Please join our community for one or more of these special IN-PERSON HOLY WEEK SERVICES, and know that each service will also be Live Streamed on ourPeace YouTube Channel. Masks are required and will be provided for those who need them.
HOLY WEEK PREVIEW: CROSSING OVER FROM DEATH TO LIFE
April 10, PALM/PASSION SUNDAY After being on “hold” for two pandemic years we are back live for Holy Week, beginning with the Palm/Passion Sunday. Weather permitting, we’ll meet on the westside patio for the Liturgy of the Palms, and then processing to the sanctuary for the remainder of the service. Following the children’s message, we’ll shift to the Liturgy of the Passion as we hear the Passion Story according to St. Luke, read by four voices.
April 14, MAUNDY THURSDAY @ 7pm Our Lenten journey comes to a conclusion during Holy Week as we mark Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. This year’s Maundy Thursday service will take place, as in recent years, in the chancel. Footwashing will not be part of this year’s service, but Holy Communion will. Consider joining us for this intimate service marking the final meal Jesus shared with his disciple community.
April 15, GOOD FRIDAY @ 7pm On Good Friday we gather with the church throughout the world around the cross of Christ. His cross comes into our midst both as the sign of God’s solidarity with all human suffering and as a symbol of God’s triumph over sin, death, and evil. Standing with women disciples at the foot of the cross, we pray for the whole world in the ancient bidding prayer, as Christ’s death offers life to all. This service will take place in the chancel.
PREVIEW: EASTER MORNING APRIL 17th
Easter at Peace begins with Children’s activities at 9:45am.
Our worship celebration is 10:30am, with special music provided by the Peace Ringers and the Peace Choir.
While safety concerns prevent us from packing into the chancel to sing the Hallelujah Chorus, there will be plenty of hymn singing from the pews.
The service includes hymns, songs, sermon, images, prayers, and a CELEBRATION OF HOLY COMMUNION. A PDF copy of the Service Guide will be available for download soon.
On Palm/Passion Sunday we joined the crowds who flocked around Jesus as he entered the Holy City of Jerusalem. Then, we heard the story of his final days according to Luke’s gospel.
You can find the recording of our 10:30am Worship Service from Palm/Passion Sunday by clicking on this YouTube Link.
Christ is the death of all that is, a bright, consuming fire,
whose flames requires our prior self as kindling for the pyre.
Christ is the death of dusty days of uncreative strife,
for out from fire we tread upon the threshold of new life.
– Susan Palo Cherwien
Beloved of God,
The journey of Lent culminates in our celebration of Christ’s resurrection on April 17th this year, and – Oh! – what a joy it will be to mark that day together, in person, after two years of absence! We eagerly anticipate the return of the Palm Sunday procession, as well as special family activities both on Palm/Passion Sunday and Easter morning. (Read more about these and other opportunities in the pages below.)
But, as events in the world constantly remind us, we come to that celebration of life by way of death. As the crisis in Ukraine continues to evolve, Christian churches and other communities of faith around the world are mobilizing to respond. Many are lending resources and materials assistance to help feed, house and accompany the millions of Ukrainian refugees who are fleeing homes that have become war zones. Examples of spontaneous networks of helpers creatively engaging in efforts to address the refugees’ medical and physical needs is truly inspiring. Here in Seattle, organizations such as Refugees Northwest and Lutheran Disaster Response provide us with opportunities to share our resources to make a positive impact. And on this first Sunday in April we will be hearing from Eva Mader, contact person for our sister synod, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in European Russia (ELCER), about the new challenges and impacts the situation will have on the KIT ministry with youth and kids who have developmental and physical disabilities. (KIT is our Pass the Hat recipient for April.)
Recently I had an exchange with Peace member Lisa Boeckh, who, along with husband Michael and daughter Juliana, moved to Berlin last year. There in Berlin they are much closer to effects from the unfolding crisis. I had shared with them an article about how the crisis in Ukraine had prompted ELCER Archbishop Dietrich Brauer to flee from Russia to Germany with his family. Recently, a peace service including Archbishop Brauer was held at the Protestant Cathedral of Berlin—the Berliner Dom – a place where Lisa has begun attending services. Lisa noted that the musical piece “Prayer for Ukraine” is now played routinely as part of worship there, and a choral setting is sung when the choir is present. Lisa sent this LINK to a performance of “Prayer for Ukraine” from February 27 of this year.
Art, whether visual or musical, has the power to convey more than words alone can. Expressions of solidarity, lament, hope, and the ultimate triumph of life over death are critically important for all of us to participate in and hear. What experience can equal the power of singing JESUS CHRIST IS RISEN TODAY in the company of the Easter congregation? As we take the final steps of our walk together through Holy Week toward Easter, remembering Jesus’ final offering of himself and the burgeoning Ukrainian crisis, I hope you will choose to be part of it.
Though Washington State COVID protocols have changed, we continue to require those who join us in-person for worship to wear a mask for the duration of the service. This helps to protect the more vulnerable among us, including those who are ineligible to receive a vaccine. Thank you.
You are welcome to join us for worship on April 3, 2022. No reservations are required, however we ask that you let us know of your plan to attend by emailing Pastor Erik Kindem with the number of your party. Thank you.
To join our LIVE STREAM at 10:30am, click on this LINK.
Though Washington State COVID protocols have changed, we continue to require those who join us in-person for worship to wear a mask for the duration of the service. This helps to protect the more vulnerable among us, including those who are ineligible to receive a vaccine. Thank you.
If you would like to join us for worship on March 27, 2022, you may use the link that follows to reserve space for yourself and/or your household: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/169391016089
Please note: reserve only ONE SPOT on Eventbrite, whether you are a single person, a couple, or a family group. This helps us avoid double booking of seating space for unrelated attendees. Thank you!
Beginning April 3rd, you will NOT need to make a seat reservation–you will only have to register.
To join our LIVE STREAM at 10:30am, click on this LINK.
The Vinedresser and the Fig Tree, James Tissot (1836-1902)
Welcome to Peace and to the season of Lent.
Though Washington State COVID protocols have changed, we continue to require those who join us in-person for worship to wear a mask for the duration of the service. This helps to protect the more vulnerable among us, including those who are ineligible to receive a vaccine. Thank you.
If you would like to join us for worship on March 20, 2022, you may use the link that follows to reserve space for yourself and/or your household: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/169391016089
Please note: reserve only ONE SPOT on Eventbrite, whether you are a single person, a couple, or a family group. This helps us avoid double booking of seating space for unrelated attendees. Thank you!
Beginning April 3rd, you will NOT need to make a seat reservation–you will only have to register.
If you wish to tune into the Live Stream broadcast of the service @ 10:30am Sunday, click HERE.
As we mark St. Patrick’s Feast Day, enjoy this version of St. Patrick’s Breastplate Prayer, sung to The Deer’s Cry, a lovely lyrical version sung by Irishwoman Rita Connolly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeVEGOPjJXQ
St. Patrick, Patron Saint of Ireland, (c. 389-March 17, 461)
Here’s a audio recording recounting St. Patrick’s life and ministry:
Patrick grew up in a somewhat privileged family, on the west coast of Britain during the waning days of the Roman empire. And though his father was a Christian deacon and his grandfather a priest, Patrick, as a child, was not very religious. But when he was kidnapped as a teenager by Irish raiders, his life was turned upside down.
Sold to an Irish chieftain, Patrick found himself in exile—herding sheep and living in isolation and deprivation in the north of Ireland. It was there, during six long years of captivity, that he discovered the voice of God speaking to him from within. Responding to that voice, he fell into a rhythm of prayer each day. It was this same voice that inspired Patrick, six years later, to make his risky escape from slavery.
Walking 200 miles through forests and bogs, he found his way to a port and onto a ship, and, eventually, was reunited with his family. This experience of exile seeded a spiritual conversion within Patrick and he started on a new path of love for God, for his neighbor, and even for his enemies.
Much to the consternation of his family and the amazement of his former owners, he returned to Ireland years later as a missionary to preach and practice the love and mercy of God.
The hymn of St. Patrick is often referred to as a lorica or breastplate prayer. “Lorica” means a protective sheath, and loricas were to be chanted while dressing, arming oneself for battle, before travel, and as a protection against spiritual enemies. This prayer expresses Patrick’s faith and zeal in a powerful and memorable way as he invokes the power of the Holy Trinity, the powers of heaven and earth, and Christ himself, to accompany him in all circumstances and guard him from the powers of evil.
In recent years Patrick’s prayer has become precious to me. Reciting it daily helps to keep me grounded as I attend the challenges each day brings. As restrictions aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19 broaden and personal concerns for protection deepen, spiritual resources that ground us become more and more important. Reciting St. Patrick’s Breastplate Prayer doesn’t magically protect us, but it can help us plant ourselves on faith’s firm footing as each day begins. I share it this with you now with the invitation that you seek out, in your own way, spiritual resources that will serve to ground you in these times.[1]
ST. PATRICK’S BREASTPLATE
I bind unto myself today the strong name of the Trinity
by invocation of the same, the Three in One and One in Three.
I bind this day to me for ever, by pow’r of faith, Christ’s incarnation,
his baptism in the Jordan River, his cross of death for my salvation,
his bursting from the spiced tomb, his riding up the heav’nly way,
his coming at the day of doom, I bind unto myself today.
I bind unto myself today the virtues of the starlit heaven,
the glorious sun’s life-giving ray, the whiteness of the moon at even,
the flashing of the lightning free, the whirling wind’s tempestuous shocks,
the stable earth, the deep salt sea, around the old eternal rocks.
Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
I bind unto myself the name, the strong name of the Trinity
by invocation of the same, the Three in One and One in Three,
of whom all nature has creation, eternal Father, Spirit, Word.
Praise to the Lord of my salvation: salvation is of Christ the Lord!
[1] By the year 690 his hymn was being sung in churches and monasteries throughout Ireland and has been ever since. When Cecil Francis Alexander was asked to make a metrical version of the hymn, she wrote a paraphrase based on a 12 century manuscript which was sung for the first time on St. Patrick’s Day in 1889. This hymn form made its way into our Evangelical Lutheran Worship hymnal #450.
Though Washington State COVID protocols are changing, we continue to require people who join us in-person for worship to wear a mask for the duration of the service. Thank you.
If you would like to join us for worship on March 13, 2022, you may use the link that follows to reserve space for yourself and/or your household: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/169391016089
Please note: reserve only ONE SPOT on Eventbrite, whether you are a single person, a couple, or a family group. This helps us avoid double booking of seating space for unrelated attendees. Thank you!
If you wish to tune into the Live Stream broadcast of the service @ 10:30am Sunday, click HERE.
This Sunday we go with Jesus into the wilderness of temptation.
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? – Psalm 27:1
Beloved of God,
With the omicron variant receding in the rear-view mirror and national, state, and county COVID mandates being loosened, we’re finally seeing a scenario that will allow us all to be physically together again during Lent and Easter. (HURRAY!) And so the question naturally comes, WHAT’S NEXT FOR US HERE AT PEACE? My first response (in the spirit of my mother) is “we’ll see.” The Safe Opening Task Force will meet March to take stock of new CDC and King County health guidelines and will have a recommendation to make to our Church Council on March 15. I know the hope I hold: that as Lent unfolds, I will see more and more of you in worship each week.
When the Fauntleroy YMCA finally reopened for limited hours last fall, I returned to my workout routine for the first time in 18 months. Eager though I was to resume my regular cardio and weightlifting programs, I knew from experience that if I went full steam ahead instead of engaging gradually, I would be a prime candidate for deep muscle soreness and even injury. So I took it slowly. It was the right call. Muscle memory has kicked in and I’ve worked my way back to a pre-pandemic level of fitness that’s left me feeling better now physically than I have in a good long while.
We are creatures of habit. And many of us have gotten out of the habit of being physically present in worship the last two years. There are good reasons for that, of course. The pandemic has shifted so much of our lives in so many directions. But one result is that we’re a bit out of shape when it comes to our face-to-face engagement muscles. 😊 With risks now lessening I believe it’s time to exercise those community muscles that have been resting for a good while. What if we made engagement in worship a personal goal this Lent? The rich blessings of community life await. Further below in this issue you’ll read the names of new folks who—despite the pandemic—have found their way to our congregation and are moving toward a deeper connection with us and our mission. I can’t wait for you to meet them.
It probably comes as little surprise that cosmetic surgery has become a growth industry these past two years. The reason? In a word: ZOOM. With the advent of ZOOM two years ago, we were viewing closeups of our faces and those of others as never seen before. With a simple click on the cosmetically filtered lens options, we’ve made ourselves look better, cleaner, younger than ever. We’ve also witnessed our faces taking shapes we’ve never seen—our expressions exposing unfamiliar lines, folds, and asymmetries. When elective procedures were given the greenlit last spring, dermatologists and plastic surgeons were met with an overwhelming demand for their services. As they rescheduled months’ worth of backlogged patients, an unparalleled influx of newcomers clamored for lip filler, eyelid surgery, nose jobs, and laser treatments. “We were seeing ourselves from a new perspective,” said Dr. Corey Harman, “and it was eye-opening.” [1]
The season of Lent is a season for returning to the basics; for reclaiming our baptismal identity; for putting one foot in front of the other as we follow Christ through the ashes and wilderness that dominate our world to the promised land of Easter joy. The perspective Lent brings is also eye-opening. Like our Zoom encounters, we don’t always like what we see reflected back to us on the screen. But the grace is, because Christ knows us fully already—the good, the bad, and the ugly, in his presence there is no need to perform, no need for cosmetic repair, no need to appear other than as we are—saints and sinners; flawed yet beloved children. His total acceptance of who we are, warts and all, and his invitation to see one another through his eyes, is what allows us to cease the preoccupied focus on ourselves and instead to focus on the blessed image of God in those around us. There’s no substitute for experiencing that embodied blessing up close and personal.
We are committed to a life together that
builds trust, faith, and confidence in our
common mission and that values the
differences among us.
Our Vision
Grounded in God's grace, we are called to cultivate faith and trust in our life together,
to discern God's challenge into unfamiliar
places, and to venture beyond ourselves,
so all people will experience God's love.
Reconciling in Christ
We welcome people of all sexual orientations and gender identities into the life and mission of our congregation. For more info, Click Here.
What does this mean?