Kathryn Ritsema Roelofs

This call to worship originally appeared in "Be Not Afraid—Advent 3: Fear of Revision." Responsive Call to Praise We have heard the story of Jesus Christ with joy and anticipation.We have come to worship. We open our hearts to prepare room for his coming.We have come to worship. We open our ears to hear the choirs of angels proclaim his holy birth.We have come to worship. We open our lives to God’s greater plans for us.We have come to worship. Through the grace of God’s Holy Spirit,we have come to worship Christ, the newborn King.

The following benediction originally appeared in "Be Not Afraid—Advent 2: Fear of Disappointment."God’s Blessing The same voice that speaks over the waters and calls us to follow and obey,the same voice that promises “I am your God, you are my people,”the same voice that spoke “This is my beloved Son,’now blesses the people with peace:“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand”The blessing of Almighty God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—is with you now and forevermore. Amen.—Based on Psalm 29:2, 9; Exodus 20:18; Matthew 3:17; Isaiah 41:10Revised Common LectionaryYears A, B, C: Epiphany—Baptism of the LordYear A: Epiphany—Baptism of the LordYear A: Season after Pentecost—Proper 22 (27)Year B: Lent—Third Sunday in LentYear B: Season after Pentecost—Trinity Sunday

This prayer of confession originally appeared in "Be Not Afraid—Advent 2: Fear of Disappointment."Song “My Soul in Stillness Waits” HaugenPrayer of Confession Emmanuel, God with us, we confess how hard it is for us to wait. Like Zechariah, we have a hard time waiting on you, and we lose hope so quickly when it seems as though you aren’t answering our prayers in the ways we hope. Sometimes your timing is mysterious. Sometimes you answer our longings and our prayers in ways we have a hard time comprehending. Take away all the barriers in our lives that keep us from being able to hear you, to know you, and to love you with all our hearts. And give us ears to hear your gentle voice saying, “Be not afraid.” Amen.

This reading, confession, and assurance originally appeared in "Be Not Afraid—Advent 1: The Hopes and Fears of all the Years."Responsive Reading I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,and in his word I hope;my soul waits for the Lordmore than those who watch for the morning.We wait and we hope. O Israel, hope in the Lord!For with the Lord there is steadfast love,and with him is great power to redeem.We wait and we hope. Glory to God the Father, to Jesus the Messiah, and to the Holy Spirit.We wait and we hope. Amen. —adapted from Psalm 130:5–7, NRSVUESongs “Christ, Be Our Light” (vs. 1, 2, 4, and 5) Farrell“Here I Am to Worship” HughesPrayer of Confession We wait and we hope. For many of us, Christmas feels like a time in which we do neither. The season has become one of parties and extra activities, plans with family, year-end deadlines, and purchasing gifts. There is not much space for us to wait and feel hopeful. So this morning we begin our time of prayer by carving out some space for silence, for silent prayers to God or maybe just for silence before God.[Silence]Emmanuel, God with us, in this Advent season, we confess how difficult it is to slow down. We don’t want to wait patiently for anything, and instead we buy into the busyness of the season, leading many of us to feel a lack of joy and a lack of hope. When we look at the world around us, it’s hard to feel hopeful about the world, about our nation, about ourselves. We are surrounded by death, destruction, and pain, and we long for a day when your promised kingdom comes to make all things new. Give us hope that this day is indeed coming, and help us to rest in this because your promises are always true. Amen.Assurance of Pardon Our hope for a new creation is not tied to what humans can do, for we believe that one day every challenge to God’s rule will be crushed. His kingdom will fully come, and the Lord will rule. Come, Lord Jesus, come.—Our World Belongs to God, para. 55, © 2008, Christian Reformed Church in North America, Grand Rapids MI. www.crcna.org. Used by permission.

The following candle lighting originally appeared in "Be Not Afraid—Advent 1: The Hopes and Fears of All the Years."Advent Candle Lighting [This was originally designed for the first Sunday of Advent and the candle of hope, but it could also be used for the candle of peace.]On this [insert week] of Advent, we light the candle of [insert candle name]. [Light candle.] Isaiah gives us a vision of a kingdom yet to come where everything has been made new and where creation is at peace. “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—and he will delight in the fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 11:1–3). We light this candle as a sign of our waiting and expectation for the coming Christ.Revised Common LectionaryYear A: Advent—Second Sunday of Advent

The following prayer originally appeared in "Be Not Afraid—Introduction and Prelude"Prayer of Confession Lord, we are a fearful people. It is not easy to rest in you alone, and it is not easy to feel secure in a world that is shifting beneath our feet. We fear for our jobs, our country, our own health, our families, and all those we love. Fear is a language we speak fluently, and we confess this. Lord, we need faith in your wisdom and in your providence that, no matter what it is we fear, you in your wisdom are guiding us and walking with us.Amen.

This is part of the worship series, "Psalm 23"Series Introduction Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10Week 11 | Week 12Week 12 Our Forever Home“And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever” (Psalm 23:6b, NKJV).Weekly EmailThe psalmist has described his experience with God: the shepherd and the gracious host. He has seen God’s mercy and goodness following him down the road of his life, and now he names the destination towards which his life will lead: the house of the Lord. This house is not a temporary respite, a hotel, or vacation house. This is where he belongs unlike he’s belonged anywhere else. The psalmist’s God is also your God. The house of the Lord is also your forever home. Spend some time this week considering the hope and promise contained in this final verse. SermonJohn 14:1–7 "A Place for You"Sermon notes by Rev. Chelsey Harmon are available from the Center for Excellence in Preaching.Children’s MessageToday we are going to talk about the very last part of Psalm 23: “And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:6b). Until this last verse, the writer of Psalm 23 has talked about what God has done in the past and what God is doing for the psalmist in the present. But for the last verse he begins to think about the future. He says God’s blessings will pursue him all his life, and then he thinks even further into the future, past the end of his life, and he says that even after his life ends, God will still be there. And the best thing he can think of to describe what that will be like is to say we get to live together with God in God’s home. What does the word “home” make you think of, or how does it make you feel? [Possible answers: family, safety, happiness, pets, etc.] The house of the Lord is going to be all those good feelings without any of the bad feelings like “Oh, darn; I have to do my homework now,” or “Back to the place where I’m in charge of cleaning my room every week.” The house of the Lord is where we feel like everything is right, we are safe, and we have everything we need. That gives all of us something very special to look forward to.Song Suggestions“Better Is One Day” Redman “All Are Welcome” Haugen“The LORD My Shepherd, Rules My Life” Idle“Like a River Glorious” HavergalPrompts for ReflectionJournaling Prompt: Rewrite Psalm 23 with your name or the name of a loved one in the place of “I” and “me,” using whatever translation feels most familiar to you. If you are feeling creative, paraphrase the psalm, putting it in language that feels natural to you. You could also adapt the metaphors to things that are especially meaningful to you. Perhaps you feel God is like your doctor or your parents or your teacher. However you adapt this psalm, spend some time considering how claiming this psalm for yourself deepens the reality of the promise of that final line: YOU will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Faith Practice: Engaging Scripture Wonder Prompt: Read Revelation 21:1–5, which in a wonder-ful way elaborates on what dwelling in the house of the Lord forever might be like. Here are some wondering questions to consider: What do you wonder about the new heaven and the new earth or the house of the Lord? What will it be like to have God dwelling among us for eternity? Can you imagine a world without death and pain? What might daily life look like in that world? Faith Practice: Wonder Artwork/Math Prompt: One way we can begin to approach the concept of “forever” is through fractals. If you know someone who understands the math behind fractals, be sure to ask them about it. The short version is this: a fractal is a shape that repeats at smaller and smaller scales indefinitely. A snowflake is a good example: as each arm of the crystal grows, it branches out in the same pattern, just smaller and smaller. Natural fractals are found in things that branch out (like some plants) or spiral tighter and tighter (like seashells). No matter how deeply you zoom in, you can find the same pattern. If you are a creative type, try making a fractal. Design a snowflake or a plant or a seashell with a pattern that repeats as it gets smaller and smaller. See how long you can keep going with the pattern. Think about that pattern repeating forever at a smaller and smaller scale. Does this deepen your appreciation of the concept of dwelling with God forever?Revised Common LectionaryPsalm 23Years A, B, C: Easter—Fourth Sunday of EasterYear A: Season after Pentecost—Proper 23 (28)Year B: Season after Pentecost—Proper 11 (16)John 14Year A: Easter—Fifth Sunday of Easter

This is part of the worship series, "Psalm 23"Series Introduction Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10Week 11 | Week 12Week 11 Chased by Goodness“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life” (Psalm 23:6a, NKJV).Weekly EmailAs the psalmist begins to bring this poem-prayer to an end, we can almost hear the wonder in his voice. He has beautifully described the loving ways our God cares for us using the metaphors of a shepherd and a host at a feast. Now it is as if he is looking back on what he has written and sees clearly the God he has described—the loving, protecting, nurturing, sustaining, generous God—and says, “Wow, this is a God who sends blessings chasing me down the road!” The psalmist is surrounded, pursued, enveloped by God. Last week we talked about how, when you don’t feel your cup running over, you could take a moment to remember what God has done for you in the past and trust God for the future. Consider taking some time this week to look back over your life. When have you seen God’s blessings chasing you down the road? When have you been caught unaware by the goodness and mercy of our God?SermonEzekiel 34:11–31 "Sought and Found"Sermon notes by Rev. Stan Mast are available from the Center for Excellence in Preaching.Children’s MessageCan you think with me about some things that surprise you about God? What are some things that make you say “Wow!” [Possible answers: God creating the whole world just by speaking; any of the miracles in the Old or New Testament; God knowing everything about us.] When I think really hard about some of these things I sometimes get overwhelmed, and my brain just shuts down a little. I end up feeling speechless—a little bit like this: [Project the “mind blown” emoji or the “wow” emoji.] In today’s verse, the writer of Psalm 23 seems to be saying “Wow!”: “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life.” It’s as if the psalmist pauses and thinks, “This God is incredible! There’s no getting away from how much God is taking care of me! Even if I tried to run away from God and God’s blessings, they would chase me down the road!” Can you imagine God chasing you down the road the way your parents might chase you if you walked out of the house without your shoes? “Hey, [child’s name], you forgot to take my goodness with you today!” “Hey, [child’s name]! Don’t forget my mercy—it’s right there on the counter!” Of course, the biggest goodness and mercy blessing, the biggest wow of all, is that even though we try to run away from God, even though we sin and we fail, God found a way to bring us back. God sent Jesus, who catches up with us, wraps his arms around us, and says, “You are mine. I love you, and you are never getting away from me.”   Art  © 2022 Bethany Besteman, Used by permission Song Suggestions“How Great Thou Art” Boberg“How Great Is Our God” Tomlin, Reeves, and Cash“Love Divine, All Loves Excelling” Wesley“Joy to the World” WattsPrompts for ReflectionJournaling/Prayer Prompt: Spend some time thinking about goodness and mercy. The former calls up the idea of blessings, but also moral uprightness. The latter suggests compassion and something unmerited or undeserved. What do these words mean to you? Where have you seen them in your life? Throughout the week, when discouraged or depressed, remember this meditation and pray the words “Surely your goodness and love will follow me.” Faith Practices: PrayerArtwork Prompt: If you have watercolors, use those for this prompt. If you don’t have watercolors, you can use food coloring. You’ll also need a brush and a cup of water, paper, and some paper towels for cleanup. Hold up the paper yourself or use an easel. Get the brush really wet and trace a path across your paper from top to bottom (it can be curved or straight). Then, before the water dries, get watercolor or food coloring on your brush (don’t be stingy) and dab the top of the paper. Watch as the paint follows the path the water took across the paper. You can do this multiple times and watch how the paint chases down the water just like God’s goodness and mercy chase us down.Revised Common LectionaryPsalm 23Years A, B, C: Easter—Fourth Sunday of EasterYear A: Season after Pentecost—Proper 23 (28)Year B: Season after Pentecost—Proper 11 (16)Ezekiel 34Year A: Season after Pentecost—Reign of Christ—Proper 29 (34)

This is part of the worship series, "Psalm 23"Series Introduction Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10Week 11 | Week 12Week 10 Abundance“My cup runs over” (Psalm 23:5c, NKJV). Weekly EmailAt the table of our good host, we are given everything we need. His desire to nourish us is so great that he fills our cups to the brim and then some: the liquid sloshes onto the table and soaks into the tablecloth. This is a gesture of plenty, of abundance. “Drink your fill,” God says. “There’s more—so much more. Everyone who comes to this table has enough.” Perhaps this week you have felt the abundance of our God in the blessings that surround you: physical comfort, the relative safety of you and your loved ones, and the fulfilling work you occupy your time with. However, for some of you, perhaps your cup feels dry. Perhaps sorrow or exhaustion or stress or illness have filled your cup instead with something bitter and difficult to swallow. In that case, contemplate this verse in hope. We live in a world where some plates are full and others are empty; some cups run over and others have barely a drop to wet them. We look forward to a day when all cups run over, and we will enjoy them together in God’s new creation at the wedding feast of the Lamb.SermonJohn 2:1–11 "More Where That Came From"Sermon notes by Rev. Chelsey Harmon are available from the Center for Excellence in Preaching.Children’s Message[This message works well after a praise and thanksgiving song set. The craft pom-poms used as props could be exchanged for small bouncy balls or marbles.]  The songs we have been singing this morning, filled with praise and thanks to God, match our verse from Psalm 23: “My cup overflows.” An overflowing cup sounds messy, but the psalmist is trying to show us just how generous God is to him. There is so much to go around at this party that the host doesn’t worry about things spilling. I’ve brought with me something to help us imagine a cup overflowing. I brought a cup, but I didn’t want to get the church too messy, so I’m using pom-poms instead of water or juice. Help me fill this cup to overflowing. What are some blessings God has given you? [As children call out blessings, add pom-poms to the cup. Invite the congregation to contribute, until pom-poms overflow and spill across the table or stage. Alternatively, give each child a handful of pom-poms and pass the cup among the children, having them name a blessing and add a pom-pom to the cup each time it passes them.]When we see this overflow of blessings, what should that make us do? That’s right: praise God! Thank God and let God know how wonderful he is. Let’s sing a song doing just that.Song Suggestions“Ten Thousand Reasons” Redman"Blessed Be Your Name" Redman and RedmanPrompts for ReflectionPoetry Writing Prompt: Consider writing a haiku this week (or several—they’re short!) about some blessing(s) God has given you. A haiku is three lines of poetry. The first line is five syllables, the second is seven syllables, and the third is five syllables. Done well, a haiku can call up an image in precise and spare language, so it works well to jog your memory during weeks that your cup might feel dried up. Faith Practice: GratitudeHere are some examples:    Art and poetry © 2022 Bethany Besteman, Used by permission Prayer Prompt: If your heart is more likely to cry out “How long, O Lord!” rather than “My cup runs over!”, consider using Psalm 13 as a prayer guide this week. It’s a short psalm of lament and petition that nevertheless ends with the psalmist moving toward praise. Here is the psalm with some places interspersed for you to add your own specific needs and laments before God: How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?    How long will you hide your face from me?Tell God where you felt God’s absence and express how hard it was to feel alone.How long must I wrestle with my thoughts    and day after day have sorrow in my heart?Tell God what specific thought patterns or griefs or anxieties weigh on you.    How long will my enemy triumph over me?Share with God any relationship troubles you are having or any obstacles you face.Look on me and answer, Lord my God.    Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”    and my foes will rejoice when I fall.Tell God your fears. From your point of view, explain why your petitions need answering.But I trust in your unfailing love;Pause. Breathe in; breathe out. Tell God you are willing to trust him and submit to his will.    my heart rejoices in your salvation.If you are able, call to mind and to heart the peace of God’s saving grace and thank him.I will sing the Lord’s praise,    for he has been good to me.If you are able, call to mind and heart other blessings God has given you. Name them and thank God for them.—Psalm 13 NIVFamily Activity Prompt: Find a clear cup (glass or plastic) and cut strips of colored paper. Write blessings God has given you that day on those pieces of paper, crumple them into balls, and place them in the cup. You can do this in one sitting or before or after dinner every day this week. Watch as the cup fills and overflows. Faith Practice: GratitudeRevised Common LectionaryPsalm 23Years A, B, C: Easter—Fourth Sunday of EasterYear A: Season after Pentecost—Proper 23 (28)Year B: Season after Pentecost—Proper 11 (16)John 2Year C: Epiphany—Second Sunday after the Epiphany

This is part of the worship series, "Psalm 23"Series Introduction Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10Week 11 | Week 12Week 9 Anointed—Blessed and Called“You anoint my head with oil” (Psalm 23:5b, NKJV). Weekly EmailAnointing with oil happens in the Bible when God wants to mark someone as special and set apart. Aaron and his sons were anointed as Israel’s first priests, and Saul and David were both anointed as Israel’s kings. But in different ways all these men failed to live up to their anointing. When God started promising that someone would come who would make everything right once and for all and who wouldn’t mess up at all, that special person was called the Messiah, the anointed one. So the psalmist imagines a feast where she is anointed by the host. She is told that she is special and that the host has a job for her. When we come to God’s table, we don’t come as anonymous guests. We come because God wants each and every one of us there especially, and we know that God has a plan and purpose for us as well.Sermon1 Samuel 16:1–13 "Anointed"Sermon notes by Rev. Stan Mast are available from the Center for Excellence in Preaching.Children’s MessageToday’s verse from Psalm 23 is “You anoint my head with oil.” These days, anointing isn’t something we do very often. I’m guessing your parents don’t ever pour oil on your head. When we read something in Scripture that doesn’t make much sense to us, sometimes it helps to look at other parts of the Bible to get clues about what it means. And when we look to see who gets anointed in the Bible, we see that priests (like Aaron), kings (like Saul and David), and sometimes prophets were anointed. When God has people anointed, it seems to mean that they are special to God and also that God has a special job for them to do. Last week, we talked about how at this point in Psalm 23 we are guests at a party. The host has set up a table full of wonderful things for us to eat, and now the host comes to each of us and says, “I want to show you just how special you are to me. I’m going to give you a job to do—that’s how much I want you here, with me.”So let’s think together about what sorts of things God asks us to do for him. What are you really good at, or what do you really love? [Possible answers: sports, singing, playing, etc.] God anoints us to do all these things, so when we do them we should be thinking about how we can do them so that God will be happy. We try to be kind even to the opposite team when we play sports. We share toys when we play. God also sometimes asks us to do other things that may not always seem fun, but are still important—things like praying, helping other people, and sharing with other people about God. We learn about those things when we read the Bible and when we listen to God. That’s one of the reasons it’s important to come to church each Sunday: to learn about what God wants us to do and how we can imitate Jesus, who was also anointed for a very special job.[The children’s message can end here; if you want to give a blessing to the children you can continue with the text below.]I’m going to invite the children to come forward to receive a blessing. Because the Holy Spirit lives in our hearts, we have all been anointed by God to do his work, and I have some oil here to give you a physical reminder of that blessing and the special work he has for you to do.[Child’s name], God has anointed you to do his work.Song Suggestions"Take, O Take Me as I Am" Bell"The Lord, My Shepherd, Rules My Life" Idle“Will You Come and Follow Me” BellPrompts for ReflectionJournaling Prompt: Make a list of the gifts and talents God has given you—ways you feel God has set you apart. Try to think of at least five things you feel blessed by God to do (e.g., baking, singing, painting, dancing, organizing, learning, etc.). Over the next few days focus on one of these gifts, looking for opportunities to use it to bring God glory. When the opportunity arises, celebrate God’s gift! Reflect on the experience of paying attention to the gifts and talents God has given you. What does it feel like to celebrate before God when you have a chance to use these gifts? Faith Practice: Celebrating Weekly Devotional Prompt: (This can be done all in one sitting or broken up to use throughout the week for family devotion time.) Spend some time in Scripture. Read the anointing stories of Aaron (Exodus 30:22–33; Leviticus 8) Saul (1 Samuel 9–10), and David (1 Samuel 16), and read the accounts of Jesus’ baptism and anointing with the Holy Spirit (John 1) and his anointing before his death (Mark 14). In light of how other parts of the Bible talk about anointing, do you read Psalm 23:5 or a New Testament verse about our anointing by the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:21–22; 1 John 2:26–27) differently? How is anointing similar to baptism? Faith Practice: Engaging ScriptureSensory Prompt: When Aaron and his sons are anointed, some blood from a sacrifice was put on their right earlobes, right thumbs, and right big toes. We can think of that as God telling them, “Listen to me (ear), do my will (thumb), and go where I send you (toe).” Find some perfume or a scented oil and put a bit on the same spots on your body when you get up in the morning. Whenever you notice that scent throughout the day, remember that you are set apart to listen to God and do what God wants.Revised Common LectionaryPsalm 23Years A, B, C: Easter—Fourth Sunday of EasterYear A: Season after Pentecost—Proper 23 (28)Year B: Season after Pentecost—Proper 11 (16)