I’ve been fortunate to have become friends with John Bell over the years.  John is a Church of Scotland minister, musician, and dedicated member of the Iona Community.  I love John’s passion for worship and his hunger to see the church rejuvenated through the very rhythms of thoughtful liturgy and dedicated work within the world.  When worshiping with the Iona Community at their island abbey or in Glasgow, you will notice that morning worship doesn’t end with a benediction nor does the evening service open with a call to worship.  For the Iona Community, one’s vocation and interjection within the world are considered acts of worship.  In this, all of one’s life can be understood as celebrating God’s mighty deeds or wrapping oneself in the mercy and purposes of the cross.  Yes, corporate worship has a special role within our week.  I’d even consider what we do as a worshiping body central/instrumental/vital to everything else within our lives.   It is in corporate worship that we hear and taste, again and again, the cornerstone story of our salvation—that we are forgiven in Jesus Christ and sent to be the living ambassadors/faithful stewards of God’s great news within every inch of this world.  From such a base of truth and empowerment, we are thus sent forth as a living response.  In other words, we don’t really stop such a movement of worship– of surrendering ourselves to God and singing praises to our savior, who has set us free.  Therefore, our weekly worship continues whenever we teach our children the story of Jesus; and whenever we share quality time with the poor; and whenever we steward gifts we’ve been given; and whenever we share a meal with the hungry; or whenever we care for the vulnerable; and whenever we direct people back to the living source of our very  passions and purposes.        

I fully realize that I cannot know all of what goes on for the sake of Christ after the benediction is shared and before we gather again in a week to re-share the story of God’s grace.  So many acts of courage, care, and compassion go on between the scenes of our days.  I certainly trust that the Holy Spirit is always doing marvelous things within us and through us—converting us and challenging us and shaping according to the beauty of Jesus Christ.  As a pastor, I also get to be part of many actions and events that also indicates active “worship” throughout the week.  Let me share some what this ongoing worship looks like in our life together:

Last week Wednesday, about 40 people shared a meal and discipleship time via Midweek Manna.  As testimony to what it means to be a church family, our four children are usually scattered around the room loving and be loved by brothers and sisters in Christ (not too unlike Acts 2).

Last week Thursday, our Fellowship Hall filled up with people sharing a warm meal at Community Kitchen.   A group from Northpointe Christian School served but all of us there were recipients of grace.  Megan Sweet, one of our seminary interns, met with some of the CK community afterwards for a Bible study and prayer.

Last week Thursday, Robyn Saylor reconvened a Friendship Group with Ida Red Group Home.  A group of adults with cognitive disabilities met in our Gathering Place to pray, study God’s word, and feel the warm love of the wider church.

Last week Friday, not only did we host a Narcotics Anonymous Group in the Fellowship Hall, but our Senior High Youth Group shared laughter but very little sleep in their overnighter.

Last Sunday, not only did Vicky share the Word, but Rachel Stapley’s chorale group from Northpointe sang the Word in wonderful ways.

Last Sunday afternoon, six adults joined me in exploring potential membership at Trinity.  I find it inspiring (and humbling) to remember our long roots in faith and what God has been able to do through a people called Trinity over the years.

Alongside of all of this is a Food Pantry serving 40 or so families 3 times a week and a Schools of Hope literacy program meeting 4 times a week to help about 20 younger children build literacy skills.

Alongside of all of this are people visiting the church family in hospitals and care facilities; people making meals for one another and sending notes of encouragement.

Alongside of all of this are ministry teams, elders, deacons and staff all meeting to continually discern God’s will and equip the body for such work.

Alongside of all of this are discipleship groups, bible studies, triads and small groups gathering for growth and communal formation.

Alongside of all of this are honest conversations, pastoral counseling, tears, questions and struggles of faith and life that we, as a body, will always engage.

Alongside of all of this are meals with great friends at church and opportunities to laugh and enjoy wider creation with persons whom we love.

In the end, this is all worship just as this is all the work of being Christ’s people.  Nothing really ends when we say that hearty “Amen” after the benediction since our lives always have opportunities to sing God’s praise and respond to Christ’s grace.  

k. voskuil, 2/2/2012

 Baptism is one of the high points of our faith journey.  The inward meaning of this outward sign will deepen throughout our lifetimes as we grow in faith and follow Christ more closely and deeply from year to year.  We like to remind TRC folks of their baptism anniversaries by printing the dates in the worship bulletin each month.  In addition, children from birth through 5^th grades receive “baptism birthday” cards.  Our baptisms are about being adopted into God’s family, being forgiven, receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, dying and being born into new life with Christ, and so much more.  How can we not celebrate??!

Below are some ideas for celebrating a child’s baptism birthday:

 Invite family members and friends to join you for your

celebration.

Help Mom and Dad prepare your favorite meal or snacks.

Decorate with shells, candles, pretty bowls filled with

water, pictures and baptismal keepsakes.

Copy the following questions on a piece of paper (and other questions related to baptism that you are curious about), fold them and put them in a bowl.  Let guests pick questions out of the bowl for you to ask them.

 What kind of day was it?

Who held me?

Did I cry?

What was the name of the church?

How did our family celebrate?

What did the congregation promise?

What did Mom and Dad promise?

What did my baptism mean to you?

Why do you believe faith in God is important?

What do you hope I will experience as I participate in the life of Trinity Church?

What are your hopes and dreams for me?

In preparing for worship and life together during the season of lent, I read through the scripture texts assigned for each Sunday.  Most of our Old Testament texts point to our covenant keeping God.  From the rainbow in the sky to stone tablets, from outnumbering the stars in the sky, to new law being written not on stone tablet but on our hearts, God comes to us, calling us, naming us as God’s own people.

Lent is a penitential season, a season to more deeply examine our hearts and to seek ways to walk more faithfully, to listen more deeply, to serve more sacrificially.  All the while hearing God whisper to us, “I will be your God and you shall be my people.”

We will gather around tables and share in bread and cup, once again.  We will serve each other, recognizing what the intimacy of the first sharing of this meal must have been.  Our Lenten journey will begin on Ash Wednesday, February22, when we will gather for a meal of bread and soup, followed by the Lord’s Supper.  The journey will take us all the way to Holy Week, where we will shout “Hosanna!” and “Crucify him!” almost in one breath.  We’ll wash hands and hear the story of cross and grave.

Some find it difficult, or at least sad, to walk through season of lent.  But is good practice – because it helps at other times during the year when our own little lents appear and we have to take the long walk down the hospital corridor or even to the graveside.  It is then that our practices of lent help us.  We can pray – or have others pray – deeply into the long nights.  We can gather around tables and find grace.  And we can remember that the story doesn’t end at the cross or a hospital room or the grave – but in a risen Christ who reigns and in a God who makes all things new and wipes away tears, pain and even death.  A covenant keeping God continues to whisper to us “I am your God, you are my people.”  Thanks be to this God!

Deb Swanson

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

• ½ sweet onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 2- 28 oz. cans crushed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 cup cream (I used fat free half and half)
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 bunch fresh basil

In a large stockpot, heat vegetable oil over medium-low heat. Add garlic and finely diced onion. Simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until onion starts to caramelize. Add cans of crushed tomatoes; add sugar. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 5-10 minutes. Stir in broth. Remove from heat and let cool a bit. Working in batches, puree the soup mixture in a blender.  (NOTE: Heated liquid expands tremendously when you try to puree it in a blender– only fill it halfway full at most, each time!) Put pureed mixture in a bowl, then rinse the stockpot out and put pureed soup base back in.  If you have an immersion (stick) blender, use that instead of a regular blender. The soup can remain in this state (refrigerated) for a few days, until ready to serve. To serve, bring tomato soup mixture to medium heat, and then stir in cream. (In this way, you are keeping the cream out of the pureeing step — which might whip it — and also the heating-to-boiling step — which might curdle it.) Top with basil, rolled gently and sliced very thinly (i.e., chiffonade). –Susan Olthof

Once again, I am grateful to God for the ways that God has blessed the ministry here at Trinity, and I am grateful to Trinity’s dedicated staff for their hard work and dedication.

Grace and Peace, Elder David Billings, Vice President of Consistory

We are looking forward with anticipation to the resumption of Sunday School classes in the New Year.  Beginning on January 8, children 3 years old – 5^th grade will be exploring “Transfiguration” through various worship arts, including movement, music, and art.  What does transfiguration mean?  Why was Jesus transfigured before some of his disciples?  How can we move beyond mere words to express the story and meaning through movement, art, and music?  We want to build on the enthusiasm and momentum of our recent Advent worship led by Trinity children and youth, and we are confident this unit will be rich and deep for all who participate.  Start the New Year off well by making Sunday School a priority in 2012!

Last spring nine members of Trinity Church began a discipleship journey together.  The journey consists of three parts:

• Developing a personal understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ by answering three questions:
  • Who has God created and shaped me to be?
  • Why am I here?
  • What is God preparing me to be and do?
• Reading and talking about the personal implications of Parker Palmer’s ideas in his book “A Hidden Wholeness”
• Engaging in a Faith Walking retreat which will culminate the year long journey on March 9 and 10, 2012

The group met approximately once per month for two hours spending the majority of time in three “triads” where the work of listening to God, to ourselves and to each other took place.  Much reflection, prayer and personal work was done between our group meetings as well.  In November, after nearly eight months of being together, each person was able to share her/his personal statement of purpose – all of them profound and some potentially life changing.

We are now committed to going deeper with the help of Parker Palmer’s book and holding one another accountable for who we believe God is calling us to be and what we have come to understand God is calling us to do.

In March, we will take part in a “faith walking experience” at Pine Trails Camp.  This retreat will call us to take a deep look at ourselves in relationship to some key characteristics: obedience to God, keeping and honoring our word (integrity) and willingness to be transparent with others (authenticity).  This will be hard and meaningful work.

We would like to invite nine more people to begin a similar journey this spring.  If you would like to talk with someone in the group about what it has been like for her/him to engage this discipleship experience, each of them is happy to talk with you.  The group members are:  Cary Fletter, Sharon Harris, John Kozminski, Joy Larink, Vicky Menning, Wayne Newton, Darla Olson, Brad Olson, and Sharon Thompson.  Each of us is grateful to be part of a congregation who provides opportunities for us to become more clear about what God is calling us to be and do and walks with us as we find the courage to live our lives faithfully.  If you would like more information about the discipleship journey, please speak with Karsten or Vicky.

Also during the meeting we heard from Esther Billings on behalf of the Global Mission Team about the possibility of a group from Trinity going to visit Baraka Presbyterian Church (which is our sister-church in Palestine/Israel).

Thanks to all of you who have supported the mission and ministries of Trinity Reformed Church in 2011. We look forward to a new year in hope and confidence.

Grace and peace,  David Billing (Vice President of Consistory)

In the weeks ahead, we not only prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, but we prepare and look for Christ’s coming again. And so our words become: “Maranatha, come, Lord Jesus, come.”

Throughout Advent we will be sharing worship themes, scriptures, songs and preachers with The Community in Ada.

During this season we expectantly wait for the One who has already come. There is a tension in this waiting. We anticipate the promised justice of God’s new world, yet we praise God who raised the “righteous branch” to rule with justice and righteousness. We hope for the restoration of the afflicted, and the grieving, yet we delight that healing has come in Christ. We long for the beating of swords into plowshares, yet we rejoice that the Prince of Peace has appeared. We yearn for the barren deserts of our inner cities to flourish, yet we laud the desert Rose that has bloomed. We dream of the land where wolves and lambs live in harmony, yet we acclaim the child born to lead us into the promised land.

If you were able to participate in Tom Thompson’s class on Revelation, you gained a sense of this tension found in that book.  It might be good practice to read through that book as we walk through the season of advent.

Again, we will celebrate weekly communion in this season.  The RCA communion liturgy includes these words:  “We come in hope, believing that this bread and this cup are a pledge and foretaste of the feast of love of which we shall partake when God’s kingdom has fully come, when with unveiled face we shall behold him, made like unto him in his glory.”  That is what we wait for this season.

All are welcome as we celebrate through Word and Sacrament “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again!” Come, Lord Jesus, Come!

With anticipation and hope, Deb Swanson

I find myself completely in agreement with a wonderful family friend, Carol Myers, who has dedicated herself to restoring Christmas to that place of celebrating the true meaning of Jesus Christ.  Carol has created www.stnicholascenter.com to help the church regain focus on Christ through the story of St. Nicholas, the real person we’ve mostly reshaped and somewhat twisted to create the (sorry, Nola and Marcie) very unreal Santa Claus.  Nicholas was born in the 3rd century in a place we now know as Turkey.  Nicholas’ parents both died leaving him with a considerable amount of money and a much deeper inheritance of living for Christ.  Nicholas became a priest and later a bishop, all the while, serving others with enormous generosity and selflessness.  In other words, St. Nicholas did his best in following the example of Jesus and living in utter gratitude to God.  St. Nicholas Day, December 6, has become a day of joyful giving (chocolate letters and oranges!) and even more importantly, a day refocusing us upon the Jesus Christ who served us with enormous generosity and selflessness.

I’m not saying that all of the tinsel, shopping and commercialized “Christmas” is inherently evil (bah humbug), though it is always fair to ask who (what) are we really celebrating and why.  Are we, like the St. Nicholas types of the faith, looking at bettering the lives of those around us?  Are we always seeking out ways of serving, loving, helping others thrive?  Are we motivated in all that we do by that baby who grew up and died upon a tree for us?

To be sure, Advent is a time to prepare ourselves for Christ’s return– to go through the closets of our faith and rid ourselves of whatever that weighs us down or holds us back.  Advent is a time to cherish all that God has given us and seek ways of using such gifts to God’s very glory.  Advent is also a great time to critique our own holiday practices and lifestyle patterns that can, so easily, become less and less about Jesus Christ.

Dear sisters and brothers, let me be the first to say, Happy St. Nicholas Day  (also the twins first birthday!) and Merry Christmas.

To God be all glory, now and forever more.

KTV, advent 2011