February Worship Series
Reflecting Love’s Light
This Coming Sunday: Connecting with Love
We can see Jesus as a reflection of God as the Spirit of Life. Love’s light is essential for life. During January and February at Peace our worships will explore how we and Jesus reflect the love-light of God. This love-light is present in Jesus’ forgiveness, acceptance, teaching, and compassion. Remaining open to this love-light is a life-long journey that can take many directions and has many intersections. We will go with Jesus into the Jordan River, attend a wedding, visit a synagogue, walk along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, teach on the plain, and look into the brightness of love-light.
During this week’s worship experience, we will explore the power of love to connect us to what is sacred and humane.
In Ukraine Life Will Prevail
In the day to day, month by month, year after year of violence, pain and suffering it is hard to remember that “the arch of the moral universe bends toward justice” as Martin Luther King reminds us as he put his life on the line and was eventually assassinated. Once again, during the invasion and destruction happening in Ukraine and other places around the Earth, we need to claim the call to nurture life and transform the world by the power of God’s love. When it does not seem Life and Love will prevail, we need to breathe in peace and breathe out love. Below are two articles in response to the current events in Ukraine.
https://www.minnesotaumc.org/newsdetail/blessed-are-the-peacemakers-bishop-bard-issues-call-for-prayer-16378484
https://sojo.net/about-us/news/sojourners-condemns-russian-attack-ukraine
A Lenten Journey to Easter
40 Days of Good Enough
Do you ever wonder if you’re good enough? As we journey toward Easter beginning Sundat March 6, known within Christian Tradition as Lent, we will spend some time questioning how our culture’s obsession with achievement and perfection actually keeps us from the true depths of life and faith. It is based on a Lenten Devotional book by Kate Bowler, an associate professor of history of Christianity at Duke Divinity School, Good Enough: 40ish Devotionals for a Life of Imperfection. It would be a good read for the 40 days before Easter and can be found in many bookstores, brick and mortar or online. You may be interested in reading an opinion article she wrote for the Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/09/24/we-cant-upgrade-our-lives-we-can-only-live-them/
Join Peace Conversations Saturday, February 26, 2022
Time: 9 am to 10 am
Topic: Reawakening Our Faith: Exploring Celtic Christianity
Based on John Philip Newell’s 2021 book Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul: Celtic Wisdom for Reawakening to What Our Souls Know and Healing the World. Celtic Christianity is a little-known, ecologically based faith that can help us rediscover the natural rhythms of life and deepen our spiritual connection with Life (God), with each other, and with the earth.
While you do not need to read the book to participate in Peace Conversations, for these sessions it will be helpful to read individual chapters as they apply to each session.
A Zoom invite for the session Saturday, February 26 is below.
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86869176871?pwd=SmpNQVFnbkF1SXc0T3QvbFFMWUlMZz09
Cracking Open the Bible Cancelled Until March 22, 2022
The next Cracking Open the Bible session will be Tuesday, March 22nd. We will be continuing our journey through Acts, looking at chapter 25.
Sharing Our Joys and Concerns
In our pandemic-influenced world, many things have changed, but not our sense of community. We remain deeply connected even while we maintain a proper physical and social distance. We need to share news with one another. We long to know what is going on in each other’s lives. And we need a safe way to share our joys and concerns. For now, our safe way will be for you to share your joy or concern with Gary (text to 651-387-4095 or email gary@peaceumc.com) and also indicate your permission if you want him to share your news in Sunday worship, and/or with the Prayer Chain (about 25 people), and/or via the full Peace email group (about 175 people).