Dear Peace members and friends,
A good March 1st to you all! These are lively days at Peace what with Lent, Holy Week at the end of the month, along with a lot of ministry and activities in between.
We begin March with worship on Sunday (9:30am). On this 3rd Sunday of Lent we are given the story of Jesus cleansing the Temple. We’ve never seen Jesus this mad; chasing cattle and sheep out, overturning tables, dumping money on the floor. “Get this stuff out of here,” he says. “Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.” What’s going on? Where’s the nice Jesus? What’s he angry about? What we come to find out is Jesus is about something big; for you, for me—everyone. I’ll say more about this amazing scene in a message entitled, “The Anger of Jesus.”
We will also hear from the Sunday School Singers and the Peace Choir. We’ll gather as people of God around the Lord’s Supper. I’m looking forward to worshiping with you!
In the Adult Education Hour (10:45am) we’ll discuss “Antisemitism.” Over the last few years, there’s been—tragically—a significant increase in antisemitic incidents. Neo-Nazis chanting “Jews will not replace us” in Charlottesville. The Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh. The October 7 terrorist attack on Israel that claimed the lives of some 1,200 Jews, the largest slaughter since the Holocaust—along with subsequent horrible loss of life in Gaza. All of which is why we need, as Christians, to discuss antisemitism; what is it, its origins, Christians and Jews, and the current situation. Join us for this important subject!
On Sunday we also continue this year’s congregational Lenten Service Project with VEAP and Minnesota FoodShare. We continue to receive the most sought-after items: laundry detergent, personal care items, paper towels, and toilet paper. In addition to those most-wanted items, we continue to collect money for food. VEAP can buy food at a discount getting 7 to 10 times the amount of food we can buy with our dollars. If you wish to give for that effort, you can write a check to “Peace Lutheran Church” with “Food Drive” or “VEAP” on the memo line. Stop by the Service and Mission Table in the narthex for more information or to make a donation. Thank you to all!
Thanks to the many who came out for last Wednesday’s Holden Evening Prayer Lenten worship. It’s been a great opportunity to share life over dinner and worship together. If you haven’t come out, a reminder that worship is from 6:30-7:00pm and is preceded by dinner served from 5:30-6:15pm.
See you Sunday!
Mark