God is great; God is good. So begins a children’s table prayer. Teaching our children to pray is central to our work in the church. When we allow one another (children of all ages) time and a space to pray, we offer one another a “place” of peace and renewal. Prayer is the central and essential Christian practice. Our churches should be houses of prayer above all else. Our lives are better and richer when they include regular times of private prayer. I so often wish we could think of ways to gather during the week, here at church, for prayer.

There is much more to say about prayer. However, it was study and meditation on themes of being “great” and “good” that led me into thinking about prayer this week. The lessons for Sunday suggest reflection on greatness and goodness. The psalmist writes about the greatness of the Lord. The Roman soldier is a great and powerful man but, according to Luke, he is a good man as well. Do you think most people you know desire greatness or goodness. Both? Neither one? The two are notoriously hard to hold together. They are held together in the highest measures imaginable in God. God is great; God is good. Therefore, in freedom (because of God’s greatness) and in trust (because of God’s goodness) we pray and worship. We’ll meditate along these lines on Sunday.

Sunday will be a very big day!

We will hear a brief report on the Calumet weekend.

We will recognize our graduates and make a presentation to Pat Canning as he ends his high school career and looks forward to college at the University of Michigan. I bought a blue fleece blanket for him, the color blue, for Peace and for Michigan. If you would like to contribute a few dollars for the gift, contact me.

At the end of the service we will recess to the new garden, east of the church. The plot has been prepared by several of our adults. Joanna Flies of Two Fields Farms started sunflowers which we will plant in the garden on Sunday. Confirmation students and willing adults should wear planting clothes and bring planting tools.