Archive for the ‘Archive’ Category

Watch on your own, discuss with us! 

Creation Care film discussions July 15th and July 28th, 2024

You’re invited to two film “screenings” followed by Zoom discussions with other Peace members and friends from other Westside Interfaith Network congregations, facilitated by the Creation Care Team. Information about how to join the zoom discussions will be sent out via email.

Monday, 7/15, from 7:00-8:00pm — Cooked: Survival by Zip Code

    (film available for viewing prior to this discussion by special arrangement for 3 days only – from Friday 7/12 through Sunday 7/14)

Bullfrog Film’s Cooked: Survival by Zip Code delves into the story of the worst heat disaster in U.S. history in 1995 in Chicago, when 739 residents—mostly elderly and black—died over the course of one week. The film links the deadly heat wave’s devastation back to the man made disaster of structural racism, shining a light on the issues of poverty, race, class, and education that underlie how natural disasters take lives. We have a license to view this film July 12-14, so watch your email for the link and password.  Make sure to schedule time to watch at home one of those three days and then join us for a Zoom discussion Monday evening, July 15th.

Sunday, 7/28 from 7:00-8:00pm —The Plastics Problem

     (film available for online viewing prior to this discussion – anytime via the link below)

The problem is simply stated: by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans. It’s an environmental crisis that’s been in the making for nearly 70 years. Plastic pollution is now considered one of the largest environmental threats facing humans and animals globally.

In “The Plastic Problem: PBS NewsHour Presents”, Amna Nawaz and her PBS NewsHour colleagues look at this now ubiquitous material and how it’s impacting the world, why it’s become so prevalent, what’s being done to mitigate its use, and what potential alternatives or solutions are out there. This hour-long program travels from Boston to Seattle, Costa Rica to Easter Island to bring the global scale of the problem to light.

View the story at your leisure at https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/the-plastic-problem then join us on Zoom to discuss the feature on Sunday, July 28th.

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Links for the licensed viewing of the first film, and for the Zoom discussions, will only be available via email from Pastor Erik and/or Kathleen Keyes, using the usual email distribution list for all congregation members. If you are a member of Peace Lutheran Church Seattle and are not receiving email from Pastor Erik or our office manager Kathleen Keyes (such as weekly Bulletins, Peace Notes, and notices of special events), you are invited to please call or email the office, or use our web contact form to be placed on the email mailing list, or to update your email address for these notifications.

For more information:
– About Creation Care at Peace Lutheran Church
– About our Creation Care Team

Thank you for all you are doing to care for creation! 

Fall Fundraiser Leadership Invitation!

Will There Be a Bazaar During the Fall of 2024?!?

You may have noticed the announcement in June’s Peace Notes, that the annual holiday Bazaar will be canceled this year because of a need for new leadership. Barbara Hillier and her daughter Janet have organized the Bazaar for several years, and they now feel it is time to take a year off. Without leadership for the 2024 event, the Bazaar will be canceled.

What do you think? Would you be interested in gathering volunteers and shepherding the Bazaar for November 2024? Barbara and Janet will pass along their Bazaar knowledge to new leadership.

Marcia Olson will continue organizing the lunch.

If you are interested in working on the Bazaar, please talk to Barbara Hillier, Marcia Olson, or Caity Gerhardt. You’ll be
set up with all the details needed for organizing and orchestrating the Bazaar!

We thank Barbara, Janet, and the many volunteers for their work on past Bazaars.

More information: The Bazaar Group at Peace Lutheran Church

Bulletin cover 7.7.24WELCOME TO PEACE!  

Jesus does great deeds of power and gives his disciples authority over demons. Yet none of this power is unilateral; it all must be received by faith. Jesus asks his disciples to go out without money or supplies so that they will be dependent on how others receive them. When we are sent from the assembly to witness and to heal, we are asked to be vulnerable, to be dependent on the reception of others. The Spirit always operates in the “between”: between Jesus and his Abba, between Jesus and us, between you and me, between us and those to whom we are sent.

We welcome Rev. Mel Jacob, to our pulpit today while Pastor Erik is acting as camp pastor at Camp Lutherwood.

To tune into the Live Stream broadcast of this service at 10:30am, click HERE.

The Worship Guide can be downloaded here: Pentecost 9B 7.7.24 bulletin

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.  For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. – Ephesians 2:13-14

Beloved of God,

There’s much talk about division within our country these days.  These divisions have always been present to a greater or lesser degree, but in recent decades they have become much more visible and vocalized.  As the upcoming election looms, it’s hard not to find ourselves and our personal position on candidates and issues hardening.  Human  division is nothing new; we Americans certainly didn’t invent it!  As the Biblical record (and anthropological evidence) attest, divisions within the human family have existed from the beginning, with one side or another often claiming divine sanction for their particular group’s point of view.

One of the divisions St. Paul addresses most frequently in his letters is the division between Jews and Gentiles, i.e. between those who are heirs to the promises God via the old covenant (Abraham and Moses), and those who are heirs to the promises of God mediated through the new covenant initiated in Jesus Christ.  In his Letter to the Ephesians Paul says there’s room for both – Jew and Gentile – in the new covenant God has initiated in Jesus.  In Christ, says Paul, God has accomplished something no one else could—through Christ’s self-giving sacrifice on the cross he has “broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.”  Writing about this, Paul speaks not as if it may happen “someday, by and by,” but rather that it has already been accomplished!

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.  – Ephesians 2:19-20

As followers of Jesus, the invitation for us is to look at our fellow human beings through the eyes of Christ, seeking opportunities to confirm our kinship rather than for evidence of irreconcilable differences between us.  Jesus himself practiced this when he gathered a diverse community of disciples around him and he did it often through table fellowship.  Wherever he went, he made mealtimes occasions for teaching that God can mend divisions that seem insurmountable.  His approach offended some religious leaders and confounded others. The Eucharistic Meal we share each week is a reminder of his radical promise to be fully present, offering himself and calling his diverse community of followers into unity.

Wherever we may find ourselves this summer, whether close to home or across the ocean, the invitation is for us to look for those things which unite us—evidence of our common humanity.  Responding to this invitation will no doubt stretch us beyond our comfort zones, as his invitations always do.  But what an adventure—to see if, in crossing into new territory, we don’t discover that the Spirit was already there before us!

With you on the Way,

Pastor Erik

Bulletin cover 6.30.24WELCOME TO PEACE!  

A woman finds healing by touching Jesus’ cloak, and a girl is restored to life when he takes her by the hand. In both cases a boundary is crossed: in Jesus’ time the hemorrhaging woman was considered ritually unclean, polluting others by her touch, and anyone who touched a corpse also became unclean. In Mark’s gospel Jesus breaks down barriers, from his first meal at a tax collector’s house to his last breath on the cross as the temple curtain is torn in two. We dare to touch Jesus in our “uncleanness” and to live as community that defines no one as an outsider.

We welcome Rev. Andy Yee, Assistant to the Bishop, NW Washington Synod, to our pulpit today!

To tune into the Live Stream broadcast of this service at 10:30am, click HERE.

The Worship Guide can be downloaded here: Pentecost 8B 6.30.24 bulletin FINAL

WELCOME TO PEACE and to our three week celebration of the SEASON OF CREATION! 

book imageOur themes and liturgy during this year’s Season of Creation are inspired by Barbara Mahany’s The Book of Nature: The Astonishing Beauty of God’s First Sacred TextShe writes: “Ancient peoples read the Book of Nature as the first sacred text, the text of all of creation, inscribed and unfurled by a God present always and everywhere.” God has “infused the natural world with symbol and meaning, and if only we read what’s there in the trees and the storms and the stars and the hives, we might more fully comprehend the Creator.”

Over these three weeks we’ll explore three themes inspired by Barbara’s book: Water’s Edge/Salish Sea—Wind & Weather—Celestial Spheres  

To tune into the Live Stream broadcast of this service at 9:30am each week, click HERE.

Our theme for this Sunday, Week Three, is Celestial Spheres.  Sun, moon, and stars interact with Earth and shape the daily lives and rhythms of all of Earth’sweek 3 cover inhabitants in ways both profound and mundane.  These “spheres of influence” are part of the origin story of all Earthlings. An astonishment sample from Barbara:

“Orbital truths: planet Earth orbits around the sun at 64,800 miles per hour; our solar system—one described “like a merry-go-round unhinged, [that] spins, bobs, and blinks”—is downright slo-mo in comparison, gliding a mere 43,200 miles per hour along a course east of Hercules.” 

The Worship Guide for Week Three can be downloaded here: Creation 3B Book of Nature 6.23.24 bulletin FINAL

WELCOME TO PEACE and to our three week celebration of the SEASON OF CREATION! 

book imageOur themes and liturgy during this year’s Season of Creation are inspired by Barbara Mahany’s The Book of Nature: The Astonishing Beauty of God’s First Sacred TextShe writes: “Ancient peoples read the Book of Nature as the first sacred text, the text of all of creation, inscribed and unfurled by a God present always and everywhere.” God has “infused the natural world with symbol and meaning, and if only we read what’s there in the trees and the storms and the stars and the hives, we might more fully comprehend the Creator.”

Over these three weeks we’ll explore three themes inspired by Barbara’s book: Water’s Edge/Salish Sea—Wind & Weather—Celestial Spheres  

To tune into the Live Stream broadcast of this service at 9:30am each week, click HERE.

week 2 cover

 

On Week Two BARBARA MAHANY herself will join us via ZOOM both during worship and afterward in the fellowship hall.  Barbara will beam in from the Midwest to share thoughts about her book and reflections on our Week Two theme: Wind and Weather. We are grateful to have this chance to meet Barbara up close and personal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

WELCOME TO PEACE and to our three week celebration of the SEASON OF CREATION!  

book imageOur themes and liturgy during this year’s Season of Creation are inspired by Barbara Mahany’s The Book of Nature: The Astonishing Beauty of God’s First Sacred TextShe writes: “Ancient peoples read the Book of Nature as the first sacred text, the text of all of creation, inscribed and unfurled by a God present always and everywhere.” God has “infused the natural world with symbol and meaning, and if only we read what’s there in the trees and the storms and the stars and the hives, we might more fully comprehend the Creator.”

We hold the second sacred text, the Bible, to be inspired — that is “God-breathed.” The Book of Nature and the Book of Scripture provide us with inspiration which illuminates both. Our Lutheran sacramental tradition celebrates the coming together of these great streams of tradition: Water from the Earth, infused with God’s word of promise, becomes the source of our life in Christ. Field ripened grain and grapes, infused with Christ’s promise to be present, nurture God’s people.

Over these three weeks we explored three themes inspired by Barbara’s book: Water’s Edge/Salish Sea—Wind & Weather—Celestial Spheres 

Cover art season of creation 1B, 6.9.24Our Week One theme: Water’s Edge, coincided with minus tides that were in Seattle last weekend.  Following worship we went to Lincoln Park Beach where we joined naturalists from the Seattle Aquarium in exploring the tide flats.  Here’s the Worship Guide for Week One: Creation 1B Book of Nature 6.9.24 bulletin FINAL

And here’s the Live Stream Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ub6mWlKg4Sg&t=7s

week 2 cover

On Week Two: Wind and Weather author  BARBARA MAHANY joined us both during and following worship, beaming in from the Midwest to share thoughts about the book of nature.  The Worship Guide for Week Two can be downloaded here: Creation 2B Book of Nature 6.16.24 bulletin FINAL  The Livestream recording can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ouzaL6fWFM&t=8s

week 3 cover

Our theme for Week Three was Celestial Spheres.  Recalling the famous color photo of Earth taken by Astronaut Bill Anders from the Apollo 8 spacecraft, (Earthrise, below) we were reminded of our home planet’s beauty and fragility – a swirling blue marble floating against the dark background of space.  To watch the Live Stream Recording, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfwZ276TZCs

Earthrise

 

Bulletin cover 6.2.24WELCOME TO PEACE!  

Beginning today and through Labor Day Weekend, our Sunday worship time will be 9:30am.

Food for our Neighbors. Each 1st Sunday of the month we offer our gifts of food for our neighbors who are struggling. Peace’s  Food Ministries include the White Center Food Bank, the Welcome Table, and our own Peace Little Pantry, as well as the West Seattle Food Bank which is aided by our Thriftway receipts.  You can bring your contributions and place them in a front pew before worship or when you come forward to the Lord’s Table.

We welcome Jim O’Farrell from Habitat for Humanity, here to acquaint us with the Interfaith Build Project that will take place in South Park in early September.

Special note: At the close of worship today we will commend Kathy Marie Anderson into God’s eternal embrace. Kathy, a daughter of Jean Sides and a former member of St. James Lutheran in White Center, passed away on January 13, 2024.

To tune into the Live Stream broadcast of this service at 10:30am, click HERE.

The Worship Guide can be downloaded here: Pentecost 2B 6.2.24 bulletin

Bulletin cover 5.26.24WELCOME TO PEACE!  

When we say God is the triune God, we are saying something about who God is beyond, before, and after the universe: that there is community within God. Our experience of this is reflected in Paul’s word today. When we pray to God as Jesus prayed to his Abba (an everyday, intimate parental address), the Spirit prays within us, creating between us and God the same relationship Jesus has with the one who sent him.

To tune into the Live Stream broadcast of this service at 10:30am, click HERE.

The Worship Guide can be downloaded here: Pentecost 1B 5.26.24 bulletin.docx FINAL