Author: Pastor Aleese Kenitzer

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Worship: The Paradox of Reformation

Psalm 46 | Each year, the church honors Reformation Day – a day to remember reforms within the church throughout history, and a day to pay attention to how the Spirit is continually re-forming and re-shaping us to live in the kingdom of God. And yet, based on where each of us find ourselves, the very notion of “reformation” might sit quite differently. For some, life – and even faith – may feel chaotic, confusing, and stirred up. While for others, there may be hunger for a long overdue shift in thinking, shift in society, or shift in faith that more clearly resembles the whole of God’s Good News. Point being: we approach “reformation” based on where we find ourselves, and where we find ourselves as the church. So, as we gather in worship this weekend, join us as we recall the changing and shaking that is happening, and perhaps the changing and the shaking that needs to happen in our lives, the world, and the church as we join with Christ in mission.

Sunday, October 29, 2023, Reformation Sunday Bulletin

Copyright acknowledgments: Music covered under Augsburg Fortress License #SB135131, CCLI License #1141706, One License #738128-A. Scripture from New Revised Standard Version Bible, © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. Prelude: Blessed Assurance. Text and Music: Mark Hayes. Text and Music: © 2011 The Lorenz Publishing corporation. Covered under One License subscription. Gathering Song: A Mighty Fortress is Our God. Text: Martin Luther, 1483-1546; tr. Lutheran Book of Worship. Music: Martin Luther. Text and Music: © 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship, admin. Augsburg Fortress. Covered under One License subscription.
Hymn of the Day: The Church of Christ in Ev’ry Age. Text: Fred Pratt Green, 1903-2000. Music: William Knapp, 1698-1768. Text and Music: © 1971 Hope Publishing Company. Covered under One License subscription. Offering Song: Reflection. Text and Music: Mark Hayes. Text and Music: © 2016 The Lorenz Publishing Corporation. Covered under One License subscription. Communion Song: Reformation Song. Text and Music: Bob Kauflin and Tim Chester. Text and Music: © Sovereign Grace Praise (Admin. by Integrity Music). Covered under CCLI License subscription. Sending Song: Send Us Out. Text & Music: James Hersch. Text & Music: © 1994 Dakota Road Music. Covered under One License subscription.

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Blog: Give to God what is God’s

Recently in worship, we’ve been using the following prayer after we collect our offering and before we begin our communion liturgy:

Blessed are you, O God, maker of all things. Through your goodness you have blessed us with these gifts: our selves, our time, and our possessions. Use us and what we have gathered, in feeding the world with your love, through the one who gave himself for us, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. 

All that we are, and all that we have, belongs to God. It’s one thing to say that…and it’s a whole ‘nother thing to live that. Because if we live knowing and trusting that all that we are belongs to God, in the words of Pastor Brian Stoffregen, “we cannot say about our lives that ‘this part belongs to God, so I will give it to God. Everything we are and everything we have belongs to God. Everything we are and everything we have we are to give back to God.” And that includes our very being. As people made in the image of God, and gifted with the gifts God has given each of us, God is at work in each of you to bear the image of God’s Kingdom to the world. 

So this week, consider for yourself:

  1. When people look at you, how might they see you as an image of God? 
  2. And, how might your presence re-present God to others? 

In all that we are, we are image bearers of our God who desires to live in relationship with us, and in relationship with all creation. We might restrain ourselves from giving our whole selves to God as a sacrifice of praise. But even still, God’s light within us will shine through as the Spirit moves us to join in God’s mission today. 

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Worship: You Have Heard It Said-Give to Caesar

Matthew 22:15-22 | You have heard it said, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God the things that are God’s.” All well and good when the “Caesar’s” of our time are well-intentioned rulers! But how do we approach this phrase when leaders, and powers, and authorities lead without any concern for their people? Or, when leaders perpetuate a system of injustice and destruction? Join us this weekend as we wrap up our stewardship series and as we are summoned to give ourselves, fully, to God as Christ’s ambassadors within the world.

Sunday, October 22, 2023, Twenty-first Sunday of Pentecost Bulletin

Copyright acknowledgments: Music covered under Augsburg Fortress License #SB135131, CCLI License #1141706, One License #738128-A. Scripture from New Revised Standard Version Bible, © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. Prelude: Amazing Grace. Text and Music: Mark Hayes. Text and Music: © 2006 The Lorenz Publishing corporation. Covered under One License subscription. Gathering Song: God of the Fertile Fields. Text: Georgia Harkness, 1891-1974, alt. Music: Felice de Giardini, 1716-1796. Text and Music: © 1955, ren. 1983 The Hymn Society, admin. Hope Publishing Company. Covered under One License subscription. Hymn of the Day: Give Thanks. Text and Music: Henry Smith. Text and Music: © 1978 Integrity’s Hosanna! Music. Covered under One License subscription. Offering Song: Spirit Of God, Descend Upon My Heart. Text and Music: Frederick Atkinson, Mark Hayes. Text and Music: © 2006 The Lorenz Publishing Corporation. Covered under One License subscription. Communion Song: 10,000 Reasons. Text and Music: Matt Redman. Text and Music: © 2011 Columbia Music Company. Covered under One License subscription. Sending Song: For the Fruit of All Creation. Text: Fred Pratt Green, 1903-2000. Music: Welsh traditional; arr. Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1872-1958. Text: © 1970 Hope Publishing Company. Music: © Oxford University Press. Covered under One License subscription.

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Blog: Mission Moments and You

Throughout October, you’ve been hearing a variety of individuals share testimonies of how the mission of Jesus through SOTC and our shared ministry has impacted them. In so many ways, lives are being touched by what happens both inside our walls and out in the community!

But why have we been sharing these stories? For a variety of reasons. At the core, we’re sharing these stories to uplift the fruit that has been born within individuals lives, within the congregation, and within our greater community, by the work of the Spirit. And beyond that, we’ve been sharing these stories for you to consider how you’ve been impacted by SOTC and our shared ministry, and for you to consider how you are being led to be a part of the mission of Jesus through SOTC in your participation and in your financial gifts.

So this week, as you consider how you’ve been impacted by the ministry of SOTC and your response, consider these questions:

  1. How have the testimonies of Mackenzie, Joseph, and the Thoma’s within worship impacted you? 
  2. Thinking about yourself: have you grown in faith in the past year(s)? How? What has assisted your growth? 
  3. How might God be calling you to participate in continuing to share the Good News of Jesus Christ within our congregation and broader community?
  4. Thinking of your financial budget: can you commit to financially supporting the mission of Jesus through SOTC? If so, would you be willing to make a commitment to yourself by utilizing the Estimate of Giving Worksheet?  

We thank you, in advance, for your continued partnership with us as we live on purpose for a purpose in the name of Jesus. Together, we form this unique body of Christ; and together, we are a part of the whole living body of Christ within the world…called and sent to spread God’s liberating love with all the world. 

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Worship: You Have Heard It Said – Stewardship is Only About Money

1 Timothy 6:17-19 | You’ve likely heard about “stewardship” in reference to money. But, in the words of Grace Pomroy Duddy, “stewardship is everything we do after we say ‘I believe.’ Stewardship is the way we love God and neighbor with our whole lives. Understood this way,…stewardship is about justice – justice for our neighbors and for our world.” Join us for worship this weekend as we pray the Scriptures using the model of Lectio Divinia, giving space for the Spirit to speak to us as we live out our calling to justice and generosity.

Sunday, October 15, 2023, Twentieth Sunday of Pentecost Bulletin

Copyright acknowledgments: Music covered under Augsburg Fortress License #SB135131, CCLI License #1141706, One License #738128-A. Scripture from New Revised Standard Version Bible, © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. Prelude: Pass It On. Text and Music: Kurt Kaiser. Text and Music: © Lutheran Church of Australia. Covered under One License subscription. Gathering Song: We Come to the Hungry Feast. Text and Music: Ray Makeever. Text and Music: © 1982 Ray Makeever, admin. Augsburg Fortress. Covered under One License subscription. Hymn of the Day: We Give Thee But Thine Own. Text: William W. How, 1823-1897, alt. Music: L. Mason and G. Webb, Cantica Lauda, 1850. Text and Music: Public Domain. Offering Song: Interlude. Text and Music: Mark Hayes. Text and Music: © 1981 Harold Flammer Music (Admin. by Hal Leonard LLC) (Admin. by Tom Cat Music). Covered under CCLI subscription. Sending Song: We Are Called. Text and Music: David Hass, b. 1957. Text and Music: © 1988 GIA Publications, Inc. Covered under One License subscription.

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Blog: To Know Christ and Become Like Him

If I were to ask you, what are you pursuing in your life right now?, what would you say? 

At various stages of our lives, we likely find ourselves pursuing different things. In young adulthood, we may pursue a degree, a partner, or begin a family. In time, we may pursue a change of job, or we may pursue a healthier lifestyle. We may pursue a passion project, or we may pursue something to help us grow. 

Point being: throughout life, we pursue many, many things. And this past week, we heard encouragement from Paul of what to pursue, and what not to pursue. Calling a spade a spade, Paul reminds the Philippians that it is not worth our time to pursue wealth, possessions, status, or even merit-badges. Instead, what is worth our time and our pursuit is 1) to know Christ, and 2) to become like him. 

So as you enter into another week, consider for yourself, what is it that you are pursuing in your life right now? Reflect on your pursuit, and consider how it does or doesn’t intersect with your life of faith. 

If you’re looking for more questions to reflect on following this past Sunday’s focus, consider the following:

  1. You may have heard people refer to money or other material possessions as “blessings” from God. Do you agree? What makes this mindset dangerous? 
  2. Is there an aspect of your life you are hesitant to give to Jesus? What do you need to do to submit your whole self to Christ and to your neighbors in humility and service? 

For any one of us to fully give ourselves to Christ and to one another would be impossible without the work of the Holy Spirit. But transformed by the Spirit, and led by Christ, we can go forth into our daily lives as stewards: serving one another in humility and servitude. 

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Worship: You Have Heard It Said-Money = God’s Love

Philippians 3:4b-14 | You may have heard people refer to money or other material possessions as “blessings” from God. But does that mean God’s blessings, or God’s love, are only given to those who have material things? This week as we continue in our stewardship series, we’ll wrestle with this question and heed Paul’s words to the Philippians, urging us to consider what is valuable, what is worth our pursuit, and what it means to take up the mind of Christ – the mind of humility and servitude.

Note: due to technical difficulties, the video begins 30 seconds into Pastor Aleese’s sermon and therefore does not include the beginning portion of worship. Consider reading Philippians 3:4b-14 on your own before listening in!

Sunday, October 8, 2023, Nineteenth Sunday of Pentecost Bulletin

Copyright acknowledgments: Music covered under Augsburg Fortress License #SB135131, CCLI License #1141706, One License #738128-A.Scripture from New Revised Standard Version Bible, © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. Prelude: Beneath the Cross of Jesus. Text and Music: Mark Hayes. Text and Music: © 2006 The Lorenz Publishing corporation. Covered under One License subscription. Gathering Song: God, Whose Giving Knows No Ending. Text and Music: Robert L. Edwards & Lloyd Larson. Text and Music: © 2016 Hope Publishing Company. Covered under One License subscription. Hymn of the Day: O Christ, What Can It Mean For Us. Text and Music: Delores Dufner. Text and Music: © 2001, 2003 GIA Publications, Inc. Covered under One License subscription. Offering Song: Here At Your Table Lord. Text and Music: Mark Hayes. Text and Music: © 2016 The Lorenz Publishing Corporation. Covered under One License subscription. Communion Song: I Shall Not Want. Text and Music: Audrey Assad & Bryan Brown. Text and Music: © 2013 worshiptogether.com songs (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing) Fortunate Fall Music (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.) Covered under CCLI subscription. Sending Song: Take My Life, That I May Be. Text and Music: Frances R. Havergal & William H. Havergal. Text and Music: Public Domain.

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Blog: Trusting God’s Provision

This past Sunday was the first week of our stewardship emphasis for the month of October. Dwelling in Exodus 17, we heard the story of the Israelites struggling with the reality of scarcity in the middle of the desert. Not seeing any water, they begin to panic, leading to fear. But this fear only leads to their mistrust in Moses as their leader and their mistrust in God’s promise to provide for them. 

Though we might not be Israelites wandering in the middle of a literal desert, there are times in our lives in which we find ourselves in wilderness places. Perhaps we have felt the tinge of scarcity, or perhaps we know others who have. Either way, each and every one of us has felt the power of fear and how easy it is to hold onto fear, limiting our ability to trust ourselves, to trust others, and most importantly to trust God. 

Fear is powerful and has the ability to lead us to mistrust. And, when we are held tightly in the grip of fear, it may be challenging to receive the provision God has for us. But here’s the good news: even when we are bound by fear, and even rescind our trust in God, God promises – always – to be faithful to us, no matter what. 

So, as you go into the coming week, if you’re looking to ponder these ideas and our Scripture lesson a bit further, I invite you to consider these questions:

  1. In the midst of scarcity, what is your knee-jerk response?
  2. What fears are you holding? What fears have you held onto and how did it impact you?
  3. What makes trusting God’s provision so gosh darn hard?
  4. You’ve heard it said that God helps those who help themselves. Why might that not be true? How does the Exodus story help reshape this phrase we’ve heard before?

In faith, we trust that God promises to provide enough for us, and enough for all people. And thanks be to God, it’s not up to what we “do” to receive God’s provision. But now, as people who trust in God’s faithfulness, it’s our responsibility as stewards of God’s provision to share what we have received with all the world.

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Blog: Stewardship = Discipleship

Throughout September, we dwelled in four “Marks of Discipleship.” We explored how we are called to lose ourselves to Christ – giving our full selves to Christ and Christ’s will; we wrestled with how to approach one another even in sin and conflict; we heard the command to forgive as we have been forgiven to be free to live fully, now; and we were encouraged to consider the health of our perspective of ourselves, God, and God’s Kingdom for our sake and for the sake of the world. 

Now, in the month of October, we’re taking another step as disciples of Christ. Yes, we’re talking about stewardship. 

Often, when the word “stewardship” is uttered, our first reaction is to think about money. But the truth is that stewardship is much, much more than money. Stewardship is the way we live in response to what God has entrusted to us as disciples of Jesus. And, that includes how we live in response to the grace that God has entrusted to us!

So, for the next month, we’ll be focused on the theme “You’ve Heard It Said,” unpacking what Scripture (and Jesus) have to say about stewardship (and money) and unpacking church traditions when it comes to stewardship. 

Similar to September, we’ll provide some questions for you to consider that reflect on the previous Sunday’s emphasis. Additionally, the Stewardship Team is providing At-Home Practices for adults, teens, and kids! Click the link above to download the practices and see what practices might be appropriate for you and your family. The first two pages are specifically geared toward adults and teens, page 3 is aimed at conversation with families with kids, and pages 4-5 give a template for not only discussing, but enacting stewardship as an act of faith within an entire household. 

At the heart, stewardship is love in action. Stewardship IS discipleship. We hope you’ll join us in worship, and take advantage of the resources shared with you to deepen not only your stewardship practices, but also your walk with Christ. 

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Worship: Marks of Discipleship-Boundless Generosity

Matthew 20:1-18 | Often we proclaim the message that God’s grace extends beyond the limits of imagination. In our communion liturgy, we give thanks for God’s mercy that is higher than the mountains and deeper than the seas. But all too often, we put false limits on the boundless generosity of God, leading to an exclusion of ourselves, and others, from the fullness of God’s Kingdom. As we celebrate the sacrament of baptism this Sunday, join us as we rejoice in the gift of God’s abounding love and as we are sent forth to bear that generosity and justice as marks of discipleship in the world.

Sunday, September 24, 2023, Seventeenth Sunday of Pentecost Bulletin

Copyright acknowledgments: Music covered under Augsburg Fortress License #SB135131, CCLI License #1141706, One License #738128-A.Scripture from New Revised Standard Version Bible, © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. Prelude: Day By Day. Text and Music: Stephen Schwartz. Text and Music: © Covered under Music Theatre International. Call to Worship: Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord. Text and Music: Stephen Schwartz. Text and Music: © Covered under Music Theatre International. Confession and Forgiveness: Used by permission from All Creation Sings, Setting 11 under Augsburg Fortress license. Adapted by Rev. A. Kenitzer. Gospel Acclamation: Alleluia. Text and Music: Sarah Hart. Text and Music: © 2018 OCP. Covered under One License subscription. Hymn of the Day: There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy. Text and Music: Calvin Hampton. Text and Music: © 1977 GIA Publications, Inc. Covered under One License subscription. Offering Song: We Beseech Thee. Text and Music: Stephen Schwartz. Text and Music: © Covered under Music Theatre International. Communion Liturgy: Holy, Amen & Lamb of God. Text and Music: Sarah Hart. Text and Music: © 2010, 2018 OCP. Covered under One License subscription. Communion Song: Boundless Love. Text and Music: Hans Peterson. Text and Music: © 2001 Dakota Road Music. Covered under One License subscription. Sending Song: All My Relatives. Text and Music: Larry Olson & Karol Baer. Text and Music: © 1992 Dakota Road Music. Covered under One License subscription.