Author: Pastor Aleese Kenitzer

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Worship: You Are What You Eat

John 6:51-58 | “You are what you eat,” goes the traditional nutritional advice. Many of us have heard this in reference to our physical bodies, and it’s common for fad diets to incorporate this phraseology into their marketing. But what about what we feed our minds, our souls, and our spirits? Join us for worship as we hear the invitation from Jesus to consume that which gives life, sending us forth to be Christ’s bread of life in the world today.

Sunday, August 18, 2024, Thirteenth Sunday after 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: As We Gather at Your Table. Text and Music: Carl P. Daw, Jr. Text and Music: © 1989 Hope Publishing Company. Covered under One License subscription. Kyrie: Lord, Have Mercy. Text and Music: Sarah Hart. Text and Music: © 2018 OCP. Covered under One License subscription. Hymn of Praise: Glory to God. Text and Music: Sarah Hart. Text and Music: © 2010, 2018 OCP. Covered under One License subscription.
Gospel Acclamation: Alleluia. Text and Music: Sarah Hart. Text and Music: © 2018 OCP. Covered under One License subscription. Hymn of the Day: By Your Hand, You Feed Your People. Text and Music: Susan Briehl, Marty Haugen. Text: © 2002 GIA Publications, Inc. Covered under One License subscription. Offering: They Will Know We Are Christians by Our Love. Text and Music: Mark Hayes. Text and Music: © 2006 The Lorenz Publishing Corporation. Covered under One License subscription. Communion Liturgy: Holy and Amen. Text and Music: Sarah Hart. Text and Music: © 2010, 2018 OCP. Covered under One License subscription. Communion Song: Take, Eat, Drink. Text and Music: Ike Ndolo, Mitch Wong, Ricky Vazquez, Sandra McCracken, Sarah Kroger Quaglia. Text and Music: © Admin. by Integrity Music. Covered under CCLI subscription. When I Return (Homeward Bound). Text and Music: Jay Althouse, Marta Keen. Text and Music: © 2006 Alfred Sacred. Covered under One License subscription. Sending Song: My Life Is In You. Text and Music: Daniel Gardner. Text and Music: © 1986 Integrity’s Hosanna! Music (Admin. by Integrity Music). Covered under CCLI subscription.

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Worship Services

Worship: Get Up and Eat

1 Kings 19:4-8 | Once in a while, we all need a “pick-me-up.” Maybe that comes in the form of a quick snack, a cat nap, or an encouraging phone call from a friend. Whatever it is, we need something to help us continue onward. In the same way, we hear from the prophet Elijah this weekend, who – after a series of events – is about ready to give up. But in the midst of his desperation, the Lord meets him where he is at and provides for Elijah. But then, the Lord commands Elijah to keep moving. From time to time, we – as individuals, as the church, as the world – might feel desperate like Elijah. But even then, the Lord comes to us, provides for us, and ushers us onward to continue the journey for the sake of the whole world. So join us this weekend, as we receive Christ as our Bread of Life, and as we are sent forth – not always knowing exactly where we go, but all the while trusting the hand of God to lead us.

Sunday, August 11, 2024, Twelfth Sunday after 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: Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen, All Night. 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. Gathering: All who Are Thirsty. Text and Music: Brenton Brown, Glenn Robertson. Text and Music: © 1998 Vineyard Songs (UK/Eire) (Admin. by Integrity Music). Covered under CCLI subscription. Kyrie: Lord, Have Mercy. Text and Music: Sarah Hart. Text and Music: © 2018 OCP. Covered under One License subscription. Hymn of Praise: Glory to God. Text and Music: Sarah Hart. Text and Music: © 2010, 2018 OCP. Covered under One License subscription. Gospel Acclamation: Alleluia. Text and Music: Sarah Hart. Text and Music: © 2018 OCP. Covered under One License subscription. Hymn of the Day: Lord Jesus You Shall Be My Song. Text and Music: Les Petites Soeurs De Jésus. Text: © 1970 Augsburg Fortress Publishers. Covered under One License subscription. Offering: The Solid Rock. Text and Music: Mark Hayes. Text and Music: © 2016 The Lorenz Publishing Corporation. Covered under One License subscription. Communion Liturgy: Holy and Amen. Text and Music: Sarah Hart. Text and Music: © 2010, 2018 OCP. Covered under One License subscription. Communion Song: Taste and See. Text and Music: James Moore. Text and Music: © 1983 GIA Publications, Inc. Covered under One License subscription. Sending Song: Your Grace is Enough. Text and Music: Matt Maher. Text and Music: © 2003 OCP Publications. Covered under One License subscription.

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Blog: When the same ol’ thing is actually exciting

I have to confess: I have a love/hate relationship with tradition and ritual practices. Just think of the liturgy in our worship services, or even the practice of prayer. Some days, I love it. And yet, other days it feels “dry.” I “understand” its purpose, and at the same time, I also understand (and sometimes relate) when its labeled as archaic or “unrelatable.”

Perhaps you’re on one end of the spectrum or the other. Or, perhaps like myself, you’ve found yourself waffling throughout your spiritual journey in regards to the merit of doing the same thing…over and over and over again.

But as I read our Old Testament Scripture passage from this past Sunday, I couldn’t help but think that, for the Israelites, the same ol’ thing – given every single day – was actually pretty exciting. Each and every day, the Lord sent quails in the evening and manna in the morning. It was like clockwork: at a specific time, and only a given amount. But in the rhythm, and in the ritual, God met the Israelites where they were at, and God provided what they needed.

So connecting this story to the rhythms and rituals we take on as a part of our spiritual practices, there may be weeks – or days – where the Sunday morning liturgy seems like “the same ol’ thing.” And, there may be weeks – or days – where the practice of prayer seems “dry.” But in the repetition, just as God met the Israelites where they were at and provided what they needed, God continues to meet us where we are, filling us with the only bread that truly satisfies.

So if your spiritual practices – intended to draw you into relationship with God and with one another – seem a bit static or dry these days, consider how God might be trying to do something really exciting through that seemingly dry practice. Because though the practice, and even the provision of God’s abundance, might seemingly be “the same ol’ thing” that’s given time and time again, it’s that “same ol’ thing” that is actually exciting, and is actually life-giving.

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Worship Services

Worship: What are you hungry for?

John 6:24-35 | When you get hungry, you may or may not know exactly what you’re hungry for. For many Americans (though not all), our options for food – and what sustains us – are endless. But for the crowd who’d received loaves and bread from Jesus after the miracle of Jesus feeding the 5000, they knew exactly what they wanted: more bread. And yet, when they encountered Jesus, in that interaction by the power of the Spirit, they began to recognize their deeper hunger for something even greater. As we continue through our series on Jesus as our Bread of Life, join us as we consider what draws us to seek after Jesus, and as we open ourselves to receive from Jesus that which truly satisfies.

Sunday, August 4, 2024, Eleventh Sunday after 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: For Everyone Born (A Place at the Table). Text and Music: Lori True. Text and Music: © 2001 GIA Publications, Inc. & Let Us Go Now to the Banquet. Text and Music: Guillermo Cuéllar. Text and Music: © 1988 GIA Publications, Inc. Covered under One License subscription. Gathering: Welcome Table. Text and Music: Mark Hayes. Text and Music: © 2003 Augsburg Fortress Publishers. Covered under One License subscription. Gospel Acclamation: Alleluia. Text and Music: Sarah Hart. Text and Music: © 2018 OCP. Covered under One License subscription.
Hymn of the Day: All Who Hunger Gather Gladly. Text and Music: Sylvia G. Dunstan. Text: © 1991 GIA Publications, Inc. Covered under One License subscription. Offering: Now the Silence. Text and Music: Vajda/Schalk. Text and Music: © 1969 Hope Publishing Company. Covered under One License subscription. Communion Liturgy: Holy and Amen. Text and Music: Sarah Hart. Text and Music: © 2010, 2018 OCP. Covered under One License subscription. Communion Song: Hungry. Text and Music: Kathryn Scott. Text and Music: © 1999 Vineyard Songs (UK/Eire) (Admin. by Integrity Music). Covered under CCLI subscription. Sending Song: Hallelujah! We Sing Your Praises. Text and Music: Anders Nyberg. Text and Music: © 1984 Walton Music. Covered under One License subscription.

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Blog: Gather Up the Fragments

Ever feel as though all you have to offer something, or somebody, is just the fragments leftover? 

Or, every feel as though you, or a community, is only a fragment of what it once was?  

It might not be our first inclination to think of ourselves, or a community, as “fragmented.” It would be much easier to think that we’re completely whole all the time. But, honestly, how true is that all the time? 

This past Sunday, we started a five week lectionary series on Jesus as the Bread of Life. Through Jesus, we trust that we have been made whole, and through Jesus we trust that God will provide for us and sustain us. But even as we heard in the story of Jesus feeding the 5000, even then, Jesus instructed his disciples to “gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost” (John 6:12). 

Perhaps Jesus just wanted to make sure that there was no food waste. Or perhaps Jesus wanted to send home everyone with a to-go bag. But on a deeper level, I think Jesus’ desire for his disciples to “gather up the fragments” goes one step further. Because even when we may feel as though we only have a little bit to give (like the little boy who offered his lunch), and even when we may feel scattered and fragmented, Jesus still makes a commitment to gather us up, so that nothing may be lost. And when we are added into the breadbasket with others in the body of Christ – wouldn’t ya know – all those fragments are actually more than enough. 

So this week, consider: what are the fragments in your life right now? What are the fragments within a given community you’re a part of? And, how is God calling you (and maybe even us) to gather up those fragments so that they might not be lost? 

What might seem like a little, by the power of the Spirit who can do abundantly far more than we could ever ask or imagine, is – in God’s economy – enough. So gather it up. Present it to Christ. Add it to the breadbasket. And watch. Watch what God – as our provider, our sustainer, and our giver of life – can do. 

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Blog: Where are the Youth and Young Adults?

Often I hear questions along the lines of: “where are the kids/youth in church today?” Admittedly, often I hear this question voiced with a pinge of grief – recognizing that an era of Sunday School classrooms filled with dozens of kids might not be our current reality. But the truth is, our kids/youth are still connected to their faith…just perhaps not in the traditional ways we might anticipate. 

This past week, thousands of youth and young adults gathered for the ELCA Youth Gathering and the ELCA Young Adult Gathering. Throughout the week, the Gathering made it easy to follow along on social media while also sending out blog updates of what youth, young adults, and leaders were up to (check out the links to learn more!). But in all that I read, and all that I witnessed through a screen, what made the most impact on me was that youth and young adults in the world around us are on fire. They are passionate. They are filled with the love of God. They are looking for ways to serve and give of themselves in the world. And they are looking for ways that they can be brave, authentic, free, and disruptive, just as they learned each day at the Gathering. 

The question for us – for those of us who weren’t at the Gathering, and for those of us who might be of a different generation from our youth and young adults – is: will we receive them as they are created to be? And, will we listen to them as a part of the church? Will we accompany them, encourage them, and bless them as they discern how they are called to live out their unique identity? 

Each day, whether as a part of a formalized church event or not, we have the opportunity to intersect with our youth and young adults. They have much to teach us. And, we have the opportunity to uplift them by seeing them and speaking well of them. Might youth and young adult ministry look different now than it did decades ago? Yes, hands down. But our youth and young adults are still around…and are still seeking the truth of Jesus Christ. 

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Blog: Pray Always

This past weekend within worship we focused on prayer. It’s foundational to Christian discipleship; it’s something we are encouraged to do throughout Scripture; and it’s something we practice often in worship. 

But then what does it mean to “pray always”?

In our reading from 1 Thessalonians, Paul encouraged the people to do just that (along with a whole list of other things). So that does that mean that we need to keep our hands folded all day? (would be challenging to get anything else done!) Not quite. In the words of Ronald Rolheiser, author of our summer Book Club book Sacred Fire, he writes:

“To pray always invites us to live our lives against a certain horizon.  It does not necessarily mean to stop work and go to formal prayer, important though that is at times. The point is that we need to do everything within the context of a certain awareness, like a married man who goes on a business trip and who, in the midst of a demanding schedule of meetings and social engagements, is somehow always anchored in a certain consciousness that he has a spouse and children at home. Despite distance and various preoccupations, he knows that he is ‘married always.’ That awareness, more than the occassional phone call home, is what keeps him anchored in [his relationship.]” (175-176). 

In essence, with our relationship with God, it’s the same. We “pray always” by approaching our life with the awareness that we live in relationship with God. And with that awareness at the forefront of our minds, then how we live is transformed and becomes a mode of prayer.

So this week, anchor yourself in an awarenes of your consistent relationship with God. Though we may falter at times, our God is faithful and generous, and our God is always seeking to live in relationship with us – not just at certain times of the day, but throughout our days. 

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Worship Services

Worship: Call to Prayer

Matthew 6:7-15 | Prayer. It’s foundational to Christian discipleship; it’s something we are encouraged to do throughout Scripture; and it’s something we practice often in worship. But what, after all, is prayer? And why recite the Lord’s Prayer – a prayer that is thousands of years old? Join us this weekend as we explore the nature of prayer, and as we open ourselves to the will of God.

Sunday, July 14, 2024, Eighth Sunday after 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: This Is My Father’s World. Text and Music: Mark Hayes. Text and Music: © 2006 The Lorenz Publishing Corporation. Covered under One License subscription. Gathering: What a Friend We Have in Jesus. Text: Joseph Scriven, 1820-1886. Music: Charles C. Converse, 1832-1918. Text and Music: Public Domain. Kyrie: Lord, Have Mercy. Text and Music: Sarah Hart. Text and Music: © 2018 OCP. Covered under One License subscription. Hymn of Praise: Glory to God. Text and Music: Sarah Hart. Text and Music: © 2010, 2018 OCP. Covered under One License subscription. Gospel Acclamation: Alleluia. Text and Music: Sarah Hart. Text and Music: © 2018 OCP. Covered under One License subscription. Hymn of the Day: Lord, Listen to Your Children Praying. Text and Music: Ken Medema. Text and Music: © 1973 Hope Publishing Company. Covered under One License subscription. Offering: Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart. Text and Music: Frederick Atkinson and Mark Hayes. Music: © 2006 The Lorenz Publishing Corporation. Covered under One License subscription. Sending Song: Your Will Be Done On Earth – Mayenziwe. Text: South African, based on the Lord’s Prayer. Music: South African traditional, as taught by Gobingca George Mxadana; trans. John Bell b. 1949. Music: © 1990 Iona Community, admin. GIA Publications, Inc. Covered under One License subscription.

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Blog: Recieve

Last week I had an intriguing conversation with a friend, who asked me how left-handed people play the violin. Admittedly, having answered this question from beginning violin students numerous times, initially I rolled my eyes, but then proceeded to explain that there isn’t a “different” way to play the violin. Both the left and the right hand are just as important. But this friend just wouldn’t stop pursuing it; leading his wife to start Googling if it was possible to play the violin on your right shoulder rather than your left. And indeed, Gooogle said it was possible (and we believe everything Google says, don’t we?!) But just not buying it, I retorted back, leading to getting my instrument out and trying it for myself. Evidently, the faces I made while I tried holding my violin a dfferent way were quite entertaining. But over and over I kept saying, “This is just so wrong!”

It was a silly conversation. But it made me realize just how quickly I became defensive. And it made me realize just how easy it was for me to become entrenched in my own thinking and habits rather than exploring anything else. 

This past Sunday, we heard in our Gospel story that the people in Jesus’ hometown rejected him. It might seem strange to think that people rejected Jesus, but what Jesus was teaching and doing was completely different than what they were used to…and what they were expecting. So rather than accept Jesus, they were offended by him. And because of their offense, they couldn’t receieve Jesus’ deeds of power that he was doin’ everywhere else. 

So where does that leave us? Well, I wonder if there are things that Jesus says that also offend us. It might not be our gut response. But, when we’re pushed to consider habits that we’ve held onto for years, it might be easier to be offended by Jesus’ commands rather than change. Or, when we’re challenged to consider how we live together as community – as church – and when we recognize that it might be different than we expected, it might be easier to be offended rather than accept something new. And, when Jesus commands us to look upon others with compassion, love, and dignity, it might sound great on the surface, but when we realize that that also means having compassion for the migrant, the foriegner, the people who look different than us, the people who’ve hurt us, it might be easier to become offended rather than take Jesus at his word. 

So why listen to Jesus at all, then? Because through Jesus, we are promised that we will receieve more than we could ever ask for or imagine. Indeed, we are promised that we will be given life, healing, and forgiveness. 

So, are we willing to receive what Jesus has to offer us, even if it takes us back a bit? And, are we willing to receive the words of Jesus? The gift will always be there, but the choice to receive…is all up to us. 

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Worship: Recieve

Mark 6:1-13 | As Jesus continued his ministry, eventually, he returned to his hometown. But rather than the people being proud of their “hometown boy,” the people were offended by Jesus. Today, it may sound strange to be “offended” by what Jesus teaches. But as we continue to follow Jesus as disciples, even we may be challenged to receive what Jesus communicates to us. So, trusting that Christ’s teaching is for the sake of true and abundant life for us and for the entire world, are we willing to receive Christ fully? And, are we willing to receive God’s gifts for us through others? Join us for worship as we receive Christ’s invitation given to us, and as we are commissioned to go forth as ambassadors of God’s Kingdom.

Sunday, July 7, 2024, Seventh Sunday after 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: The Summons. Text: John Bell. Music: Traditional Scottish; arr. by John Bell. Text and Music: © 1987 and arr. © 1995 WGRG The Iona Community (Scotland), admin. by GIA Publications, Inc. Grace Alone. Text and Music: Scott Wesley Brown and Jeff Nelson (Eph. 2:8-10). Text and Music: © 1998 Maranatha! Music, admin. by The Copyright Co. Covered under One License subscription. Gathering: Would I Have Answered When You Called. Text: Herman G Stuempfle, Jr. Music: Traditional English melody. Text and Music: © 1997 GIA Publications, Inc. Covered under One License subscription. Kyrie: Lord, Have Mercy. Text and Music: Sarah Hart. Text and Music: © 2018 OCP.  Covered under One License subscription. Hymn of Praise: Glory to God. Text and Music: Sarah Hart. Text and Music: © 2010, 2018 OCP.  Covered under One License subscription. Gospel Acclamation: Alleluia. Text and Music: Sarah Hart. Text and Music: © 2018 OCP. Covered under One License subscription. Hymn of the Day: As A Fire is Meant for Burning. Text: Ruth Duck. Music: From The Sacred Harp, 1844. Text: © 1992 GIA Publications, Inc. Covered under One License subscription. Offering: Make Me a Servant. Text and Music: Kelly Willard. Text and Music: © 1982 Willing Heart Music, admin. by Maranatha! Music ℅ The Copyright Co. Covered under One License subscription. Communion Liturgy: Holy and Amen. Text and Music: Sarah Hart. Text and Music: © 2010, 2018 OCP.  Covered under One License subscription. Communion Song: His Strength Is Perfect. Text and Music: Steven Curtis Chapman, Jerry Salley. Text and Music: © 1988 Universal Music – Brentwood Benson Songs (Admin, by Brentwood Benson Music Publishing, Inc.) Greg Nelson Music & Sparrow Song (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing). Covered under CCLI subscription. Sending Song: God’s Work, Our Hands. Text: Wayne L. Wold, b. 1954.  Music: David N. Johnson, 1922-1987. Text: © 2019 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, admin. Augsburg Fortress. Music: © 1968 Augsburg Publishing House, admin. Augsburg Fortress. Covered under One License subscription.