 Joseph Sittler, the brilliant American Lutheran theologian, tells the story of a woman in his parish who told him that she worked at a hospital in Chicago and prayed everyday for a favorable parking spot when she arrived at that busy place. She testified that God always delivered on her desire. Sittler was sure this was not an example of faithful prayer and bordered on blasphemy. He said that it was “wrong to use prayer as a lubricant for the satisfaction of our desires.”
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 If you have used the north entrance to the church recently, you may have noticed an addition to the perennial garden there. A Peace Pole has been added. In eight languages – English, Spanish, Hebrew, Arabic, Swahili, Meskwaki, Swedish, and Gaelic – the pole offers a prayer: May peace prevail on earth. The pole is a gift from members of the congregation accepted by the Congregation Council.
 The week after July 4th always carries a strange kind of energy.
The fireworks are over. The grill has cooled off. The flags are still hanging on porches and in front yards, but they don’t catch your eye the way they did a few days ago. The big celebration is past, and most of us are easing back into the usual rhythm of life. It’s the kind of moment that invites a little reflection. What exactly are we celebrating when we talk about freedom? What kind of freedom do we actually want?  Last week 26 kids and more than 30 teen and adult volunteers gathered each evening from 5:00-7:30 pm for “Operation Restoration-Mending God’s World." Each day centered around a theme, a way that we can mend God’s world; Feed, Heal, Forgive, Pray, and Rest.
 Over the last few months as my wife and I have faced some serious health concerns, people – lots of people – have assured us that they are praying for us. We deeply appreciate and treasure every prayer offered. I am not always sure what the content of the prayers might be. I assume they are prayers for healing, strength, and hope among other things. It really does not matter because the expressions of care and compassion are genuine and are gifts of grace. Even when someone says, “I’m praying for you,” without a clue as to what to say or out of the desperation of feeling helpless, the impulse to pray is itself a prayer. As Paul says, “… the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.” (Romans 8:26)
 “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” —Matthew 11:28
Summer has a strange way of speeding up just when we imagine it will slow down. We start the season dreaming of open calendars, lazy afternoons, and backyard evenings. But somehow, the pace picks up—filled with vacations, kids’ activities, family obligations, projects we’ve saved “for when there’s time.”  Some of you may be upset, even angered, by this little article. I am willfully and wantonly referring to a bill now before the US Congress. You may assume that this means a pastor is taking up politics, which is forbidden in the minds of many. Others may think I am being partisan for opposing something supported by one party more than the other. I reject both accusations.
 Of the 78 million Lutherans around the world, 31 million are in Africa. 8.6 million of the Lutherans in Africa are members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT), which is the second largest Lutheran Church on the planet (The largest is the Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus in Ethiopia). By contrast, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (of which we are a congregation) has about 2.8 million members. While congregations shrink and denominations struggle here, the African church is growing and becoming more vital.
 Our mission is to Share God’s Love. It is, on the one hand, simple. The final commandment Jesus gave to his followers was to love one another as he loved us. On the other hand, loving each other and loving all God’s children is an enormous and complicated task. That is why we carry out our mission in partnership with organizations and agencies who share our values and our commitment to love.
 A few weeks ago, I was invited to answer some questions from our middle school students. One of the very first was: “Where are dinosaurs in the creation story?” I paused—not because I was caught off guard, but because I wanted to take the question seriously. I looked at the earnest faces around the room, each one waiting for an answer that could connect prehistoric creatures with the story in Genesis.
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