Most weeks several of you probably pick-up one of these bulletins, follow it during worship, then leave it in the pew, return it to the table by the door, or put it in the recycle bin in Gould Hall. I understand this. Still, I invest time into how I put this bulletin together, trying to choose liturgy, music, and visual art that enhance worship and the passage of Scripture for the day. Sometimes I go online to search for a cover picture. When I do this I usually put in a search for the Scripture on which I intend to preach: which is what I did last week. When I typed in Mark 4:35-41 this picture on the cover came up on my screen, along with a few others. This one caught my attention, though, because in this gospel story I never thought “love protects” was the primary message. I always believed the focus was on the disciples’ fear because of their individual and collective lack of faith. So, the picture led me to a closer reading of the text. Listen once again:

Last month I participated in a district event called, “Fresh Expressions.” It is a creative and innovative approach to ministry developed in The United Kingdom about twenty years ago. It is the direct and practical consequence of increasing decline in church membership and attendance in combination with increased social isolation among persons and groups in that country. In essence, Fresh Expressions recognizes two things: 1. People are not seeking out churches for traditional worship and membership as in the past. 2. Congregations must find new ways to reach people, especially younger adults, many of whom know nothing or very little about Jesus.

I bought some resource materials at the event and I look forward to discussing them together here at St. Nicholas, because attendance and membership in U.S. churches is no different. Across all denominations and spectrums Christianity is also in a steady decline in this country, during a similar age of increased personal and social isolation. We experience this even in a small town and congregation like ours, where the ebb and flow in attendance varies from 15-35 or so on any given Sunday depending upon competing activities, health, state of mind, or state of belief.

Guardians of the Galaxy is an expanding movie franchise that initially hit the screen in 2014. Vol. 2 appeared just over a year ago (May 5), and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is scheduled for release in 2020. In these movies, a team with would-be, semi-impressive superpowers join together to become guardians of the galaxy.

Isaiah and Jesus both provide clues about what/who is the real Guardian of the Galaxy:

This Protector is the ruler of everything, the omni-potentate of innumerable universes filled with galaxies we cannot see, and is more powerful, fearsome and wise than we can imagine. And, based on today's text, this Guardian is holy -- more holy than we can imagine -- and just: justice you see, is essential for holiness.

Have you ever tried to communicate with someone whose language you did not speak, or translate a text into English from a language you barely understand? This can be very frustrating, as I learned years ago when traveling in Turkey. I tried communicating in the commonly understood language of German while there, and it led to a few fascinating misunderstandings!

On this Mother’s Day it is good to be reminded to never underestimate the power of table talk.

Adam Bellow wrote a book that approaches this topic in a fresh and surprising way. Called In Praise of Nepotism, it defends the practice of showing favor to your relatives, and it makes the case that many “self-made men” were really nothing of the kind.  In fact, they were family-made men, often mother-made men. From Abraham and King David to John F. Kennedy and George W. Bush, the influence of families has been seen and felt in the shaping of generations of leaders.

It looks like a burger. Cooks like a burger. Tastes like a burger. And even "bleeds" like a burger. But, there is no beef in it.

This burger is made from a plant-based beef alternative, with juices that come from beet juice. The burger is produced by a company called Beyond Meat.

Future generations will be told about the Lord, and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it. -Psalm 22:30b-31.


When running for president against incumbent Jimmy Carter in 1980, Ronald Reagan discovered a question that resonated powerfully on the campaign trail: "Are you better off today than you were four years ago?"  Reagan asked it again and again. Many attribute Reagan’s resounding election victory to this persistent question.

How many here have heard of or played Pokemon Go? It is one of the hottest games on smartphones since 2016. Pokémon Go. Players walk the streets like zombies, staring at their phones and hunting for collectible characters. But what they actually looking at?

For starters, they are looking at the world.