E-notes (Page 10)

January 6, 2023 Dear Peace Members, I hope you’re digging out from all the snow and staying warm! Meanwhile, I can think of no better way to begin the new year than to be able to look ahead this next month to our life and ministry together at Peace. Here are just a few examples: And that’s just in January! The start of a new year is an ideal time to jump into something new, to return, or to invite a friend or…

December 30, 2022 Dear Peace Members, We’ll still be celebrating Christmas this Sunday in worship (9:30am). In the Christian tradition, dating back to at least 587, the 12 days from December 25 to January 5 were a time of celebration and joy recalling the stories of Jesus’ birth and the few stories that we still have about Jesus’ youth. Some are hard to imagine, such as Jesus, Mary, and Joseph fleeing King Herod and going to Egypt. Pastor Joe will…

December 22, 2022 “I am not alone at all, I thought. I was never alone at all. And that, of course, is the message of Christmas. We are never alone. Not when the night is darkest, the wind coldest, the world seemingly most indifferent. For this is still the time God chooses.” –Taylor Caldwell Dear Peace Members, As you likely know, the song “Silent Night” was famously written in the midst of a near disastrous Christmas Eve. The church organ broke down.…

December 16, 2022 Dear Peace members and friends, I’m looking forward to Sunday and one of the highlights of the year: the Children’s Christmas program (9:30am). Actually it’s more than that! It’s less a program than it is worship. The participants are not only children, but the Peace Choir and all of us gathered together. And it still is Advent, but we get to hear the Christmas story told and sung about by the children of the congregation. They have been working hard on their parts and they are…

December 13, 2022 Dear Peace Members: Here is a reminder about tomorrow night’s Advent worship service at 6:30pm. It’s a special service called, “Those Who Dream…Are Not Alone.” If you are undecided about whether to come, here are a few reasons to be there: I hope you can join us! Tomorrow night, 6:30pm. Grace and Peace, Mark

December 9, 2022 Dear Peace members and friends, It’s Advent. And church doesn’t get much more joyful than these last couple of weeks of Advent and Christmas as we anticipate hearing the proclamation of the Christmas angel: “….I bring you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day….a Savior……” And yet we know, joy isn’t easy. We don’t feel joy all the time (even at this time of the year!) Joy is something that…

December 2, 2022 Dear Peace members and friends, Coming up is the Second Sunday of Advent. We will again light candles on the Advent wreath. It’s a tradition, created by a German pastor in the 19th century as a way to teach children about the coming of Jesus Christ. The tradition traces back to 1833 in Hamburg, Germany. Johann Hinrich Wichern opened the “Rauhe Haus,” the Rough House, which sheltered orphaned or neglected children. Every night of Advent, he told them stories, prayed, and lit a…

November 25, 2022 Dear Peace members and friends, Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I like everything about it; the gathering of family and friends, the traditions of the day, the quiet. I like the fact that Thanksgiving is a joyful and simple day. I like the fact that it is much like it was when I was a boy; when we played touch football on the frozen ground and came home to a big meal. Yesterday was like…

Thanksgiving, 2022 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. May I make a suggestion? Many of you have a Thanksgiving ritual of going around the table and answering the question, “What are you grateful for?” Yes, it is a good thing to point to the many gifts of our lives. But it isn’t always helpful to say, “I’m grateful…

November 18, 2022 Dear Peace members and friends, It’s hard to believe but it’s Thanksgiving week just around the corner! I hope that your plans and preparations are going well. And what better way to begin the week than to come to worship on Sunday! It is our second Sunday in a two-week stewardship emphasis, “On Giving Thanks.” Why give thanks? When you think about it, our church—any church—is a community of thanks, offering gratitude to God. And as we give thanks and gratitude,…

November 11, 2022 Dear Peace members and friends, I have many things to share with you this morning; Harvest Pack, stewardship, some important staffing news, and, of course, a preview of Sunday’s worship. But first, let us recognize Veterans Day. Veterans Day is an official U.S. holiday celebrated on November 11th honoring people served and serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. Unlike Memorial Day that remembers people who gave their lives while in service, Veterans Day celebrates the service of all U.S. military veterans. This sacrificial service assists in…

November 4, 2022 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. We will name this congregation’s newest saints, remember Peace members who have died since last All Saints Sunday, and, last of all, name those dear to you who have lived and died in the faith. We call them “saints”—not because they have performed miracles or lived perfect lives—but because, in the New Testament, St. Paul refers…