This past week I felt like God was so close I could feel His warmth; I could sense His restoring love and soul-calming peace; I could believe almost without doubt.  This week, after so many, many years of roaming the barren landscape, I felt renewed, guided, restored.  I felt right.

My point:  God does not care what we’ve done, where we’ve been, how many times we have tried, stumbled, and tried again.  He does not care what we know or even how good we are.  He cares that we care.  And when we care, in His own sweet time (not ours, but His), He will restore us, He will renew us, He will transform us … making beautiful things out of dust.  Wondrous.

“You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us.”
- Gungor (Beautiful Things)

One thing I have grown to know (or at least remember now and then) is that God is always with us.  Always. When He sends us what we think of as misfortune or overwhelming challenge, He has a purpose.  No, I do not always like it, and I usually do not understand it; however, occasionally, I get a glimpse into how He takes our pain and suffering as a tool to guide us to a place of joy and transformation.  So, God is good … all the time.  When I remember this, life is good … all the time.  God bless.

John Ingrisano
DailyConnections
209 Church Street
Algoma, WI 54201
(920) 559-3722

Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

Psalm
 Psalm 1

Second Reading

1 John 5:9-13;

THE SPRING UTO (United Thank Offering) PARISH INGATHERING will be held Saturday and Sunday 19 and 20 May.  Please use the available donation boxes and envelopes to make your donation at any time up to and including the 19th and 20th of May.

OUR SECOND QUARTER OUTREACH TARGET is the Low Income Energy Assistance Program at the Women’s Employment Project.  This program provides one-time energy assistance to families who do not quite meet the federal poverty guidelines.  Your generous donations will be gratefully received.

CAP, THE COMMUNITY FOOD PANTRY, is experiencing a serious shortage of pasta and cereals.  Please consider putting those, and whatever else you think the Pantry could use, on your weekly grocery shopping list.  Pantry donation baskets are available at both of our churches.

PLEASE SAVE YOUR RECEIPTS FROM ECONO FOODS in Sturgeon Bay. Our parish receives a small amount of revenue from these, and with many people participating, we have meaningful income. Simply drop these receipts into the collection plate!

A PARISH-WIDE RUMMAGE SALE has been set for Friday, June 1 and Saturday, June 2 at Christ the King. We will be participating in the city-wide rummage sale those days and will receive additional publicity by doing so. SAVE your stuff from Spring Cleaning! You may start bringing it to Christ the King for storage in the garage or basement if you wish. Need help with transport? Let us know. Volunteers are needed … please inform the Senior Warden if you can help on either day.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE ANNUAL MEETING will be held on Sunday 15 July at 11:00 a.m. at Christ the King.

22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?’ 23 Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.’ 24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. 25 The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it felland great was its fall!”

16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. 18And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’

Louise Andreae  (21 May)

For the sick and those needing healing and support:

Betty Jean         Mary            Pat                  George P.         Mickey         Rick

Roy                  Dillon          Suzanne         Rob                  Bev                  Danny

Marti                  Bo                  Chris

For the departed:

Gerard         Mary                  Ken                  Irene

Other prayer requests and thanksgivings:

For God’s blessing upon the life and mission of our Parish

For those who are struggling economically

For safety for all travelers

That we may guard our unity in Christ

Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Stay here; for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.’ But Elisha said, ‘As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.’ So they went down to Bethel. The company of prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, ‘Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?’ And he said, ‘Yes, I know; keep silent.’

Elijah said to him, ‘Elisha, stay here; for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.’ But he said, ‘As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.’ So they came to Jericho. The company of prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha, and said to him, ‘Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?’ And he answered, ‘Yes, I know; be silent.’

Then Elijah said to him, ‘Stay here; for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.’ But he said, ‘As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.’ So the two of them went on. Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground.

When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.’ Elisha said, ‘Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.’ He responded, ‘You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not.’ As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. Elisha kept watching and crying out, ‘Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!’ But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.

He picked up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. He took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, saying, ‘Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?’ When he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over.

When the company of prophets who were at Jericho saw him at a distance, they declared, ‘The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.’ They came to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.

18 “Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. 23 But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. 6 But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 Let anyone with ears listen!” 10 Then the disciples came and asked him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 He answered, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 13 The reason I speak to them in parables is that ‘seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.’ 14 With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah that says: ‘You will indeed listen, but never understand, and you will indeed look, but never perceive. 15 For this people’s heart has grown dull, and their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; so that they might not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn and I would heal them.’ 16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.