All Saints and Thanksgiving Day

Following is a poem about people sitting around the Thanksgiving dinner table. For many years I had it tacked to my bulletin board. Each time I read it I think of Thanksgiving dinners enjoyed as a child with my relatives. Coming from a large family, Thanksgiving dinner shared with others always meant several rooms full of card tables and chairs. As a child I felt great anticipation for Thanksgiving Days spent with cousins. Looking around the crowd, there was always a baby or two, several children younger than me and many people older than me.

Can you recall the heads bowed around Thanksgiving tables of years past? How I thank God for my sainted uncles, aunts, father, and grandparents who are now bowing before the throne of God. These are the adults in my life who modeled faith to me. Yes, there were dozens of Christian teachers, pastors and college professors, but these are the adults who had the greatest influence. To the young child watching, they could have modeled many different behaviors on Thanksgiving Day, but they chose to model a heart of prayer, kind conversation that told me of my roots, and an attitude of serving (for some reason they did all the work but the kids got to eat first!!).

This month, on All Saints Day (Nov. 6) and on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 24), I will quietly be remembering the saints in my life who served as powerful models of faith for me. They were the “Directors of Children’s Ministry” back then, and I praise and thank God that they had their priorities right, because I was watching. May God bless all your family celebrations in the coming weeks.

Thanksgiving Table

Heads are bowed in silent prayer
at words of grace for all to share.
Silken tresses, braids and bows,
salt and pepper, drifts of snow.
Heads so new the fuzz is there.
Heads grown old, thinning, bare.
Families gather in festive mood
to feast on love as well as food.

-Corinne Adria Bariteau

Polly Wegner,
Dir. of Discipleship

Emotions Are Raw

People have been crying more lately. Have you noticed that? As the 10^th anniversary of the horrific terrorist attack on our country approaches I see patriotism burn to the point of pain in the hearts of our nation. The memories of that day are brought back with all its raw emotion. It easily chokes us up. A tear rolls down my cheek as the national anthem is sung. I see crying on television as families retell the stories of lost loved ones...the innocent, the brave, the heroes… who are still missed terribly. Parents are hyper-sensitive as they send off their young men and women to military service. Yes, our emotions are on edge.

Jesus cried. He cried when He saw His people harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36). He cried when He saw the pain in the lives of His friends who had suffered the loss of a brother (John 11:25). He cried when He stood looking over a sinful city, Jerusalem, which had failed to recognize Him as Messiah (Luke 19:41). I imagine He cried along with each of us on September 11, 2001 and those terrible days that followed. Jesus cries when cancer invades our bodies. He cries when our relationships crumble. He cries when our hearts are burdened with sadness and fear and the dreaded unknown.

He cries because of His great love and compassion for us as we live in this broken world. Yet His promises and His faithfulness are still true. ‘Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken, nor my covenant of peace be removed,’ says the Lord who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10

Is our church a place where people can experience the compassion of Jesus? Is His heart of love evident in us? Are His healing hands touching others through us? Are we willing to step out of our comfort zones, to cry with the hurting and then lovingly and practically care for their needs? How can we share the unfailing love of God and His peace at this time in history, and with individuals carrying heavy burdens? These are questions worth asking because people have been crying more lately.

May God clearly direct and bless Peace Church through our organized caring ministries. May God clearly direct each one of us as individuals to be attentive to all whom God ordains to cross our path. We are people with a hope. We are broken but claimed. Let’s share the hope, the love, and the promises of God as we extend our hand to help.

Please check out the page on what is happening at Peace on September 11 and invite others you know to join us.

See you in Church,

Polly Wegner

Director of Discipleship

pwegner@peacelutheran.net

Seeker to Soaker

People today who have questions about faith, questions about the Bible’s message, or are desiring a stronger spiritual life are often called “seekers”. Christian churches work to attract people who are seeking because we have the eternal answers they are looking for. There is a real need for Christian education at a basic foundational level because that is where seekers, children, and many Christians are at in their spiritual lives.

However, it is important for all of us to move from seeker to “soaker”. A disciple immerses him or herself in the Teacher’s words. A soaking follower is familiar enough with Scripture to speak words of faith and hope. A Scripture soaked individual knows and shows the God we believe in.

Please continue to invite seekers to Peace. Walk the journey with them through basic Bible classes. Then challenge them and yourself to continue to soak in God’s Word through a number of Bible classes or small groups that strive to deepen, stretch and equip believers for discipleship in this world.

Classes for all ages and stages are held year-round at Peace. This Fall be watching for new Bible studies and opportunities to soak and grow, to be all that God has set us apart to be in this time and place. If you have comments or questions regarding adult ministries, small groups, areas of service, or membership at Peace, please call.

See you in Church,
Polly Wegner, Dir. of Discipleship
pwegner@peacelutheran.net
303-424-4454

Peace In the Community Feedback

The initiative "Peace in the Community" concluded Easter Sunday, as we encouraged Peace members to take their small groups, board meetings, and other church-related activities out into the community for the month before Easter, inviting others around them to Peace's Holy week worship opportunities. We would like to hear stories of your experiences as you invited people to worship with us during Holy Week. We had many visitors on Sunday and some of them were here because you asked them. Your stories will encourage others to step out in faith and invite someone to church, so tell us about it!

How Valuable are You?

“You have been bought and paid for by Christ, so you belong to Him –
be free now from all these earthly prides and fears.” 1 Corinthians 7:23

How much do you think you’re worth? Not your net worth but your self worth. Don’t ever confuse your valuables with your value as a person. What determines value is what Someone is willing to pay for it. You have been bought and paid for by Christ. How much does that make you worth? The Bible says you belong to God. God exchanged His own Son for you! The cross proves your value. Jesus didn’t die for junk. You are incredibly valuable. Nobody has ever paid a greater price than God paid for you. Luther said it this way: “All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him. This is most certainly true.”

Happy Easter,
Polly Wegner
Director of Discipleship

Introduction to Christian Spirituality

Generally speaking, spirituality is looked upon favorably by our culture today. We humans recognize that we are more than mere physical matter that exists in this human form for a brief amount of time only to return to the Earth when we die. We sense that there is a deeper, spiritual part to who we are; a part that can’t be seen, heard touched or measured, and yet is essential to making us who we are; a part that continues to exist even after our hearts stop pumping blood through our arteries and veins; a part that connects us to a spiritual something or someone who is beyond this world. Different people have different ideas of who or what this something or someone is – the big man upstairs, the spirit in the sky, extraterrestrials, Allah, God, the “force” – but the one thing that all would agree upon is that this spiritual something or someone is behind everything that is going on in this world, and that in order for us to reach our full potential as humans, it is essential that we are in some sort of relationship with this someone or something.
Recently I spoke with a girl who shared with me that she had planned to go on a three week fast during which she would only drink water. Three weeks! That’s a long fast! When I asked her why she desired to do so she told me (and I’m paraphrasing here) that she needed to figure out some things in her life and that this fast would give her an opportunity to do some soul searching. She seemed to be implying that by performing this spiritual discipline (fasting as a practice is based upon the idea that there is more to us than our flesh and bones which require food for sustenance – a spiritual side.) she would be able to look inside herself and find answers to her life problems. Popular spirituality often focuses on the power within, self-actualization, self-enrichment and self-empowerment through the proper spiritual exercises. However, this view is a quite different from Christianity’s view of spirituality.
Now I am by no means opposed to an individual taking time to be introspective and look within. In fact, I believe this is a crucial part of Christian spirituality. But where I believe popular spirituality differs from Christian spirituality is in what one expects to find when they do this soul searching. Popular spirituality looks for answers and spiritual power from within, but Christian spirituality is very skeptical of anything our soul tells us. As Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things.” Why this drastic difference? Why does the Bible promote such a seemingly pessimistic view of the human soul/heart? It’s because of the understanding that humans in and of themselves are spiritually corrupt – that ever since the fall into sin the human heart has been the source of evil, not holiness (Mark 7:14-23). Spiritual power in the Christian view is a gift to be received from without – from Jesus and the Holy Spirit who come to us through God’s Word.
With this being the case, why is it beneficial for an individual to look inward? Because when one looks within and compares their heart/soul to the standard set by God in His Word, he sees his own wretchedness and is shown the importance of looking to He who is the source of spiritual power and enlightenment – Jesus and His Word. Christian spirituality begins, continues and ends with Jesus.
As I continue with this series on Christian spirituality I hope to show how God uses various spiritual disciplines such as prayer, meditation and fasting to give us His spiritual power and wisdom.

Peace in the Community Intro

Starting Sunday, March 20th and continuing for the month leading up to Easter, Peace launches a new venture called Peace in the Community. The idea behind Peace in the Community is quite simple – we would like for as many of our ministries as possible to conduct their regularly scheduled meeting time somewhere in the community. Do you have a Bible study that usually meets at Peace on Sunday mornings? How about meeting at a local coffee house? Do you have a small group that ordinarily meets in a home? How about a local restaurant? Or what about a board meeting at a local pub (Just like Lay Ministry did in January!)? This is a simple and effective way for Peace to be a Christian presence to the world around us. There will be fliers promoting Peace’s Holy Week events available in the office so that when your group goes into the community you can easily invite those you encounter (and maybe the next people to visit the table you were at?) to our worship services. We strongly encourage you to participate with us being Peace in the Community this year. Be creative with the places you choose to go and be sure to share your stories with the church office. God bless you as you serve as a light to the world!