Greetings from Leslie!

A blessed Easter season to each of you. As I write this article for the April newsletter, I am still thinking about the interesting discussion that around 20 of us enjoyed at Bible Study last night. We looked at different uses of the Old Testament word "shalom" and the New Testament word "eirene," both of  which loosely translate to "peace," but there is not really an English word that fully captures these  heavily weighted words. A better definition might be "peace with justice." At our first study, we considered what we mean when we talk about and pray for peace. Is peace an internal, personal state of being? Or is it an absence of war and violence in the wider world? Our discussion moved in the direction of concluding that authentic peace encompasses both the personal and the global, but we also realized that there is much left to learn and internalize about cultivating peace in our own spirits and across the planet.

This was the beginning of a lengthy study we will be doing on the concepts of shalom and eirene - as you probably have heard, we will be meeting on the third Wednesday of the month. We will begin with a potluck dinner at 6:30 PM, begin Bible Study at 7:15, and finish at around 8:30 PM. Although the sessions are related to each other, they also can each stand alone, so do not let the fact that you cannot come one night stop you from coming on another. This is an opportunity to enjoy a good meal, delve more deeply into God's word, and share our faith and beliefs in a smaller, more conversational setting.

Here are a few "teasers" that may entice you to come to the next study:  Did you know that the word "shalom" is used approximately 250 times in the Old Testament? The word "eirene" is used around 90 times in the New Testament. Martin Luther King Jr. once referred to a "negative peace," which is the absence of tension, and a "positive peace," which is the presence of justice. Which type of peace do we foster as a community f faith?

Our next evening Bible study/potluck dinner will be held on Wednesday, April 15 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. The focus of this session will be "What They Meant by Shalom in Israel," and we will look particularly closely at the Joseph story. Those who want to do some advance preparation are encouraged to read Genesis chapters 37-44 and look for the word "peace" and how it is used  hroughout.

In a world as unnecessarily violent as ours is, it is critical that people of faith nurture the seeds of peace that Christ has planted in our hearts. I wish each of you a peaceful Easter season filled with the hope and joy of the resurrection. 

Shalom, Leslie