Posts by Pastor Mark Nelson (Page 6)

Dear Peace members and friends, Coming up this weekend is the Second Sunday of Advent. We will mark the progress of Advent by lighting a second candle on the Advent wreath. The candles represent the coming of Jesus, the Light of the World. Zechariah says as much in the Gospel: “By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness…..” We will continue our sermon series, “Heaven to Earth” with that theme of light.…

Dear Peace members and friends, Thanksgiving Day is past and, all of sudden, Advent and Christmas are upon us. This year, with the 4th Sunday of Advent on Christmas Eve Day, we decided to jump ahead on many church calendars and begin Advent this coming Sunday. I love Advent; the promise and hope in it. I love the weeks of preparation. I love the anticipation of the celebration of Christmas. Advent in church begins with the hymn, “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence.” The hymn has a deep,…

Dear Peace members and friends, Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! I hope this holiday is a blessed one for you; even in the midst of whatever challenges you are facing. As I write that, I think of Paul’s words: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).” My response? “Really, Paul? Really?” Every day there are reasons not to feel grateful and not to give…

Dear Peace members and friends, It’s hard to believe but it’s Thanksgiving week just around the corner! And what better way to begin the week than to join us in worship on Sunday and our second Sunday in a two-week stewardship emphasis. What is stewardship, anyway? Stewardship begins with God. From the Psalmist we hear: “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it.” It’s God’s, all of it! Sometimes I slip into thinking that says, “I have stuff and time and I give…

Dear Peace members and friends, I have many things to share with you today; things about Sunday’s worship, Harvest Pack, and Veteran’s Day. But first, a word about grace. As Lutheran Christians, we hear the word “grace”……a lot. What is grace? Frederick Buechner defines the word in this way: “Grace is something you can never get but can only be given. There’s no way to earn it or deserve it or bring it about any more than you can deserve the taste of raspberries and cream…

Dear Peace members and friends, First of all, don’t forget to turn your clocks back on Sunday! Here’s one reason why: it’s All Saints Sunday, one of my favorite days in the life of the church…..and you want to be in worship. Every year this festival calls us to remember that Jesus Christ has made all the world a thin place between the living and the dead. Saints are not simply the dead in Christ. Saints, according to the New Testament, are any believers who…

Dear Peace members and friends, Sunday is Reformation Sunday. We celebrate the good news of God’s grace in Jesus Christ that the Apostle Paul discovered and wrote about in the book of Romans and that Martin Luther rediscovered in his life; good news that changed him, the church, changed history, and still transforms us. I’ll say more in a message, “But Now…..” Also on this festival Sunday, the Peace Choir sing, Pastor Joe will have a Children’s Message, and, of course, we will gather together around the altar in Holy Communion. Reformation: a great day in…

Dear Peace members and friends, At the end of this e-note, I send along a letter of appreciation from Bishop, Sani-Ibrahim Azar, the Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL). After all that has happened in Israel/Palestine this week, I hope you’ll take a moment to read his words of faith and gratitude. “Teacher, is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” “Should we or shouldn’t we, Jesus? Yes or no?” Jesus has been teaching about…

October 13, 2023 Dear Peace members and friends, As this week has gone on, we have been shocked and heartbroken as we have learned of the increasing violence of the conflict between Hamas and Israel and the growing number of deaths and injuries. At the end of this e-note there are some comments and a prayer that I encourage you to pray for those in Israel/Palestine. This Sunday we continue our sermon series, “The Hard Sayings of Jesus.” I think one of the hardest things about…

Dear Peace members and friends, I came out the door this morning on my way to church, and I immediately asked myself, “What happened to summer?!?” Then, upon getting to the office, I read again the Gospel for this Sunday. It was summer in Galilee, too. Winds blowing off the Mediterranean from the west. (Sounds wonderful!) Luke says that great crowds followed Jesus, “…..thousands, so that the trampled on one another (12:1).” Jesus was catching on, becoming a celebrity. Then Jesus, along the way,…

Dear Peace members and friends, I’m looking forward to Sunday! In worship we begin a new sermon series, “Hard Sayings of Jesus.” Jesus was a teacher and, often, he got a strong response. He told stories and one-liners that turned the common views of God and us upside down. As a result, Jesus offended some people…or just left them more than a little confused and puzzled! So, over these next weeks, we’re going to look at some of those hard sayings of Jesus and unpack…

Dear Peace members and friends, A blessed and good fall Friday morning to all of you! I’m looking forward to Sunday…..for many reasons. There’s worship, for one. Worshipping together is at the center of everything we do at Peace. It is, simply, why we exist. Taking time to thank God for all our blessings, refresh our faith for the week ahead, and be in community with one another sustains both you as an individual and all of us as a congregation. The time…