From the Study of Pastor Jakob - December 2025

Recently I received a prayerbook (as a loan) from one of our members, an heirloom from their mother’s grandmother (hope I got that right). And for once, I have to chime in the chorus and say, “they just don’t make ‘em like they used to!” The little book is artfully crafted, a golden edge to the pages, faint with age, an ornate clasp to hold it together, some prayer cards tucked in special spots – in short, a precious treasure that speaks of a lifetime of prayer if not more than one. Only the lettering is not only German, but in the old German font called Fraktur that even Germans today struggle to read. Of course, being yours truly, I am a hopeless nerd and took archivist classes back in the day, so I can read it quite effortlessly.

What really draws the eye to it, though, more than all these other features, is the cover, depicting an endearing scene of mother and child, Mary and Jesus. The child Jesus looks at the viewer with a blessing gesture, while his mother appears behind him, one hand on his shoulder, the other holding his hand, kissing it ever so gently.

Friends, as we approach Advent and Christmas it is that time of year where we get to embrace those tender stories given to us through generations of Christians – Christians like this grandmother and ancestor that lived faithfully and committedly. Not everybody has the same connection to “the ever-blessed virgin and mother of God, Mary” as this tiny book calls her throughout – yet during Christmas time we are reminded nonetheless of her courage, her tenderness, the great sign that God deigned to lift up opposite all posturing of the world: the gentle mother offering her child as life for all God’s people.

It is in that tender and vulnerable space where we encounter the secret of Christ’s birth, its meaning for the salvation of all peoples: the coming of the light in a small child – imbued with divinity, he is destined to engage us as the Son of God, and in his coming of age, Mary gets to be his protector, teacher, and disciple, charging us: “Do whatever he tells you.” (John 2:5)

One of my favorite German Christmas hymns is called “Maria durch ein Dornwald ging” (Mary went  through a thick of thorns) and tells us, almost like a fairy tale: “Once upon a time, Mary wandered through a thick of thorns…”, and going on to tell how in her pregnant presence, the thorns around her blossomed into roses, heralding the coming of the King, interrupted only by the swelling choruses: “Kyrie eleison” (Lord, have mercy) and “Jesus und Maria” (Jesus and Mary). Go look it up on YouTube, the ensemble Voces8 does a great job with it!

I want to close with a prayer from that precious heirloom booklet (1902):

            Holy Mary, bearer of God,

            like a rose in the garden, so your virtue offered beauty and fragrance,
            like a firm and stalwart tower was your devotion and faithfulness to God,
            like a golden house, God chose your body to be his Son’s dwelling,
            becoming to us the ark of the new covenant.

            Through your Son you proclaim to us salvation;
            with your compassion you melt our hearts of ice.

            Accompanying your Son to the cross,
            you know of our sorrow and suffering.

            Help us to see the dawn of that brightly shining sun of righteousness,
            let us anchor in the safe haven of hope.

Friends, as we allow some quiet moments to sink into our lives this Advent, let us all become like Mary – bearers of God, shining forth that light of hope into a hopeless world, that love that we share in our Christian fellowship and beyond, that faith that connects us to those before and those to come.

Blessings,      Pastor Jakob

From Pastor Eric’s Study – November 2025

When I was a student at St. Olaf, one of my favorite trees at this time of year was an old gingko. As a freshman, it was a great place to climb up and nestle in the branches to read the soul-opening texts from my religion class. As the air turned crisp and fall began to descend across campus, other trees dropped their leaves and offered their crunch to our footfall. The gingko’s leaves turned the most magnificent gold and transformed the reading perch into what felt like a golden palace. One day I raced past my golden tree heading to class only to emerge a few hours later to find that all the leaves had dropped in one coordinated conspiratorial act. The trunk and branches emerged from a golden carpet, that little corner of the world transformed.

The seasons are magic, and they always stir a spirit of thanksgiving. They remind us that nothing in life is static and there are always new wonders before us. Our story of faith invites us to join our lives to the stories of the ages so that we might be transformed. We hear of trees clapping their hands and mountains rejoicing, we hear of gratitude for encountering the love of God in unexpected ways, and we hear of the promise of being cherished as part of creation. We are entering a season full of familiar rituals that begin with Thanksgiving and then quickly move toward Christmas. The stories can be so familiar that we forget to see what new things are unfolding around us in new blessings.

This fall we are also entering a season of change as a congregation. Yesterday, at our annual meeting, we affirmed Pastor Jakob and me moving into a co-pastorate. I’m excited to partner with Jakob in discerning where God is calling us in the next season of Peace Chruch’s vibrant ministry. This change of roles takes effect November 1st. I will be reducing my responsibilities to ¾ time, taking one week a month off from my church duties. In the meantime, Jakob will be increasing to ¾ time. We will share preaching, leadership, and visioning. My hope is that this transition also invites renewed imaginings of how our church is called to grow in service in our community and beyond.  Let the blessings be as rich and wondrous as the colors of the leaves in this wondrous change of season

As we enter this season of thanksgiving, I would offer you the opportunity to join us for any of our adult faith formation sessions. Tuesday mornings from 10-11:30 we gather for a terrific Bible study centered around the week’s texts. The 1st, 3rd, and 5th Tuesdays from 7-8:30pm we gather for a study that this fall will be an exploration of theology and the environment.

The Tuesday before Thanksgiving we will gather again with our ecumenical partners for a worship service at Cedar Ridge at 7pm. There will be a pie fellowship to follow (you’re welcome to bring a pie or not, there’s always plenty).

May God bless us all in this changing season,

From Pastor Eric’s Study – October 2025

As the school year begins, it is wonderful to have a beautiful gaggle of kids back with us in church. Sunday School resumed with renewed vigor and with a plea for us to give our kids more time to spend with their lesson. You may notice that we are dismissing the children earlier in the service. We continue to discern how best to nurture our kids in their faith and in a deep love of God.

Last month we were blessed to have a baptism, and this week we will have another. One of my favorite lines within the baptism liturgy that I use isn’t one that came from our book of worship, but rather from the UCC’s “God is Still Speaking” campaign early in my pastorate. The phrase is: “when we promise you our love, we promise a love that we will never take away.” It is an affirmation that we are to love like God loves us. We are to love as Jesus has shown us how to love. We all know that living out God’s love is much easier when people are being kind than when they are challenging, still, we are called to love like Jesus even when it’s hard.

Our world is so divided and God's commission is a sacred challenge. We are to see the other with all the love with which God sees them. We are to take seriously our promise to offer a love that we will never take away, because God will never take it away… and we are to do this even when it’s hard. We are also called to be the truth tellers who accept the cost of discipleship when we take seriously the responsibility to call out anyone who uses their faith in ways not rooted in that love and humility which Christ modeled. In this moment, Christianity is regularly appearing in our world at the heart of judgement, of supporting political agendas that negate and marginalize others, and of promoting a nationalism and extremism that we would find abhorrent in other faiths. We condemn the Taliban in Afghanistan or Buddhist extremists in Myanmar, and yet we excuse similar nationalized religious extremism here at home. What does it mean for us to look at the children, newborns, and those in their hundreds and claim them as beloved children of God? What does it mean to stand up and speak out when we see racism, sexism, attacks on the LGBTQ community, or immigrants, or anyone else… especially when it is done with a thin veneer of Christian language?

I pray we keep learning to see and nurture each person in the same way we value the children gathering down front and the babies we baptize, promising to them all a love that we will never take away.

From Pastor Eric’s Study – September 2025

As the years go by it seems like time is steadily accelerating. When I was a child, I remember summer feeling like a season that lasted a year, and now it feels like it flashes by in only a matter of weeks. Our perceptions of the world are constantly changing. With time, the unfolding journey offers ever fuller glimpses of gratitude, and it always challenges us with the progression of change.

Our faith speaks at its heart of God's constancy, of a love that is woven into the fabric of creation, a love that never gives up on any part of that creation. Last week, as I was canoeing in the Canadian wilderness with family and friends, I was captivated by a family of loons. The gift of time allowed me to sit on a rock and watch the two parents coach their little chick in diving and fishing. The last day there was this tender moment when one of the parents popped up from the depths with a small fish in its beak and began swimming across the lake to a visibly excited chick. Growth comes with change and learning; it also is interwoven with extraordinary compassion. At our best this is how we navigate change together as a community as well. We watch out for one another, we nurture those who are still learning, we learn from those who are around us with wisdom or a fish to offer. We keep reminding each other that through it all, God’s love is integral to the fabric of our journey.

Another season is quickly upon us, and this fall we will be embracing another change at Peace Church. The council has decided that it is best for us to continue with a single service at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings. I’m grateful for the wonderful participation that we had from the congregation when we surveyed people’s feelings about one or two services. I was also overwhelmed with the majority of responses being that people would adapt to what was deemed best. Clearly any choice of service time was going to have a few detractors… they always say “you can’t please everyone.” Still, we continue on the journey together hopefully watching out for and nurturing one another. I pray that our simplifying to one service will give us a chance to more fully live into our unity as a community. I also hope that it simplifies some of the demands of volunteers. Sunday School and Pre-Confirmation will resume during this 9:00 am worship time starting September 7th. This will be “Rally Day” with a celebration as a part of the service and classes. We’ll give thanks for being regathered and into the rhythm of our program year.

We will also have a chance to “bless the backpacks” during worship on the 7th. Please bring your pack or bag so that we can offer a blessing that reminds us that we never journey alone.

As always when we engage in times of change, it is important that we keep communication open. Let the council and your pastors know what is working, what is not working. God's not done with us yet, and we’re certainly not done growing and learning as a community of God's people.

May God bless us in this season’s changes!