Posts by Pastor Mark Nelson (Page 2)

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…

Dear Peace Members and Friends,  It’s State Fair time and September is approaching quickly. A reminder: Gathering Sunday is September 8th, including a “Fall Festival” for all ages. More information will follow but mark it on your calendars!   On Sunday in worship (9:30am), we continue our sermon series, “Ordinary People” with a look at Gideon. When a messenger of the Lord greets him, he is a farmer threshing wheat, and one of God’s people struggling to exist. Gideon is surprised…

Dear Peace Members and Friends,  September is right around the corner and I have a reminder for you at the bottom of this note.  But first, a word about this Sunday’s worship (9:30am). I was chatting with a friend the other day and we were commiserating over what seemed to be a long, long list of nasty, cruel behavior and talk that we’d been about hearing in the news. Finally he just blurted out, “Doesn’t anyone know how to be…

Dear Peace Members and Friends,  Do you want to be wise? We need go no further than King Solomon to look for the answer.King Solomon was famous for his great wisdom. There wasn’t a riddle he couldn’t crack with one hand tied behind his back and there came a point where people figured that if anything clever was said anywhere, it must have been Solomon who originally said it, and the whole Biblical book of Proverbs is attributed to him.…

Dear Peace Members and Friends,  During these last weeks, we have been in a sermon series, “Ordinary People.” We all know the principal characters in the Bible—Abraham and Sarah, Mary, Paul, Peter—and, of course, Jesus, the focus of the Bible for all Christians. (As Martin Luther said, “The Bible is the cradle wherein Christ is laid.”) Yet, there are lesser-known characters in the Bible that we rarely, if ever, hear about; those people through whose lives God made a difference…

Dear Peace Members and Friends,  Thank you for both the meaningful and fun “Hymn Sing” last Sunday! You chose terrific hymns and you sang them wonderfully. Once again, I was reminded what a singing congregation Peace is! I’m already looking forward to this the next hymn sing. It will be a part of our Sunday worship on August 11th. Mark the day on your calendars!    In this Sunday’s worship (9:30am), we, continue our sermon series, “Ordinary People in the Bible.” I would be willing to bet that…

Dear Peace Members and Friends,  I’m looking forward to this Sunday’s worship (9:30am)! For one, we’re having a “Hymn Sing.” And that means during the portion of worship where we typically share in the Lord’s Supper, we will instead sing hymns that have been chosen by you—yes you. We’ll take a few minutes at the beginning of the service so you can look up your hymns. In the meantime, you might want to be pondering your hymn choice!   In worship, we’ll also continue with our sermon…

Dear Peace Members,  Yesterday, we had another gathering of older adults at church. It was terrific! I’ll say more in a moment.  But first, let me remind you: Moses would have had a hard time getting a management job these days.   As a matter of fact, he might have had a hard time getting any job. Why? Not simply because he was a murderer and a fugitive from the law, but he himself admitted he was a lousy speaker. Instead, God called him to be…