Posts by Pastor Mark Nelson

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…

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…

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…

Dear Peace Members and Friends,  Sunday is Reformation Sunday beginning with worship (9:30am). While other Protestants join in, the day is a particularly Lutheran celebration which commemorates the witness of Martin Luther, the beginnings of an historical movement that swept Europe and changed the western Church—all are important and all have influenced us.   Nevertheless, they are not the center of gravity for Lutherans. There is something else at the core of the Reformation that changed us then….. and still does.…

Dear Peace Members and Friends,  As I write this, I’m looking out on a beautiful fall day. I hope all of you are pausing a moment to take it all in!  I’m looking forward to this Sunday! In worship (9:30am), we’ll hear a powerful Gospel. Jesus’ disciples are obsessing about who will be closest to Jesus, leading Jesus to teach them and us something about God’s take on importance and power. What makes us great in God’s eyes? I’ll talk…

Dear Peace Members and Friends,  Before I get to this Sunday’s worship and activities, I want to remind you of the aftermath of both of the recent hurricanes in our nation’s southeast. Yesterday, I spoke with Peace members who winter in Florida, and they came through okay, other than they expect the electrical power to be out for days (3-4?). Still, while Milton and Helene have passed through, devastation remains. What can we do? First, pray for all those who have lost so much. Second, you can…

Peace Members and Friends,  This was an energizing week at Peace! Wednesday Bible studies, Confirmation studies, and Choir are in full swing. A group gathered to make quilts. Older adults met here at church for lunch and fellowship. Plans are being made for welcoming new members in October and, further out, for some of the biggest occasions of the year; Reformation and All Saints Sundays, Advent, and Christmas. Through all these events and plans life is given and life is…

Dear Peace Members and Friends,  On Sunday, we’re going to hear about angels; yes angels! This year, the annual festival Michael and All Angels (September 29th) falls on a Sunday so angels it is. And not the top-of-the-Christmas-tree-kinds-of-angels or Hallmark angels, either! We’re going to hear from Scripture about the chief angel, Michael, and his angels fighting with dragons and their angels. We don’t have to get hung up on whether we believe in angels or not to wonder about…

Dear Peace Members and Friends,  It’s been such a good, good start-up here at Peace, with so many exciting things happening! Sunday School, Adult Education, Peace Choir, Confirmation, Bible study; new classes, new groups, and new faces. I am grateful to you and our life together as we get on with a new ministry year!  That excitement continues this Sunday. Rev. Dr. Chris Thomforde returns to the Adult Education Hour (10:45am) for the second of two presentations on, “What Does…

Dear Peace Members and Friends,   I’m really looking forward to Sunday! In the Adult Education hour (10:45-11:45am) we will welcome Rev. Dr. Chris Thomforde for the first of two Sundays speaking on the timely topic, “What Does It Mean to Be a Christian Citizen?” A Long Island native, Chris comes to us with an impressive and diverse background: college president (St. Olaf, Bethany, Eastern Moravian College and Seminary); chaplaincy at Susquehanna and Colgate Universities; ELCA pastor; professor of Western Languages…

Dear Peace Members and Friends,  Kids are back to school, vacations are ending, and we’re getting ready for an exciting fall at Peace! We celebrate this weekend with Gathering Sunday! Following worship all are invited outdoors for a Fall Kickoff Festival. We’ll have food, games, and activities.    In worship (9:30), after a summer of sermon series’, we return to the Gospel of Mark. In some ways, its message is simple. In the very first verse of the very first chapter…

Dear Peace Members and Friends,  This Sunday in worship (9:30am), we conclude our sermon series, “Ordinary People” with a look at Timothy. 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus are usually called “the Pastoral Letters,” partly because Paul is acting as a pastor to Timothy and Titus and partly because he is writing to instruct them in their own pastoral ministries. Paul is anxious that Christians should allow the gospel to transform their lives as well as those they are leading. Pastor Joe will tell us more…