Friends,

I find myself again in the last thirty minutes of my work week in need of writing to you.

It has been a busy week. There is a lot happening in my background that may be in your foreground. One thing I have said consistently about St. Luke’s is that we know how to get things done. The efficiency of our BBQ is the living manifestation of this tremendous skill that seemingly inhabits all our members. It is no coincidence that a disproportionate amount of our members serves in the military or the federal government. Things are very difficult for many people right now. I have heard of other Churches offering space for federal workers to share their experiences, and some have suggested that St. Luke’s offer a similar space. Some federal workers have explained to me that this could be a very bad idea. Other suggested that continuing to be a safe harbor is a good approach. I honestly do not know where to go from here. Are you a federal worker? Would a support group of your peers be helpful? Contact me directly to let me know if it would and we will see what we can do.

In my foreground are exciting but ultimately frivolous things. I am playing around with a new configuration for the narthex. Things might be a bit disrupted this Sunday, but do not fret, it will be returned to something more familiar. In even more frivolous news, I got new clergy shirts for the first time in ten years and getting them took a surprising amount of work and patience. I’m not sure if you’ve noticed but they were all thread bare and missing many buttons.

There’s a sermon in the observation that our lives still find ways of being filled with minor worries in the midst of global change, but that will have to be for another day.

I will be away this Sunday, but Rachel Rickenbacker will be covering for me. I hear she is an exceptional preacher, and I encourage you to come and support her on Sunday.

Blessings,

Nick