Prince Of Peace

Continuing in the letter to the Ephesians, Paul exhorts us all to “live a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called” and it feels like an impossible task. How do we do this? Paul gives us a list. How do we know if we’ve done a good job? What happens when we don’t live up to it? This is the universal struggle. The question we all have at some point or another, is: what is “good enough” for God? Or maybe, more honestly, “Am I good enough for God?” Let’s dig into what Paul’s letter has to tell us about this today. Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-16 Song: "Here We Are" written by Nate Bergengren; performed by the Prince of Peace worship band

The Apostle Paul keeps talking about “power” in this section of Scripture. And the first-century Roman Establishment at Ephesus didn’t want this message getting out: “God’s power” this, “the power of the Spirit” that. He talks about it a lot. So why all this talk of power? Where can you get this power? And what is it for? Let’s dig in and see what this power is doing in us today! Scripture: Ephesians 3:14-21 Song: "Bearing Witness" written by Collective Soul; performed by the Prince of Peace worship band Watch this overview video about the book of Ephesians (from The Bible Project)

A few times a year, we depart from our usual preaching schedule and hand over the mic to… you… so you can ask any and all questions pertaining to faith, community, theology… And then we see what happens. We adjust the usual format of our worship service in order to leave as much time as possible for our pastors to respond to our questions—and we are always left wanting more! Scripture: Ephesians 2:11-22 Song: "God of Justice" written by Tim Hughes; performed by the Prince of Peace worship band

Today we will kick off our summer series focussing on the book of Ephesians. This little book tucked away in the New Testament is full of practical advice and great wisdom related to living out your faith so we'll spend the summer digging deeper. And boy does it start out with a bang! Scripture: Ephesians 1:3-14 Song: "Because of Your Love" written by Phil Wickham; performed by the Prince of Peace worship band *ARTICLE/VIDEO ABOUT LA SALLE LUTHERAN CHURCH CLOSING AFTER NEARLY 100 YEARS

So often one of the excuses we have for not sharing our faith or not serving is that we don’t have anything to offer. In today’s Gospel, Jesus sends his disciples out into the world but offers them a pretty sparse packing list. What do we need as we too are sent? Scripture: Ezekiel 2:1-5; Mark 6:1-13 Song: "No Longer Slaves" written by B. Johnson, et al.; performed by the Prince of Peace worship band

The woman could have snuck away unnoticed but she was willing to suffer the public shaming she knew was coming. She fell to the dirt and told the whole truth. What happens next is just breathtaking. What happens next is gospel. Scripture: Mark 5:21-43 Song: "Good Good Father" written by A. Brown & P. Barrett; performed by the Prince of Peace worship band

We all have callings. We all have gifts given in baptism to fulfill those callings. Those callings lead us to help shine a light, make paths straight, prepare the way of the Lord -- speak the truth in love. Scripture: Malachi 3:1-4; Luke 1:57-67 Song: "We Are Called (let us not forget)" written by Nate Bergengren; performed by the Prince of Peace worship band