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,