Posts by Pastor Joe Orner (Page 5)

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…

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,…

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…

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…

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…

Dear Families and Friends of Peace, A very happy Thanksgiving to you all! As you gather together with family and friends this weekend, I pray that your time together would be filled with love and joy. That you would be able to laugh over old stories, see the smiles of your loved ones across tables of delicious food, feel the satisfaction of a full stomach, and enjoy a time of peace and rest and relaxation (after everyone helps clean up!).  And as…

Dear Peace Parents and Families, Last Friday, November 10th, our Confirmation students had the privilege of visiting Temple Israel, a Jewish synagogue in Minneapolis. Temple Israel describes themselves as an “urban congregation dedicated to serving a diverse community,” and it was actually the first synagogue established in Minneapolis. Additionally, it’s currently one of the ten largest Jewish congregations in the United States.  We began the evening with a tour the synagogue and some conversation time with our host, Jonathan. After, we…

Dear Peace Parents and Families, As we move through November and daylight “savings” time has hit, it’s clear that warm and  colorful fall has officially become cold and dull fall. For me personally, all the seasonal change can be pretty challenging–especially as it gets so dark so early.   I have a distinct memory from a few years ago that describes my viewpoint on late fall well. Looking for something to help improve my mood, I went to Bed Bath and Beyond…

Dear Peace Parents and Families, Thanks to everyone who came out to our Trunk or Treat event this last Saturday—and for persevering through the cold weather! I was so grateful to all those who hosted trunks as well. Each of you displayed top-notch hospitality and creativity.  In reflection on the event, I want to give you a small look into how big of an impact you all had. Three examples: This event truly would not be possible without you—kids, parents, trunk hosts, community…

Dear Peace Parents and Families, Over the last two weeks, students in Confirmation and Sunday School have been working on a service project—making care packages to send to Peace’s college students around the country.  I’ve been so impressed with the time and intentionality all of the students put into making their cards and the kind and encouraging notes they wrote inside. And I know that our college students will really appreciate receiving the packages too—especially as they prepare for their upcoming midterm exams, projects,…

Dear Peace Parents and Families, We’re just one week away—Trunk or Treat is almost here! Next Saturday, October 28, from 3:30-4:30pm (people hosting trunks should arrive at 3:00pm), we are so excited to welcome kids and families from all across our neighborhood and community for this event. With your help, we hope to greet them with a wonderful and joyous hospitality, which will include plenty of candy, smiles, and laughs—and I’m sure there will be plenty of all three to go around! …

Dear Peace Parents and Families, It’s been very disheartening to see and hear about the terrible acts of violence and war that are occurring in the Middle East; it’s even more tragic to see and hear how those acts of violence have affected children and families and communities and countless innocent people. It’s times like these when it’s important to turn to our loved ones for support and to God in prayer. As we also navigate how to discuss violence…