E-notes (Page 3)

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…

Dear Peace Members and Friends of Peace, I hope you having a good July 4th holiday week/weekend!   This Sunday in worship (9:30am), we’ll conclude our current sermon series, “Following Jesus in Mark’s Gospel.” In the early chapters of Mark’s Gospel, Jesus has been teaching Discipleship 101 to his followers. Lessons have included the importance of both resting and remembering we belong to God; that we have, not only our own family but God’s family to bless and support us along…

June 28, 2024  Dear Peace Members,  I know that a number of you are traveling this coming July 4th week (more about this celebration near the end of this e-note). God’s blessings on your travel, your reunions, your gatherings, and all your celebrations!  This Sunday in worship (9:30am), we continue in our sermon series, “Following Jesus in Mark’s Gospel.” In Sunday’s Gospel scene, Jesus meets a desperate woman who has suffered from hemorrhaging for 12 years. She has not only…

June 21, 2024 Dear Peace Members,  Believe it or not, I was once a Boy Scout and scouting was, in part, about earning merit badges at summer camp. One of those awards was swimming. And one of the requirements for the badge was to pass a time test treading water. I was pushed off a dock and told, “Keep your head above water.” My fear? I was way, way in over my head.   In Sunday worship (9:30am), we’re going to…

Dear Peace members and friends of Peace, Many years ago, I had the opportunity to attend a workshop about helping organizations discover their strengths. At the beginning of the workshop, the speaker asked us to finish this sentence: “The thing that is wrong with most organizations is…….” Then he said, “The answer that you have just given to this sentence is what you will be looking for before you begin working with a group. That is your point of view.…

Dear Peace members and friends of Peace, Did you know that Jesus had siblings? Yes, Mary and Joseph were his earthly parents, of course, but Mark’s Gospel also tells us that Jesus also had 4 brothers and a few sisters (Mark 6). Jesus had a family! Not only that he didn’t always get along with his family (sound familiar?).   On Sunday in worship (9:30am), continue in our sermon series, “Following Jesus in Mark’s Gospel” with a message about Jesus’ family,…

Dear Peace members and friends of Peace, After a couple of weeks away, I will be back in worship on Sunday. My wife, Marcie, and I have been on vacation in Europe and are really looking forward to being with you! On Sunday, we begin a sermon series, “Following Jesus in Mark’s Gospel.” The series starts with Jesus’ discussion about the Sabbath. This topic couldn’t be more timely. Many of you busy, busy people switch gears into summer and we…

Dear Peace members and friends of Peace, This Sunday is The Holy Trinity (worship at 9:30). Pastor Joe writes, “in mainline Protestantism, the first Sunday after Pentecost is commonly celebrated as Holy Trinity Sunday. Whereas Pentecost Sunday (last Sunday) sees us celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, this day proclaims the gift of that Spirit: faith in God who is three-in-one—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. This holy mystery is the foundation of our faith and…

Dear Peace members and friends, This Sunday is the Day of Pentecost, a festival day in the church that comes 50 days after Easter. Pastor Joe writes: On the Day of Pentecost, we celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the entirety of the early church. This is the same Spirit that Jesus promised to his disciples—and to us. And so, filled with and empowered by the Spirit, our challenge then becomes the discernment of how we will join…