Author: Pastor Aleese Kenitzer

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Blog: Ordinary Time

After celebrating Holy Trinity Sunday this past weekend, we begin almost six months of time in the season of Pentecost. From now until November, the gospel readings will move chronologically through Matthew.

Sometimes, this time is referred to as “Ordinary Time.” Which, can be misinterpreted. “Ordinary Time” seems to suggest that it is nothing special, and something that is humdrum. But in this context, the word “ordinary” comes from the root “ordinal” meaning “related to a series.”

So instead of thinking of the next few months as “nothing special,” think of Ordinary Time as an ordered, deliberate, six-month step-by-step pilgrimage through the story of Jesus’ life with Matthew as our guide. We may not have high holidays like Christmas and Easter to celebrate in the coming months. But each and every week, we have the opportunity to gather together for worship, to hear the story of Christ’s life, and to be sent forth into service with the Spirit leading us. 

We hope to see you around this summer as we dive into “Ordinary Time” together, and we look forward to where our pilgrimage takes us…together!

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Worship Services

Worship: Who is God?

Genesis 1:1-2, 4a, Psalm 8 | Who is God? It’s a question that’s been asked for millennia, not only by people who profess Jesus as Savior, but by people of all backgrounds. So what do we, as Christians, have to say about who God is? Join us for worship as we explore the nature of the Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – and as we are sent forth as bearing the name of the Triune God into the world.

Sunday, June 4, 2023, Holy Trinity 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: This Is My Father’s World. Text and Music: Mark Hayes. Text and Music: © 2006 The Lorenz Publishing Corporation. Covered under One License subscription. Confession and Forgiveness: Used by permission from All Creation Sings, Setting 11 under Augsburg Fortress license. Adapted by Rev. A. Kenitzer. 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: Come, Join the Dance of Trinity. Text and Music: Richard D. Leach. Text and Music: © 2002, 2005 Selah Publishing Co., Inc. Covered under One License subscription. Offering Song: Wade in the Water. Text and Music: Mark Hayes. Text and Music: © 1993 Alfred Sacred. 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: Modern arrangement of the classic hymn Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty. Arranged and Recorded by Nathan Drake; Written by Reginald Heber, 1783-1826. Text and Music: Public Domain. Sending Song: Go, Make Disciples. Text and Music: Handt Hanson. Text and Music: © 1991 Changing Church Inc. Covered under One License subscription.

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Blog: Come, Holy Spirit

Did you catch the words of our hymn of the day this past Sunday? Each week the intent of the song that falls immediately after the sermon is that it is to be our response to what we just heard proclaimed. 

So, if we were to relook at what we sang in the hymn of the day, how do you feel about offering these lyrics as your response? As your prayer?

God of tempest, God of whirlwind, as on Pentecost descend!
Drive us out from sheltered comfort, past these walls your people send!
Sweep us into costly service, there with Christ to bear the cross,
there with Christ to bear the cross!

The words of this hymn are not shy. They’re bold. And if we truly mean what we sing (and pray), the Spirit may actually do something. 

So this week, sing/pray these words again (the verse above and the remainder of the verses below). And, as you’re willing, offer yourself to the Spirit to work within you as God claims us for God’s Kingdom work.

God of blazing, God of burning, all that blocks your purpose purge!
Through your church, Christ’s Living Body, let your flaming Spirit surge!
Where deceit conceals injustice, kindle us to speak your truth,
kindle us to speak your truth!

God of earthquake, God of thunder, shake us loose from lethargy!
Break the chains of sin asunder, for earth’s healing set us free!
Crumble walls that still divide us; make us one in Christ our Lord,
make us one in Christ our Lord!

God of passion, God unsleeping, stir in us love’s restlessness!
Where the people cry in anguish, may we share your heart’s distress.
Rouse us from content with evil, claim us for your kingdom’s work,
claim us for your kingdom’s work!

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Worship Services

Worship: Winds of the Spirit

John 20:19-23, Acts 2:1-21 | Did you know that it’s necessary for wind to blow over seedlings in a greenhouse? Without that wind, those seedlings don’t develop a proper root system and will be shocked when transplanted in an uncontrolled environment. In the same way, it’s necessary for the wind of the Spirit to blow over (and even into) us as followers of Jesus. From day to day, that wind might feel like a soft, gentle breeze one day, and the next day feel like a derecho. But always, always, that wind of the Spirit never stops moving and that wind of the Spirit is always blowing to give us life that we will grow and flourish wherever we find ourselves.

Sunday, May 28, 2023, Pentecost 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: I’m Gonna Sing When the Spirit Says Sing. Text and Music: Mark Hayes. Text and Music: © 2020 The Lorenz Publishing Corporation. & Breathe. Text and Music: Marie Barnett. Text and Music: © 1995 Integrity Music. Covered under One License subscription.
Gathering Song: Gracious Spirit, Heed Our Pleading. Text: Wilson Niwagila; tr. Howard S. Olson, b. 1922. Music: Wilson Niwagila; arr. Egil Hovland, b. 1924. Text: © 1968, 1993 Augsburg Fortress Publishers. Covered under One License subscription. Hymn of the Day: God of Tempest, God of Whirlwind. Text: Herman G. Stuempfle Jr., b. 1923. Music: John Hughes, 1873-1932. Text and Music: © 2000 GIA Publications, Inc. Covered under One License subscription. Offering Song: Spirit of Gentleness. Text and Music: James K. Manley, b. 1940. Text and Music: © 1997 Augsburg Fortress Publishers. Covered under One License subscription. Communion Song: Veni Sancte Spiritus. Text and Music: Jacques Berthier, Taizé Community. Text and Music: © 1979 Taizé, Les Presses de (North America) Covered under One License subscription. Sending Song: Send Us Out. Text and Music: James Hersch. Text and Music: © 1994 Dakota Road Music. Covered under One License subscription.

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Blog: To Live as One

If you scan through the announcements that follow, you’ll notice a theme: though there are some announcements for things just SOTC is hosting, there are a lot of joint endeavors goin’ on. 

  • Summer Book Club
  • Vacation Bible School for preschoolers
  • Christian Day Camp
  • Summer GOLF (Generations of Living Faith)
  • and even the opportunity to purchase a t-shirt or long-sleeved SOTC shirt has the potential to be worn at a RAGBRAI pie fundraiser, should we accept the invitation to help prepare and serve pie alongside several other local congregations. 

Point being: there’s a lot of collaboration going on recently! And that doesn’t even begin to think about opportunities coming up in the fall as kid, youth, and adult groups continue through the joint Family Faith Night program with Grace and Zion. 

So why are we doing all this collaborative work? Why can’t we just do our “own thing” at Shepherd? 

It’s a valid question. For decades, churches have historically worked independently and focused on thier flock. Which, there’s merit to that. But in the past few years, we’ve recognized the joy of living and serving alongside one another in a way that uplifts the spiritual gifts that we all have to share in the body of Christ. And, we’ve recognized the joy of what can be done when we work together. 

But the thing is, the reason we work together isn’t only because it lessens the work load. And we don’t do this work together only because it’s the “good” thing to do, or because it stewards the resources we have. We do this work together, because in doing so, we live out Christ’s prayer for his disciples. And in doing so, we become a witness so that the world might come to believe in the truth of Jesus Christ. 

That’s the reason we live as one with each other. Because even when it takes more time, and even when it creates more headaches, we trust Christ’s prayer for his disciples. And we trust that just as Christ prayed for his disciples to be one, so too are we called to be one with each other and one with Christ…all so that we, and all the world, might come to know the love of God. 

So this week, I have two challenges for you: 
1) Consider how you’re doing at living as one with those around you. What’s causing that to be challenging? And, how might you be called to extend a hand and live as one with someone/a group near you? 

2) And, consider joining us in any of the various collaborative opportunities coming up this summer. You might not find your niche in each opportunity. But I can almost guarantee there’s an opportunity coming up that will give you the space to practice living as one with others.

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Worship Services

Worship: So that they may be one

John 17:1-11 | It’s not uncommon to hear the encouragement to work together with one another. Often, within communities, we hear messages of how we are “stronger together,” and for many of us we learned the importance of “sharing” back in preschool and kindergarten. But toward the end of Jesus’ last words to his disciples before his passion, Jesus gives a specific reason why he prays for his disciples to live as one. Join us for worship as we hear God’s Word, pointing us toward what it is we are to do as we await the coming of the Spirit.

Sunday, May 21, 2023, Seventh Sunday of Easter 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. 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 Song: A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing! Text: Bede, 673-735; tr. Lutheran Book of Worship. Music: Geistliche Kirchengesänge, Köln, 1623. Text: © 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship, admin, Augsburg Fortress. Covered under One License subscription. Hymn of the Day: They’ll Know We are Christians By Our Love. Text and Music: Peter Scholtes (John 13:34-35; Eph. 4:4-6). Text and Music: © 1966 F. E. L. Publications, assigned 1991 to The Lorenz Corp. Covered under One License subscription. Offering Song: Make Us One. Text and Music: Carol Cymbala. Text and Music: © 1991, 1994 Carol Joy Music (Admin. by ClearBox Rights, LLC) Curb Word Music (Admin.
by WC Music Corp.) Covered under CCLI subscription. Communion Song: Down to the River to Pray. Text and Music: George H. Allan. Text and Music: © Creative Commons Attribution license. Public Domain. Sending Song: To Be Alive. Text and Music: David Lee Brown, Larry Olson. Text and Music: © 1993 Dakota Road Music. Covered under CCLI subscription.

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Blog: Life in the Spirit

Two weekends ago, I brought a glass of water and an Alka-Seltzer tablet to worship to illustrate the nature of how God dwells within us and how we dwell within God. As Jesus promised his disciples on the eve of his death, Jesus has created places us for us to dwell with Christ – not only after our death, but here and now as we dwell in God and as God dwells in us. 

But how, really, does that work? How could God – the almighty and all-powerful God – reside within mortal bodies like our own? And how could we dwell in God? 

It’s a solid question. And just as much as I wouldn’t be able to tell you exactly how or why an Alka-Seltzer tablet dissolves completely in water, I wouldn’t be able to tell you exactly how we dwell in Christ and Christ dwells in us. But this past weekend in our Gospel lesson, we got a hint as Jesus promised his disciples an Advocate – the Spirit of Truth. For it is only by the power of the Spirit that we are united to God and we are united to one another in the body of Christ. 

But that only raises even more questions! What is the Spirit and what does the Spirit do? How does the Spirit work within us and how does the Spirit actually connect us to God? 

Again, solid questions. Dare I say, even faithful questions. Questions that I’ve wondered for years, and questions that so many scholars and leaders of the church have spilled serious amounts of ink over. 

So then, with all these questions, what are we to think as people of faith? Well, I wonder if the invitation to us as followers of Jesus is not necessarily to “understand” all the in’s and out’s of the Spirit and the Triune God. Rather, I wonder if the invitation to us is to allow the Spirit to move within us so that we might be united to Christ and to one another. 

For sure, to live in such a way won’t erase all the questions. And, if you’re wondering about questions like these, I invite you to consider joining us this summer as a part of our Book Club or next fall as a part of an adult formation group. In these spaces, together, we have the opportunity to hear various perspectives, and bring our own experiences of God to the table as we discover the truth of God for ourselves. 

But in the meantime, this week, keep pondering and wondering…faithfully. And, as you are willing, invite the Spirit to move through you – uniting you to God and to those around you and leading you, and all God’s creation, to fullness of life.

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Worship: Advocate

John 14:15-21 | When we think of someone being an “advocate” for us, we may think of someone who stands up for us, someone who steps in when we need it most, someone who speaks or acts on our behalf, or someone who is present with us as an encouragement or a comforter. These “advocates” often make quite the difference in our lives, sometimes in ways we can’t describe. And yet, in the Spirit, we are given an Advocate who goes beyond these actions. Join us this weekend for worship as we hear the promise of our Advocate who unites us with the very life of God, and as we receive the call to join our lives with our neighbors as living advocates.

Sunday, May 14, 2023, Sixth Sunday of Easter 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: 10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord). Text and Music: Jonas Myrin and Matt Redman. Text and Music: © 2011 Brodt Music. Covered under One License subscription. Gathering Song: Alleluia! Sing to Jesus. Text and Music: William Dix and Rowland Prichard. Text and Music: © 1898 Willow Publishing Pty Ltd. Covered under One License subscription. Hymn of the Day: Loving Spirit. Text and Music: Shirley Erena Murray. Text and Music: © 1987 Hymn Society in the US and Canada. Covered under One License subscription and CCLI subscription. Offering Song: All Are Welcome. Text and Music: Marty Haugen. Text and Music: © 1994 GIA Publications, Inc. Covered under One License subscription. Communion Song: My Advocate. Text and Music: Chris Llewellyn and Gareth Gilkeson. Text and Music: © 2020 Capitol CMG Paragon (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing) Covered under CCLI subscription. Sending Song: Every Move I Make. Text and Music: David Ruis. Text and Music: ©1996 Mercy/Vineyard Publishing (Admin. by Integrity Music) Vineyard Songs Canada (Admin. by Integrity Music). Covered under CCLI subscription.

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Blog: Dwelling Place

There’s a couch at a friends’ home that I always sit in when I’m there. For sure, there are several other places I could sit. But over time, the right corner of the couch has become my “nook” whenever I’m there. I can nestle down on into the cushions, and I feel at home…even though I’m not in my home. I can let a load off from the day, and I can allow my body to relax. 

Whether in our own home, in the home of another, in another building, or outside, many of us may have those “dwelling places” where we feel “at home.” Places where we can be ourselves – fully – and places where we can allow ourselves to be still…even for just a moment. 

Well, in this past Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus promises that he is going to prepare those places for his disciples to dwell with him. He promises to create spaces – here and now! – where we can remain in God’s presence, where we can be ourselves without fear of repercussions, and where we can allow ourselves to sink into the mercy of our Father. 

God has created those spaces for us. But even more than physical spaces, as we discovered on Sunday morning, the space that Jesus has created for us is not so much a physical place. Rather, what Jesus promised his disciples, and promises us, is that Jesus has created a space for us to dwell in him, and for him to dwell in us. Instead of co-existing together, it’s almost as if we become like an Alka-Seltzer tablet…dissolving into one with our Lord. 

So this week, as you find yourself going from place to place, consider the places that you frequent that you might call “home.” And, going one step further, take a moment to recognize the home that God has made in you, and that you have in Christ. On a day to day basis, we might not always have the luxury of landing on our favorite spot on the couch. But we always, always, have the promise of living as one – at home – with our Lord.

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Worship Services

Worship: Dwelling Places

John 14:1-14, 1 Peter 2:2-10 | When considering our journey of faith, some of us may be able to point to specific places or spaces where we sensed the presence of Christ. These experiences are important and are a gift. But even beyond these specific experiences, we are promised that to dwell with Jesus, we don’t need to be in a specific place. Rather, by Christ’s death and resurrection, and by the power of the Spirit, Jesus has created a space for us to dwell in God within our very selves. Join us for worship this weekend as we offer a blessing to our high school graduates, as we remember God’s promise to dwell with us wherever we find ourselves, and as we let ourselves be built into a dwelling place for the sake of others.

Sunday, May 7, 2023, Fifth Sunday of Easter 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: Higher Ground. Text and Music: Mark Leslie Hayes. Text and Music: © 2006 The Lorenz Publishing Corporation. Covered under One License subscription. Gathering Song: Hallelujah! Jesus Lives. Text: Carl B. Garve, 1763-1841; tr. Jane L. Borthwick, 1813-1897, alt. Music: Ludvig M. Lindeman, 1812-1887. Text and Music: Public Domain. Offering Song: Come, Thou Almighty King. Text and Music: Mark Hayes. Text and Music: © 2013 The Lorenz Publishing Corporation. Covered under One License subscription. Communion Song: Chosen People. Text and Music by Bread Without Cost. Shared via breadwithoutcost.com as a free download. Sending Song: You Are The Way. Text and Music: Christi Smith, Patrick Smith, Steve Angrisano, Tom Tomaszek. Text and Music: ©2002 spiritandsong.com. Covered under CCLI subscription.