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Sunday’s Preview: August 14
People love to make lists of things. Favorite movies, favorite foods, best cities to visit, favorite National Parks, and on and on. These lists can be the source of debate and good conversation. The list of Christian virtues (like love, joy, kindness, forgiveness) is no different and it can sometimes get long. But that list might not exist if it wasn’t for the virtue of HUMILITY. This week we will look at a story and part of a letter that emphasize the need for humility as our starting point.
AND – We will be serving Communion this coming Sunday.
Preview…Jason’s Jots (read more below)
People can very normally and very understandably perpetuate the painful patterns of those who came before them. AND people can put an end to those patterns by returning to the good of following God’s path towards love and grace and joy. And when we say and live in such a way that doesn’t perpetuate the painful patterns of our past and we take violence and scapegoating out of circulation – we might just change the trajectory of our family, our school, our company, our community, our church for generations upon generations.
Events for Your Calendar
August 13 – Good Neighbor Meal (Youth and Families)
August 14 – Communion, Summer Book Club
August 20 – Peace Service Project and Movie Night (Youth Grades 6-12)
August 21 – Family Game Night
August 28 – Dave and Cindy Tidball Retirement Celebration (after worship)
September 4 – Last Outdoor Worship (Labor Day Sunday)
September 11 – Blessing of the Backpacks, Communion
September 18 – Rally Sunday
October 2 – Communion (back to first Sundays)
October 9 – 60th Celebration Sunday
October 20-21 – MEA
October 28-30 – Women’s Retreat
October 30 – All Saints Sunday
Peace has a New Director of Administration
Danelle Redding has accepted the part-time position and will begin work on August 18. Join us in welcoming her to the staff of Peace Church!
Check out the Shoreview Press
There’s a great article (and photo) about our new pastor, Jason Steffenhagen. He is quoted as saying, “Anyone wanting to partner with people and be about the work of reconciliation, want to grow, include people, love others and be about the work of justice in the world, we have a home for you at Peace.”
Peace is Turning 60! We need photos and addresses
We need some help getting a few pictures. Here are a couple gaps we have…
- Outdoor worship area being built or pictures of it being enjoyed
- Confirmation photos from 1962-1984, 1997, 1998, 2000-present
We also need up-to-date addresses (US mail and/or email) for former members of Peace. If you have stayed in touch with former members, we’d appreciate your sending their addresses to Lesa Monroe (clcmonroe@comcast.net) so we can invite as many people as possible and celebrate well together.
Family Ministry Updates
Community Service Project and Ice Cream
Saturday, August 13, 8:30 am-2:30 pm
Youth (grades 6-12 or families with younger kids) will serve the Good Neighbor Meal and then go out for ice cream. Meet at church at 8:30 to carpool to the Good Neighbor Center. Please sign up here.
Summer Book Club
Final session on Sunday, August 14, 11:15 am-12:15 pm in the Gathering Place
If you can, read Chapters 5-7 of Brene Brown’s Daring Greatly ahead of time.
Peace Service Project and Movie Night
Saturday, August 20, 3-9 pm
Youth (grades 6-12) will help with indoor and outdoor projects at Peace. Once work is completed, we will get pizza and watch a movie together. All supplies and food are provided by Peace.
Family Game Night
Sunday, August 21, 5:30-7:30 pm
Outside, weather permitting
Peace will provide hotdogs for grilling, buns, plasticware, outdoor games, and a bonfire. Families may bring a dish to share, friends, more games, lawn chairs and beverages.
Volunteer Opportunities
Peace is helping keep Sadie and Joe’s lawn trim and neat this summer while Joe undergoes treatment. Sign up here to help with lawn duty.
The next Good Neighbor Meals are on August 13 (youth and families especially) and 27. Sign up here to help prepare and serve.
Jason’s Jots
When a child or a young adult makes a mistake or goes through a hard time, I’ve sometimes heard the phrase, “Well that’s the sins of their father (or mother or family) being passed down to them.” It’s almost like someone is cursed or there is a cloud or shadow under which they are walking. And in some cases there is some truth to it. Hurt people often hurt people. When all we’ve seen is people arguing, it’s hard not to think that this is just how people communicate.
But that phrase, “the sins of the father being passed down” – that actually comes from the Bible. Deuteronomy 5:9. “For I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents to the third and fourth generation of those who reject me.” So people who use that phrase when talking about someone believe they are just communicating God’s honest truth.
But what that person has missed is an important absence of punctuation. There isn’t a period at the end of that phrase. God isn’t done speaking to Moses (and the people of Israel). The phrase concludes with verse 10. “but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.”
Here’s the point. People can very normally and very understandably perpetuate the painful patterns of those who came before them. AND people can put an end to those patterns by returning to the good of following God’s path towards love and grace and joy. And when someone starts down the road of love, the verses in Deuteronomy seem to imply that goodness and kindness and love are much more powerful than division and greed and other forms of disruptive patterns (1,000 generations compared to 3 or 4 generations).
On Sunday, we talked about the CROSS being the ultimate point at which the cycle of violence and scapegoating stops. The perfect one, God incarnate, Jesus the Christ, innocent one – was being scapegoated and violently killed as a threat to all the power brokers and systems of power. And as justifiable as his vengeance would have been, he stayed on the cross and forgave those who put him there. He said, this cruelty stops with me.
We are the offspring of that love and forgiveness to the thousandth generation. We are made in the image of the forgiving, humble, merciful God, who is LOVE.
Where in our lives can we say, this stops with me? And when we say and live in such a way that doesn’t perpetuate the painful patterns of our past and we take violence and scapegoating out of circulation – we might just change the trajectory of our family, our school, our company, our community, our church for generations upon generations.
Learn more about Peace Community of Faith
on our website: www.peaceumc.com
Find these announcements on our website at
https://peaceumc.com/staging/8882/bulletin-board/
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