Author: Pastor Aleese Kenitzer

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Blog: Clothed in Christ’s Resurrection

Since Easter Sunday, you likely noticed that our altar looks different than normal. Similar to last year, we transformed the altar to resemble Christ’s tomb, and on top of the altar we’ve placed our funeral pall. 

That’s right: on top of our altar is a piece of cloth that’s intended to drape caskets at funerals. Which, at first, it might seem like an odd thing to see in worship outside of a funeral…especially during the season of Easter. Because isn’t Easter supposed to be a season of resurrection and new life? Not a season that reminds us of death? 

Yes. But, without death, there cannot be new life. And, the funeral pall is a sign of new life. At the beginning of many funeral services, we hear these words (referencing Romans 8:4-5):

When we were baptized into Christ Jesus, we were baptized into his death. We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live a new life. For as people united with Christ in a death like his, and as people clothed with Christ, we shall certainly be united with Christ in a resurrection like his.

The pall that we place on caskets is physical act of draping our loved ones in their baptismal garments. It is not on our own merit that we receive eternal and abundant life. But clothed in Christ, God’s life becomes our life. 

So though it seems odd, to drape our altar with a funeral pall is actually quite appropriate. In the Eucharist, we believe that Jesus Christ – as our crucified and risen Lord – is present to us. And through his death and resurrection, the sacrament we receive offers us grace, hope, healing, forgiveness, and life everlasting. 

So next time you’re in worship, take a moment to reflect on our altar for the season of Easter. Reflect on how you have been united with Christ through his death and resurrection and how you have been clothed with Christ in your baptism. And as you receive the elements of communion, give thanks that God’s promises to you are not merely words…but a lived reality as we go forth forgiven, healed, and filled with life. 

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Blog: The Unfinished Story of the Resurrection

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! This past Sunday we exclaimed with shouts of joy that God has triumphed over sin, death, and the devil. Nothing is impossible with God, and because of Christ’s life, death, and ressurection, we have been given new and abundant life. 

So now what do we do with this message? 

It’s a good question, because even the women who came to the tomb on that first Easter Sunday didn’t quite know what to do with what they’d seen and heard. Understandably, they were afraid and their terror paralyzed them. But eventually, eventually, they must’ve said something to somebody. Otherwise, we would not be telling the story of Easter still today. 

In the Gospel of Mark, the story of Jesus ends on a note of apprehension. Unlike other Gospels, we never hear about Jesus appearing to his disciples, and we never know for sure if the women did anything with what they heard. But I wonder if Mark intentionally wrote his Gospel that way as an invitaiton for us – for you – to join in the ongoing story of Christ’s resurrection. Yes, the ongoing story. Because Christ’s ressurrection is not just something that happened thousands of years ago. Christ’s resurrection is a mystery that, now, we are called to participate in as we become co-writers along with God (and Mark!) – writing the story of God’s resurrection in our lives, in the world, and within the church. 

So as we move away from Easter Sunday, take the mystery of the resurrection with you. And, take up the story of Christ’s life into your own life as you join with Christ in co-writing the story of God’s grace in the world. It’s not that God couldn’t write the ending of the story on God’s own. But it is God’s longing for us to discover this story for ourselves, and to add our own unique flair to this ongoing story…a story that will never grow old, and a story that will never be finished until Christ comes again. 

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Worship: The Unfinished Story of the Resurrection

Mark 16:1-8 | Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Today, with the whole church we shout our praise to our Lord who has risen victorious over sin, death, and the devil. Jesus has triumphed over all things, giving life to all the world. Each Easter, this news is proclaimed with acclamation, and each year, many gather in worship of our crucified and risen Lord. But then what? What happens after the service, after the lilies have faded, after the ham is eaten, and after we return to our day-to-day lives? Well, taking a cue from Mark’s account of the resurrection, that is where our work begins as we become people who are co-writing the story of Christ’s resurrection in our lives, in the world, and in the church. So as we rise this Easter to the dawn of another new day, join us for worship as we hear again the Gospel message of Christ’s resurrection, and as we are sent forth to continue the story of God’s resurrection promise…here and now.

Sunday, March 31, 2024, Easter 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: Prelude and Fugue in C Major. Text and Music: Johann Sebastian Bach. Text and Music: Public Domain. & Magnificat Fugue. Text and Music: Johann Pachelbel, 1653-1706. Text and Music: Public Domain. Gathering Song: Jesus Christ Is Risen Today. Text: Latin carol, 14th cent., sts. 1-3; tr. J. Walsh, Lyra Davidica, 1708, alt.; Charles Wesley, 1707-1788, st.4. Music: J. Walsh, Lyra Davidica, 1708. Text and Music: Public Domain. Hymn of the Day: Christ is Risen! Alleluia! Text: John S, B, Monsell, 1811-1875, alt. Music: Frederick C. maker, 1844-1927. Text & Music: Public Domain. Offering Song: There Is a Fountain. Text and Music: Mark Hayes. Text and Music:© 2014 The Lorenz Corporation (admin. by Music Services) All Rights Reserved. ASCAP. Covered under One License subscription. Communion Song: The Strife is O’er, the Battle Done. Text: Symphonia Sirenum, Köln, 1695; tr. Francis Pott, 1832-1909. Music: Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, 1525-1594; arr. William H. Monk, 1823-1889. Text and Music: Public Domain. & Here, at your Table, Lord. Text & Music: Mark Hayes. Text and Music: © 2016 The Lorenz Publishing Corporation. Covered under One License subscription. & Jesus, Keep me Near the Cross. Text: Fanny J. Crosby, 1820-1915. Music: William H. Doane, 1832-1915. Text and Music: Public Domain. & There in God’s Garden. Text: Kiraly Imre von Pecselyi, c. 1590-c. 1641; tr. Erick Routley, 1917-1982. Music: K Lee Scott, b. 1950. Text: © 1976 Hinshaw Music, Inc. Music: © 1987 Birnamwood Publications, a div. of Morningstar Music Publishers, Inc. Covered under One License subscription. & I Want Jesus to Walk with Me. Text and Music: African American spiritual. Text and Music: © 2006 Augsburg Fortress. Covered under One License subscription.
Sending Song: Now All the Vault of Heaven Resounds. Text: Paul Z. Strodach, 1876-1947, alt. Music: Geistliche Kirchengesänge, Köln, 1623. Text: © 1958 Service Book and Hymnal, admin. Augsburg Fortress. Covered under One License subscription. Postlude: Psalm XIX. Text & Music: Benedetto Marcelo, 1686-1739. Text and Music: Public Domain.

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Worship: Beneath the Cross of Jesus

John 18-19|This Friday is named “Good Friday” in the life of the church. On the surface, there is seemingly nothing “good” about this day. It’s a day filled with darkness; it’s a day filled with the depth of humanity’s brokenness and deception; it’s a day filled with seemingly the absence of God’s light. And yet, even in the darkness, and even as we look upon Christ as he is raised upon the cross, there we find the truth of God, and there we find the depth of God’s covenant with us and with all creation. So join us for worship as we remember the sacred story of Christ’s passion, as we recall our sin and brokenness, and as we wait and watch – with patience – for the dawn of God’s light.

Friday, March 29, 2024, Good Friday 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: I Surrender All. Text and Music: Mary Hayes. Text and Music: © 1993 Shawnee Press. Covered under One License subscription. Gathering Hymn: O Sacred Head, Now Wounded. Text: Paul Gerhardt, 1607-1676, based on Arnulf of Louvain, d. 1250; tr, composite. Music: German melody, c. 1500; adapt. Hans Leo Hassler, 1564-1612; arr, Johann Sebastian Bach, 1685-1750. Text and Music: Public Domain.
Hymn: Jesus I Will Ponder Now. Text: Sigismund von Birken, 1626-1681; tr. August Crull, 1846-1923, alt. Music: Melchior Vulpius, 1570-1615. Text and Music: Public Domain. Hymn: Ah Holy Jesus. Text: Johann Heermann, 1585-1647; tr. Robert Bridges, 1844-1930, alt. Music: Johann Crüger, 1598-1662. Text and Music: Public Domain. Hymn: Go to Dark Gethsemane. Text: James Montgomery, 1771-1854. Music: Richard Redhead, 1820-1901. Text and Music: Public Domain. Hymn: Alas, And Did My Savior Bleed. Text: Isaac Watts, 1674-1748, alt. Music: Hugh Wilson, 1764-1824. Text and Music: Public Domain.
Hymn: Were You There. Text and Music: African American spiritual. Music: © 1999 Augsburg Fortress. Covered under One License subscription.
Hymn: When I Survey the Wondrous Cross. Text:Isaac Watts, 1674-1748. Music: Lowell Mason, 1792-1872. Text and Music: Public Domain.

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Worship: Interruption of Love

John 13:1-17, 31b-35 | To gather for worship on a Thursday isn’t “normal.” Indeed, it might feel like an interruption to our weekly rhythm. In the same way, the entire week of Holy Week may feel like an interruption in our calendar and in our lives. And yet, it is through interruption that God gets our attention. On the eve of Christ’s betrayal and arrest, Jesus captures the attention of the disciples as he got up from the table and started washing their feet. No one expected it. And it clearly interrupted dinner. But that interruption sent the disciples, and us, on a different trajectory. So, as we begin our trek through the Great Three Days, take an hour out of your day to join us for worship as we receive the interruption of God’s love given to us, and as we are challenged to allow our lives to be interrupted as we share Christ’s love with those around us. 

Thursday, March 28, 2024, Maundy Thursday 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: Oh Sacred Head Now Wounded. Text and Music: Rudy Davenport. Text and Music: Public Domain.
Gathering Hymn: Just As I Am, without One Plea. Text: Charlotte Elliott, 1789-1871. Music: William B Bradbery, 1816-1868. Text and Music: Public Domain. Confession and Forgiveness: I Have Decided To Follow Jesus. Text and Music: Mark Hayes. Text and Music: © 2013 The Lorenz Publishing Corporation. Covered under One License subscription. Hymn of the Day: Love Consecrates the Humblest Act. Text: Silas B. McManus, 1845-1917. Music: German melody, 18th cent.; adapt. X.L. Hartig, Melodien zum Mainzer Gesangbuche, 1833. Text and Music: © 2012 MorningStar Music Publishers/Birnamwood Publications. Covered under One License subscription. Offering: My Shepherd Will Supply My Need. Text and Music: Mark Hayes. Text and Music: © 2006 The Lorenz Publishing Corporation. Covered under One License subscription. Communion Song: Lamb of God. ELW Setting. Text and Music © 2022 Augsburg Fortress. & Jesus Remember Me. Text and Music: Jacques Berthier, Taizé Community. Test and Music: © 1981 Taiz , Les Presses de (North America). Covered under One é License subscription.

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Blog: A Prayer for Holy Week

This week we’ll find ourselves with one another quite a bit in corporate worship. To dwell together in community as we hear the story of Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection is important as we companion one another in faith. 

But in addition to your time in corporate worship, I also invite you to create a practice of your own devotion and prayer this week. Perhaps you already have a daily habit that needs some reinvigoration. Or, if you don’t have a practice that jives with you, consider downloading the Hallow app or the Lectio 365 app for daily readings and prayers. Or, pick up a copy of Christ in Our Home in our narthex, or follow along with the daily lectionary readings. 

However you choose to engage with this year’s Holy Week, I pray that you may experience God’s grace anew as the Spirit walks with you as your ever-present companion. Consider praying the following prayer with me this Holy Week as we prepare for the news of Christ’s resurrection this Easter: 

Dear Lord, your disciple Peter wanted to know who would betray you. You pointed to Judas but a little later also to him. Judas betrayed, Peter denied you. Judas hanged himself, Peter became the apostle whom you made the first among equals. Lord, give me faith, faith in your endless mercy, your boundless forgiveness, your unfathomable goodness. Let me not be tempted to think that my sins are too great to be forgiven, too abominable to be touched by your mercy. Let me never run away from you but return to you again and again, asking you to be my Lord, my Shepherd, my Stronghold, and my Refuge. Take me under your wing, O Lord, and let me know that you do not reject me as long as I keep asking you to forgive me. Perhaps my doubt in your forgiveness is a greater sin than the sins I consider too great to be forgiven. Perhaps I make myself too important, too great when I think that I cannot be embraced by you anymore. Lord, look at me, accept my prayer as you accepted Peter’s prayer, and let me not run away from you in the night as Judas did. 

Bless me, Lord, in this Holy Week, and give me the grace to know your loving presence more intimately. Amen.
-Henri J. Nouwen, from A Prayer for Holy Week 

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Worship: Hosanna! Save Us!

Mark 11:1-11 | The atmosphere in Jerusalem on the day that Jesus rode into the city on a donkey must’ve been electric. The people clamored to fill the sides of the streets, laying down their cloaks and waving palm branches. But at the same time that the crowd expressed their praise and adoration, they were crying out for Jesus to save and deliver them. Today, as we begin this Holy Week, we also offer Christ our adoration and acknowledge our need for God to save us, and to save the world. So as we begin our journey to the cross and empty tomb, join us for worship as we confess our need for God’s help, as we are reminded of God’s unfailing promises – even in the most unlikely places, and as we are sent to listen to the cries of those around us in the world today.

Sunday, March 24, 2024, Palm 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: How Majestic Is Your Name. Text and Music: Michael W. Smith. Text and Music: © 1981 Meadowgreen Music Company (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing). Covered under CCLI subscription. Gathering Hymn: Pave the Way with Branches. Text and Music: Bret Hesla. Text and Music: © 1999 Bret Hesla, admin. Augsburg Fortress. Covered under One License subscription. Hymn of the Day: All Glory, Laud and Honor. Text: Theodulph of Orleans, 760-821; tr. John Mason Neale, 1818-1866, alt. Music: Melchior Teschner, 1584-1635. Text and Music: Public Domain.
Offering: Grateful. Text and Music: Mark Hayes. Text and Music: © 2016 The Lorenz Publishing corporation. Covered under One License subscription.
Communion Song: Lamb of God. ELW Setting. Text and music © 2022 Augsburg Fortress. Hosanna. Text and Music: Brooke Ligertwood. Test and Music: © 2006 Hillsong Music Publishing Australia (Rest of World) & Sony/ATV Music Publishing Australia (Aus/NZ Only). Covered under CCLI subscription.
Sending Song: Lift High the Cross. Text: George W. Kitchin, 1827-1912; rev. Michael R. Newbolt, 1874-1956. Music: Sydney H. Nicholson, 1875-1947. Text and Music: © 1974 Hope Publishing Company. Covered under One License subscription.

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Blog: Holy Week a Hymn with Four Stanzas

Each year, we remember this story of our Lord’s death and resurrection: the only story that has the power to fill us to the brim. But why do we sing it every year? And why are we encouraged to observe each day of Holy Week?

Think of it this way: Holy Week is a song that we get to sing only once a year. We anticipate it. We relearn familiar parts. And from year to year, we may discover new harmonies to add. Though it is the same song, each time we approach this story, we find a new layer, a new dimension, a new way in which we are touched and filled with the fullness of God’s grace. 

And in this song, there are four distinct stanzas. Each are important, and each add thier own layer of meaning and purpose. Without the first stanza, the second stanza wouldn’t make sense. And without the second stanza, the third stanza wouldn’t make sense. The point being: without each unique stanza of the song, it would be as if we would be missing a key part of the song….a key part of the story. 

So this week, though it may seem odd to devote so much time to worship, I encourage you to dedicate yourself to worship on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. Come and sing this song with us that we sing only once a year, and come discover a new layer or harmony as you once again experience the abundance of God’s grace.

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Blog: Stepping into the Light

If you’re still lagging from losing an hour of sleep this weekend, I feel you. Though it’s only one hour of sleep, it’s messed with my rhythm and it’s been more challenging to wake up when it’s dark outside again. Suffice it to say: my body is not only waiting (impatiently) for spring and summer days and for more daylight in the evening. It’s also waiting (impatiently) for the light to start peeking in earlier in the morning. 

For me, light is motivating. It gets me going in the morning. And, light is illuminative. Light helps us see what is otherwise hidden by the darkness. 

That light is a gift. But at times, it also may be tempting for us to stay in the dark. For in the dark, it’s easier to hide things…even in our relationship with God. 

Now, logically, we might recognize that we can’t hide in the darkness from God. God is God after all! But, in reflecting on the story of Nicodemus coming to Jesus at night, I can’t help but wonder if there are times in which we allow Jesus to see a part of ourselves, but we hold back a bit…keeping a part of ourselves in the dark…lest Jesus sees something that we’d rather not share with anyone else. Thinking about Nicodemus, it was a risk for him to come to Jesus. His meeting with Jesus very easily could’ve created problems with his fellow Jewish leaders. And yet, something prompted him to come to Jesus, to let himself be seen (even if only in part), and to consider what it meant for him to come into the light of Christ. 

For us, to come into the light of Christ is what God desires for us because in Christ’s light is where we experience – fully – the life, healing, and forgiveness of our Lord. But, coming into that light is also a risk. For to step into Christ’s light might lead to some change – of ourselves, of our perspectives, of how we live. And yet, this Light of the world – the very Word of God – is God himself who has come to you in faithfulness, fidelity, and devotion. And because of that promise, and that action of our God? We have absolutely no need to stay in the dark.

So this week, consider what it would mean for you in your walk with Jesus and with those around you to come into the light. How is God inviting you to dwell in his light? And, how is God summoning you to step into his spotlight, so that God’s light might shine through you? 

All around, God’s light is shining. But even now, that light is just waiting – impatiently – to illuminate more than we could ever imagine. 

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Worship: Stepping into the Light

John 3:1-21| On a weekend we lose an hour of sleep, it’s likely we also notice it’s just a bit darker again in the morning. What we could see out our window at 6 am now needs to wait ’til 7 am to become visible to our eyes. Light illuminates the landscape, and it exposes what is present. That light is a gift, but at times, it also may be tempting to stay in the dark. In our Gospel this weekend, we meet a leader – Nicodemus – who was skeptical to come to Jesus and to be fully seen. But even when Nicodemus hung back in the shadows, Jesus shown a spotlight on himself – revealed to Nicodemus just who God is, and then Jesus invited Nicodemus into that spotlight of God’s activity. For various reasons, we may hang in the shadows, but even then Jesus shines a spotlight on who God is to us, and invites us to come into the light so that God’s story can shine through us. So this weekend, even though it’s a bit darker in the morning, come into the light of Jesus in worship as we encounter the saving nature of God and as we are sent as vessels of God’s light. 

Sunday, March 10, 2024, Fourth Sunday in Lent 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: Seek Ye First The Kingdom of God. Text and Music: Karen Lafferty. Text and Music: © 1972 CCCM Music (admin. by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc) Universal Music – Brentwood Benson Publishing (Admin. by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc.). Covered under CCLI subscription. & You Are Mine  Text and Music: David Haas. Text and Music: © 1991 GIA Publications, Inc. Covered under One License subscription. Gathering Song: Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross. Text: Fanny J. Crosby, 1820-1915.  Music: William H. Doane, 1832-1915. Text and Music: © OCP Publications. Covered under One License subscription. Hymn of the Day: There In God’s Garden. Text and Music: K Lee Scott. Text and Music: © 1987 MorningStar Music Publishers/Birnamwood Publications. Covered under One License subscription. Offering Song: Will You Come and Follow Me. Text: John L. Bell, b. 1949.  Music: Scottish traditional. Text and Music: © 1987 Iona Community/WGRG (North America). Covered under One License subscription. Communion Song: Amazing Love. Text and Music: Graham Kendrick. Text and Music: © 1989 Make Way Music. Covered under One License subscription. Sending Song: You are My King (Amazing Love). Text and Music: Billy J. Foote. Text and Music: © 1996 worshiptogether.com songs (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing). Covered under CCLI subscription.