with faith, hope, and love. And as we give thanks for the blessings in our lives, I pray that our…
E-note November 22, 2024
Dear Peace Members and Friends, It was 1925. Benito Mussolini had been Prime Minister of Italy for 3 years. In Germany, Adolf Hitler had been out of jail for a year and his Nazi party was thriving. And—on top of all that—the world lay in a Great Depression. The Pope at the time, Pius IX, saw these authoritarian governments rising around him. His response? He established the festival of Christ the King, reminding Christians everywhere of who was ultimately in charge. “Nevertheless,”…
CYF Blast November 22, 2024
Dear Families and Friends of Peace, On Sunday our Confirmation students had their fall retreat. Aligning with the year’s theme, “What is Church?” we visited two ELCA congregations that are very different from Peace, and each other—Central Lutheran and Fabric, both in Minneapolis. Pastor Stephanie Friesen described Central’s history for us, saying: “The short story of Central is that we are a 107-year-old congregation that was started by 12 local, Lutheran businessmen who saw the need of a unified Lutheran church in Minneapolis. There…
E-note November 15, 2024
Dear Peace Members and Friends, It was a great Sunday last week with Harvest Pack. Over 15,000 meals were packed by over 80 volunteers. My thanks to the each and every one of you who packed, those who came to church early to set up tables and equipment, and all those who loaded up the truck and cleaned up afterwards. A special thanks to our church Administrator, Lori Thomson for organizing the event and directing our activities. The meals that…
CYF Blast November 14, 2024
Dear Families and Friends of Peace, This Sunday is Stewardship Sunday. And as I reflect on my personal and our communal stewardship of time, talents, and resources, one of my favorite aspects of our Sunday morning church services happens during the offering—it’s the children’s offering. Each week it is a delight to see the children come forward to participate in this great act of generosity. Always with smiles on their faces, they joyfully bring gifts forward that glorify God–gifts that…
E-note November 8, 2024
Dear Peace Members and Friends, I was reminded Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, as the election results came in, of sports announcer Jim McKay’s famous line accompanying the ski jumper falling off the end of the jump; the line that opened ABC’s Wide World of Sports when I was growing up: “The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.” For those who are relieved about the election outcomes and those who grieve about them, one thing remains true: We believe…
CYF Blast November 7, 2024
Dear Families and Friends of Peace, This past weekend we observed All Saints Sunday. It is a day in which we honor all the saints—past, present, and future—by remembering the dead and celebrating the baptized. And as Lutherans, we have a unique understanding of sainthood. While Catholics venerate exceptional individuals who have performed miracles or done amazing things with their lives, as Lutherans we believe that every person is a saint. Because it’s in the waters of baptism that we are sealed by the…
E-note November 1, 2024
Dear Peace Members and Friends, First of all, don’t forget that daylight saving time ends on Sunday. So remember to turn your clocks back on Sunday or just remember that they do it all by themselves! Here’s one reason why: you want to be rested and ready for Sunday morning. It’s All Saint’s Sunday! The day is not as big a blip on the calendar as Halloween or Election Day, but it is a significant day for Christians, even so. If Halloween is masks-on day then…