Peace Lutheran Church - Puyallup

A Benediction on the Eve of Election
Based on a prayer by Steven Charleston, Choctaw Theologian and Former Episcopal Bishop of Alaska.

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Peace Lutheran Church – Puyallup, Washington Sermons and other church related videos from Peace Lutheran Church in Puyallup, Washington. Watch us live every Sunday at 9:30am!

All Saints’ Day reminds us that we are part of a great cloud of witnesses.

Today, we honor those who have gone before us—faithful people, activists, and peacemakers—those who fought for justice, inclusion, and healing. Saints are not perfect but people who reflect God's love in word and action.

We celebrate their lives and commit to following their example in loving our neighbors, challenging injustice, and embracing radical hospitality.

You know what would be spooky? Forgetting to Fall Back this Sunday and being an hour early to Church! 🫣😱🫠

But grace is not passive—it calls us into action. As followers of Christ in the 21st century, how are we living out that faith? What systems of injustice need reforming today? Just as Luther found courage to challenge the status quo, let’s be brave enough to love boldly, live justly, and build a better world for all.

A look to the week ahead:
10/30: Choir@ 7p
11/3: Church@ 9:30a All Saints Sunday
***Remember to bring pictures of your Saints***
***Remember to Fall Back***

Make a plan to !

A Letter from a Bishop to You Via Me

I get emails all the time from a bishop. (My girlfriend, Shelley, is a Lutheran bishop.) As bishop, Shelley oversees a synod of about 100 churches in the northwest corner of Washington state. (A bishop’s responsibilities are similar to those of a superintendent who oversees all the schools in a particular school district). While there are several families of Lutheran churches, Shelley’s a leader in what’s by far the biggest and most progressive branch, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

In these times of angry politics, hard divisions, and hyper-political churches, I fear that when unchurched Americans think of a Christian, many think of the extremely conservative ones who play such a high-profile role in the right wing of our political landscape. While the term “evangelical” can apply to a broad range of Christians, the most politicalized have come to be known as “Evangelicals” in the US. These groups are generally fundamentalists (who take every word in the Bible literally) and Christian Nationalists (who believe Americans are exceptional in God’s eyes, are sure to fly the Stars and Stripes in their churches…and might even think God would recommend a certain Bible that comes with the US Constitution stitched into it).

On the other hand, the quieter wing of Christianity in our country (“Mainline Protestant” denominations like Lutherans, Methodists, Episcopalians, and many others) tends to be more liberal. In these churches, women and gay pastors are commonplace, sanctity of life includes much more than a fetus, our Jewish and Muslim neighbors are welcome, and we understand that all people are children of God and, therefore, equally beloved. Sadly, while noisy and angry fundamentalists and Christian Nationalists grab the headlines and stoke the cultural wars that divide our country, the rest of us — who take “love thy neighbor” seriously — have been bullied out of the public eye.

Shelley sends a monthly “Letter from the Bishop” to the congregations in her synod — and during this election season, I wish all Americans could receive her November dispatch. It offers what I consider to be a truly Christ-like approach to the issues facing our country. As a Christian, Shelley’s message (which is more “love thy neighbor” than “what’s in it for me”) inspires me, and it will guide me as I vote in this election. And — as an American citizen who cares deeply for his country — I hope that, whether you consider yourself a person of faith or not, Shelley’s message will also bring a new dimension to your thinking as you prepare to vote.

From the Bishop:

Dear Beloveds,

As the election season is here, I have been doing some reflecting on what it means to vote as a Lutheran Christian. Please know that I am not telling you who to vote for in this election. It is not for me to tell you who to vote for. I mean, after all, God is neither Republican or Democrat, or even American.

But in saying that, I am not abdicating the responsibility that we have as Lutheran Christians who live in a country where voting matters. As children of God, we are called to vote beyond our own self-interest or individuality. As people who follow Jesus, we are called towards God’s vision of a just and mercy-filled world. As people who have received grace upon grace, we are called to stand against injustice, and to remind everyone that, in God’s eyes, every single person is loved and beloved.

So, here are a few thoughts and questions:

1. Jesus is all about loving one’s neighbor. Even when it’s hard. When he’s asked, “Who is my neighbor,” Jesus expands his answer. In Jesus’ stories and actions he constantly goes to those who are on the outside, those marginalized, those without status, and shows how they are loved by God – how they are, in fact, his neighbor.

As you vote: Who is your neighbor?

2. Throughout scripture, hospitality to the stranger is embraced. In the Old Testament, the command to welcome strangers is repeated 37 times. In Matthew, Jesus says, “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”

As you vote: Who is the stranger?

3. God’s will and God’s calling is towards equity and justice for those who have been silenced, oppressed, or harmed. As we hear in Isaiah, “Learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, and plead for the widow.”

As you vote: Who are the silenced, the oppressed, the harmed?

4. The eighth commandment declares that we are called to not bear false witness against our neighbor. This, of course, means not lying about another but seeking the truth. This means no name-calling or false accusations. But it goes beyond this. As Martin Luther tells us in his Small Catechism, we are to defend our neighbor, speak well of our neighbor, and explain everything in the kindest way.

As you vote: Who is speaking truth?

5. God created this beautiful earth and declared that we are both part of the creation and are also called to be stewards of it. As we read in the ELCA social statement called “Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope, and Justice,” we affirm that it is God’s intention for us to join in the healing and wholeness of creation.

As you vote: Who is caring for creation?

Dear Beloveds of God, there is so much more that could be written about the state of our country and what voting means. We could make this all complicated and intricate and difficult. But truly, it comes down to this: God’s love is unconditional and unending. Jesus came to this earth to show, to embody, to be God’s love for us and for all people. And so, knowing this, trusting this, believing this, we are called. We are called, as children of God, to show this love to the world. We are called to vote against hate. We are called to vote for God’s love. As we hear in 1 John, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear … We love because God first loved us.”

+Bishop Shelley Bryan Wee

Loving and Liberating God,

On this Reformation Sunday, we give thanks for the spirit of renewal that moves through the church, calling us always toward deeper justice, wider love, and radical grace. Just as our ancestors dared to ask hard questions, may we be bold in seeking truth, even when it challenges tradition or makes us uncomfortable.

We celebrate the work of reformers across history—those who spoke up for the marginalized, demanded accountability, and reimagined what the church could be. Yet we know the work of reformation is not over. Guide us to be a church where all are welcomed without condition: the LGBTQ+ community, the refugee, the doubting, and the disillusioned.

God of transformation,
Where the church has caused harm, may we confess with humility.
Where walls of exclusion have been built, may we tear them down.
Where we are tempted to cling to power and comfort, may your Spirit move us to serve with courage.

Give us hearts open to change,
Minds willing to learn,
And hands ready to build a future shaped by your love—
A love that always includes, always heals, and always seeks justice.

May we be reformed by the wideness of your mercy and the challenge of your gospel,
So that the world might see your hope made real in us.

In the name of Jesus,
The one who continually calls us into new life,
Amen

Today is Reformation Sunday! "Rooted in the past and growing into the future, the church must always be reformed in order to live out the love of Christ in an ever-changing world. We celebrate the good news of God’s grace, that Jesus Christ sets us free every day to do this life-transforming work" (Sundays and Seasons).

Wear red for Reformation this Sunday, 10/27!

A look to the week ahead:
10/22: Bible Study- 10a
10/23: Choir- 7p
10/27: Church- 9:30p

"For the Son-of-Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

Salmon are spawning across the Seattle area. Here’s where to see them Pacific salmons are returning to the freshwater streams so they can lay and fertilize their eggs. Here are where to see them in Western Washington.

A look to the week ahead:
10/15: Bible Study@ 10a
10/16: Choir@ 7p
10/20: Church@ 9:30a

Following Jesus is a way of resistance.

October Calendar

A look to the week ahead:
10/8: Bible Study@ 10a
10/9: Choir@ 7p
10/13: Church@ 9:30a

ELCA Conference of Bishops Emphasizes the Need to Speak the Truth

10/1/2024 7:55:00 AM

​In a perfect garden, created by God for the sake of humanity, evil entered in the form of deception and lies. Christians refer to this story, found in the biblical book of Genesis, as the fall of humanity. This foray into human sin began when Adam and Eve, the first humans created in the image of God, were deceived.

Humans have contended with the powers of deception ever since.

Yet we are a people who know and proclaim the power of God at work in the world. We proclaim the power of Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, the one who said, "I am the way, the truth and the life" (John 14:6).

We know that the power of truth is greater than the power of deceit.

We, the members of the Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, speak with one voice to condemn the hateful, deceptive, violent speech that has too readily found a place in our national discourse. We lament the ways this language has led to hate-fueled action.

We refuse to accept the ongoing normalization of lies and deceit.

We recommit ourselves to speaking the truth and pointing to the one who is truth. We find courage in our collegiality and implore the members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, as well as our partners and friends, to join us as we:

-Pledge to be vigilant guardians of truth, refusing to perpetuate lies or half-truths that further corrode the fabric of our society.
Commit to rigorous fact-checking, honoring God's command to "test everything; hold fast to what is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

-Reject the use of humor that normalizes falsehood, remembering that our speech should "always be gracious" (Colossians 4:6).

-Boldly advocate for the marginalized and oppressed, emulating Christ's love for the least among us.

-Courageously interrupt hate speech, standing firm in the knowledge that all are created in God's image.

-Lean in with curiosity, engage with those who think differently and "put the best construction on our neighbor's action" (Luther's explanation of the Eighth Commandment).

-Amplify voices of truth.

Emboldened by the Holy Spirit, may we resist deception and lift up the truth that all members of humanity are created in the image of God.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us all as we respond to the Spirit's invitation into this intentional commitment against deception and for truth.

In Christ,

The Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

ELCA Conference of Bishops Emphasizes the Need to Speak the Truth The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with more than 3.8 million members. "God's work. Our hands."