By Erik Ingram
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By now, it feels almost unnecessary to say that these are unprecedented times in our lives as individuals and as a church; there are daily reminders of that, whether it’s from the media we consume or an email from any company we’ve interacted with in the past 10 years. In the time that I’ve been attending, the community at Prince of Peace has effectively become a second family to me; though people have come and gone, collectively you’ve lent me hospitality, moving assistance, and friendship, and I’m sure all of you can say the same. Of course, those gifts are what make it difficult to reconcile with our isolation from one another, and what also makes it difficult to say that as a council, we’ve determined that it is not yet in our best interest to attempt a reopening and resumption of in-person services even as other parts of society do so. Despite what some leaders and other prominent figures are saying, we feel the risks are still too great to leave to chance for the time being. Given our relatively small size, continuing to practice distancing and virtual worship remains our most responsible collective course of action.
 
During his time in a Nazi prison in mid-1944, Lutheran theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote to a friend with these words: “The church is its true self only when it exists for humanity...the church must share in the secular problems of ordinary human life, not to dominate, but to help and to serve” (To Eberhard Bethge, July 21, 1944). That is also our calling during these challenging times; we serve a valuable role in our greater community, and the actions we take now serve to protect ourselves and our community in the short term, and ensure that we will be able to continue caring for our community in tangible ways when the time comes to do so again. Until then, may our closeness help us to remain connected, and may we continue to trust the God will carry us through to the other side. Until we meet again, face-to-face.

By Dave Wilson
​Following a lot of work by the Transition Team and the Call Committee, the Church Council has also been busy with a major undertaking in the life of Prince of Peace.  The calling of Pastor Emily Kuenker is now official and all of us are looking forward to the Installation Service and her time with us as our Pastor.  This got me thinking about how many total pastors I have had in the churches I’ve attended.  When I was a kid, we had the same pastor until I was 8 and then we moved.  In the church we went to after moving, we had the same pastor until I went away to college 10 years later and he was eventually there for more than 20 years.  (My brother has been a pastor in the same church in St. Louis for about 25 years.)  I was amazed when I began attending Methodist churches with Lesa that they changed pastors approximately every 3 to 4 years and the congregation had no say in who came as pastor and when they left.  In approximately the last 35 years, Emily will be the tenth pastor at the churches we have attended.  Different denominations approach this differently.  There seems to be more rapid transition in pastors in some denominations than there used to be, while some others often have pastors who spend most of their working life in one church or maybe two.  To me, there are advantages and disadvantages to both ways of doing things; I don’t think either having one pastor for many years or having multiple pastors for shorter time intervals represents a choice between “good or bad”.
Prince of Peace has some challenges and some opportunities at this time that coincides with the coming of Pastor Emily.  Not that many years ago we often had more than 100 people attend on Sundays and did many community activities that we don’t really have enough members for now, and we had 20 or more Sunday school students from toddlers to high school age, with an active Confirmation and Youth Group program.  Like many churches, we now have few families with children attending.  There are many societal theories about this, but the short version is that following a major secular crisis that follows a major depression (2008) by approximately 12 years, we are due very soon for a rebirth of institutions in the U.S. after emerging from that crisis (we don’t know exactly what that crisis is yet, but speculation abounds).  What the institutions will look like will be shaped by the Civic generation born between 1982 and 2004.  The previous Civic generation was the World War II generation born between 1902 and 1924, and the two previous Civic generations before those won the Civil War and the American Revolution.  Religion in general and Christianity in particular will certainly be different as their generation continues to take power, if history since 1584 in North America is any guide.  Hopefully the fundamental values of the Carpenter from Nazareth will continue to be important in society.  I interact with many Civic generation people every day at USU.  I see them graduate from veterinary school and adjust to working life and often family life as time passes since they graduated.  It seems to me that they do indeed largely have a belief system that is altruistic and oriented toward doing the right thing including for the less fortunate.  How all of our society adapts to that, and how Christianity fits with their values will be a major adventure of the 2020’s and have a lot to say about the course of the rest of the 21st century.  Pastor Emily will be coming to us precisely at a momentous time for all, and what happens will certainly not be up to her alone.  We will all be in it together.

By Frank Pultar
 I asked my father a question when I was about ten, “Why does time go by so slow?”
     He replied, “Once you get to be eighteen, time will fly by, and by the time you notice it, you will be wondering where it went.”
     That time came when I was turning fifty, three years into this decade. I made a bucket list and started making plans to cross things off of it.
      First was to go to Burning Man to celebrate turning 50, my wife divorcing me, and still being alive. I had a most excellent adventure meeting a whole bunch of people who were looking to find themselves and start a path that was a little clearer than yesterday.
      I am still working on that list as this decade comes to a close. I am leaving myself room to reflect, to look ahead, and to make the most of this coming 2020. Working also to make this world a better place.

By Lela Gilmore, Council Member at Large
 
I thought this being the Advent season, that is what I would write about, however, the more I read the more I realize how far I am out of my depth!!! 
I think, rather, I’d like to explore my thoughts of just one possible aspect of Advent, that being “anticipation”, rather than  “expectation”. 
Definitions of ‘anticipation’ list many synonyms, some including ‘expectation’, but more that do not.
One definition describes the word as a version of the Latin word meaning ‘coming’… further, ’a feeling of excitement about something pleasant or exciting that you KNOW is going to happen’. 
Does that mean then that the difference between ‘anticipation’ and ‘expectation’ is the solid belief that what you “anticipate” is outside yourself? A promise…a REAL gift? , as opposed to that which you “expect” in return for something you have given first, or ‘earned’ or bought or are owed?  A gift rather than a gift-exchange where you give only what you expect to receive, so everyone comes out even!
Perhaps,  BELIEF  then, is the difference between anticipation and expectation….anticipation of a gift that is coming rather than expectation of something that you have planned or earned or are owed. 
We believe that Jesus IS coming, not at all dependent on us, or what we do,  or do not do, or believe, or whether or not we have followed the Lord closely enough, or done enough, etc.  Based on our frail human nature, we would never EARN or DESERVE  the Lord’s coming…
 thus the JOY  in anticipation of this indescribable GIFT.  Come Lord Jesus.

By Rebecca Walton

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​You may have heard that this past August, the ELCA declared itself a “sanctuary denomination”—the first North American denomination to do so. But what does that mean? And what might it mean for us, specifically, here at Prince of Peace?

The ELCA has produced some talking points that do a good job of answering the first question. I’ll quote at length from these talking points below, and you can download the complete set of talking points from the ELCA website if you’d like more details.

“In its simplest form, becoming a sanctuary denomination means that the ELCA is publicly declaring that walking alongside immigrants and refugees is a matter of faith. The ELCA Churchwide Assembly, the highest legislative authority of the ELCA, declared that when we preach on Sunday that Jesus told us to welcome, we will use our hands and voices on Monday to make sure it happens.

Being a sanctuary denomination does not call for any person, congregation or synod to engage in any illegal actions. We have a broken system regarding immigration, refugees and asylum-seekers. To declare ourselves a sanctuary church body is to say that we seek to provide concrete resources to assist the most vulnerable who are feeling the sharp edges of this broken system.
[…]
Being a sanctuary denomination will look different in different contexts. We cannot mandate or direct our congregations and ministries to respond in specific ways. Each must work out what this means for them in their context.
While we don’t yet know the full scope of the work that this declaration will open for the church, we do know that our faith communities are already doing sanctuary work. Sanctuary for a congregation may mean hosting English as a Second Language (ESL) classes; marching as people of faith against the detention of children and families; providing housing for a community member facing deportation; or, in some congregations, having thoughtful conversations about what our faith says about immigrations. All of these are a step closer to sanctuary in our faith communities and sanctuary in our world for people who must leave their homes.”
The ELCA has developed quite a few materials for folks who are interested in learning more. For example, in October the Rocky Mountain Synod offered a webinar attended by our own Karin DeJonge-Kannan, as well as 31 other folks from across the RMS. With her permission, I share here some of what she learned. The central question guiding the webinar was, “How can we best live out our desire to be a church of welcome and safety for God’s most vulnerable children?” Facilitators (Erin Power, Peter Serverson, Mary Campbell, Ruth Hoffman, and Bishop Jim Gonia) pointed out that, as a church, we are engaged in the reality of what is—our neighbors, co-workers, and the people sitting with us in the pews include asylum seekers, refugees being re-settled in the USA, travelers who have overstayed their visas, people who entered without proper documentation, whether as adults or as children—and also in advocacy for what could be: for example, just laws and policies, at both state and federal levels.
The Rocky Mountain Synod borders Mexico, which means border issues have long been part of our context. Facilitators pointed out that we have a unique opportunity to learn about immigration and help educate others about immigration along a wide range of perspectives. As noted in the ELCA talking points document quoted above, many churches (including some in our synod) are already engaging in work that enacts the sanctuary declaration and have engaged in this work long before the declaration was officially adopted in August. For example, Lutheran Family Services of the Rocky Mountains is a long-standing ministry that operates in Colorado and New Mexico, working with refugee re-settlement in those two states. The Guardian Angel program was founded to be the church in courtroom situations.  Participants in this program accompany people as a source of support, pray with them, and help them not be alone during court proceedings. The program started in Southwest California, but now it is in ten locations throughout the ELCA, including one in Denver, which is part of the Rocky Mountain Synod.
As detailed in the webinar and other ELCA resources, what it means to be part of a sanctuary denomination varies congregation by congregation and should be informed by local context. This time of transition, when we are praying for God to send us a new pastor, seems an appropriate time to begin (or continue!) to educate ourselves about issues of advocacy and theology. In educating ourselves, we can prepare for working together with a new minister in a new year to discuss how we live out the sanctuary declaration as a church—in our current actions and in future opportunities.

By Erik Ingram

Growing up, I was fortunate to have a wonderful youth pastor in my home church for all of the major milestones of my formative faith years. One of his most distinguishing traits was his relentless enthusiasm for Jeremiah 29:11, to the extent that the text was eventually painted around the perimeter of the youth room. With so much of our lives ahead of us, he felt strongly about the need to impress on us that God was, is, and always will be there to guide us, even when the going was tough and we didn’t necessarily feel that His presence in the moment.
 
            “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (NIV)
 
On the surface, it seems like a simple sentiment, yet, speaking from my own experience, it’s one that’s incredibly easy to forget in those times of struggle. I’ve been fortunate to have people in my life that have both directly and indirectly reminded me of this when I’ve needed it, which has served to strengthen my faith foundation as a whole.
 
The reason I bring this up is that our church has just passed a significant milestone on the journey to finding our next pastor. With the end of Pastor Teri’s time with us, it very much feels that we are in the “home stretch” of this process, and that things will stabilize with a new sense of permanence soon. I liken it to the cross-country races I ran during high school; we’ve just crested a big hill and we can see the flags of the finish line in the distance, but there is still one more to climb before we can settle into finishing mode. It’s easy to get impatient with the pace at which the process is moving, but just as a runner must exert strength to climb that final hill and finish, we must use our spiritual strength to remember that God has a plan to prosper this congregation and give us a future, but that the call committee is still discerning how it will manifest itself.
 
That plan includes remembering our roles in it; I remember when my home church was in the process of adding another pastor, several people expressed how they thought that they could do a better, faster job if they were on the call committee, and that they wouldn’t needlessly hold things up the way they felt those in charge were. When it came down to it, of course, none of those people had wanted to be involved when the committee was forming, and in doing so, accepted their role in supporting them instead (even if it wasn’t as willingly as some might hope). Our congregation has that same role, and we must see it through to the end the same way the committee does with their work.
 
            It is undeniably an exciting time for Prince of Peace Lutheran Church. With the finish line on our long journey distantly in sight, it’s tempting to think we can cruise the rest of the way there. However, we must always be mindful of the plan God has laid out for us, and to let Him guide us across. As simple as it might sound, it will continue to require our collective spiritual strength to do, and I am confident that we will continue to place our trust in His will for us.

By Barbara Daniels
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​As a new academic year begins, many of us see our lives pulled into an increased pace of activity. Classes, kids’ activities, sporting practices and games, even startup of committees and choir rehearsals make our lives busier than during the relatively languid summer. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this, but sometimes we need to slow down, take a break, and be still. Being still can help us remember who we are, who God is, and why we are here.
Throughout the Bible, God speaks to us about the necessity of quietness and contemplation. Elijah did not experience the Lord in the wind, the earthquake, or the fire, but in the still small voice that followed them (1 Kings 19:11-13). In Psalm 46, we are reminded that “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble…He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.’” (Psalm 46:1, 10). And of course, Jesus knew the value of stillness, and demonstrated it for us: “In the morning, while it was still very dark, Jesus got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.” (Mark 1:35). You can surely think of many more examples in the Scriptures.
How can we be still in such a busy world? Although we might like to, many of us cannot leave everything and go on a silent retreat in an isolated place. Here are some suggestions for ways to break into the busyness, and refresh:

• Unplug. Turn off the cell phone, the television, or whatever electronic device is distracting you. Spend some time disconnected from the “world”.
• Spend time outdoors. Take a walk, or just sit in a quiet, natural place.
• Enjoy your favorite piece of music.
• Read a book to a child (or to a friend or spouse!).
• Pray. Acknowledge your racing thoughts and ask the Holy Spirit to rule over them and help your mind rest.

So when life starts to get overwhelming, (or hopefully before it does!), take time to be still with yourself and with God. “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” (Isaiah 30:15).

By Dave Wilson

August marks the anniversary of an unintended transformative event in the history of
Christianity, the English speaking world, and the concept of religious tolerance. The Battle of
Bosworth Field was fought on August 22, 1485, 534 years ago this month, near Bosworth,
England. The houses of Lancaster (red rose) and York (white rose) had been fighting The War
of the Roses for 30 years, and had managed to eliminate the male heirs to the throne from both
extended families; Bosworth Field was the final battle of that war. Some increased attention to
the battle resulted from the 2012 discovery of the long-missing body of King Richard III, who
was killed in the battle. The victorious Lancastrians were led by Henry, Earl of Richmond, from
Wales. Henry, Richard, and the battle itself have many interesting stories, but space and
pertinent subject matter do not permit telling them here. Henry was crowned as King Henry VII
of England after the battle. He had two sons, the younger named Harry, but the eldest son Arthur died at age 15. After Henry VII died, Harry became King Henry VIII and married Catherine of Aragon, daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, earlier financiers of an expedition by Cristoforo Colombo who had the dubious idea that he could find a passage to Asia across the Atlantic Ocean. Henry VIII was married to Catherine for most of his reign, but eventually became known in history for having 5 other wives in quick succession. In order to marry his second wife, Anne Boleyn, Henry ultimately created the Church of England because the Catholic Church would not grant him a divorce from Catherine. Key figures in the new Anglican Church exhibited no more religious tolerance than most religions in any part of the world up until that time, often burning or torturing “heretics” who opposed the new branch of Christianity, including Catholics, adherents to England’s Christian religion for approximately the previous 1200 years. However, after Henry VIII died, his son and eldest daughter (Bloody Mary, who restored Catholicism and promoted widespread torture of Anglicans) both died within 11 years. Their younger sister ascended to the throne as Queen Elizabeth I in 1558, and because she herself had been imprisoned and threatened with death over religion, she had no use for religious persecution or intolerance, restored the Anglican Church, and introduced policies of religious tolerance to England that were almost unprecedented in history. Sadly, the tolerance was greater than that in the 64 of the 196 countries in the world today that are considered very restrictive of religion (they contain 70% of the people in the world), nearly 500 years later. The concept of comparative religious freedom within Christianity and toward other religions spread throughout the English speaking world. Colonization and expansion into indigenous areas did not uniformly result in religious tolerance, especially regarding people of color. Nevertheless, widespread torture and/or efforts to completely eliminate all adherents to other religions were not practiced by the English speaking people to the extent that they were by many other religions, societies, and empires. The unintended results of Henry Earl of Richmond and his son Harry’s thrusts for power created a basis for religious tolerance originated by their granddaughter and daughter that was reflected in the U.S. constitution 300 years later and largely exists in our society today.

By Frank Pultar

In early May, I traveled to Albuquerque, New Mexico with Paula Zsiray to attended the Rocky Mountain Synod Assembly. This was a first time attending for both of us. It was an eye opening experience, both in mind and spirit. 

There were a few things that have stuck with me. Richard Rohr, a Franciscan priest, spoke of Grace, the Trinity, and how we dance with God. 

Restorative Justice was also spoken of, and Fr. Rohr talked about how Jesus never punished anyone. This also spoke to me that we, as followers of Christ, should do as Jesus did. How else are we made whole if after justice has been done, you are not given back your humanity?