Search Results

Dear Friends, I’ve been putting my sermon together over the last few days while my thoughts have been flooded with political commercials, debate, and commentaries. I finally came up with a less than original working theme: “politics and living out our faith.” I wish I could say that my words would be provocative enough to do more than make you let out a huge sigh. Jesus spoke directly to the issue of politics and faith almost 2,000 years ago. We are invited, along with all of our sisters and brothers in Christ, to hear once again his answer about God and government. (Gospel of Matthew 22:15-22: "Render unto Caesar ...") As we look deeper at the question that is delivered by the disciples of the Pharisees and Herodians who, by the way, have been sent to trick or entrap Jesus in vs 15, the question isn’t really about whether or not you should pay your taxes or to whom you should pay your taxes. The question is: Who has the authority? This question about authority immediately makes us tilt our heads a bit and say, "Wait! What about separation of church and state?" To this, we can smile together and say, "Ah! When I say, 'the Lord is my Savior,' I am making my political statement." This does not give us the right to throw out the name of Jesus as an assault or insult to anyone else. Instead, we humbly and faithfully stand with a heart of mercy and compassion for the hungry, naked, mistreated, disrespected, abused, and abuser. We stand as well with all of our sisters and brothers in witness to God’s gift of creation. We do so out of love. We hear in 1 Thessalonians 1:4-10 this message of hope that, as children of God, we have been inspired by the Holy Spirit to be imitators of the Lord making God known to everyone, serving only God and sharing the Good News that it is Jesus who rescues us from death. May this Good News be our new song in a hurting world for all to hear this day. Psalm 96 O sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be revered above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Honor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts. Worship the Lord in holy splendor; tremble before him, all the earth. Say among the nations, “The Lord is king! The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved. He will judge the peoples with equity.” Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord; for he is coming, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with his truth. Believing it strongly, Pastor Katie

The Visioning Council and staff have been attempting to make the best decisions we can regarding gathering for worship while at the same time balancing staff responsibilities in multiple ministry areas. After much discussion and deliberation, here is our plan for the month: This Sunday, Oct 11, is predicted to be a beautiful day and will mark our LAST outdoor service of the fall. While our canopies are down, there should be plentiful radiant heat in which to bask. In-vehicle worship is still an option if you’d rather be in the shade. We’ll share Holy Communion and continue our focus on the current “Upside Down” sermon series. We truly hope that you’ll take advantage of the opportunity to join us one way or the other at 9:00 a.m.! Our pre-recorded worship will still be available on-demand via the website on Sunday morning. We’ll still be live-streaming the 9:00 a.m. outdoor service on Facebook Live if you’d feel that is the best way for you to participate this week. The good news – we’re making major headway on equipping our facility for streaming services in future weeks from indoors. You can once again experience the familiarity of the sanctuary, even if virtually. The bad news – it’s going to take additional willing volunteers to be present each week to make that streaming all that we need it to be – both during Covid restrictions and beyond. If you are at ALL interested in helping to operate a video camera, learn the production process, staff the sound board, advance worship slides, or simply monitor the Facebook feed, we will be NEEDING you in coming weeks. Watch for a new Sign-up genius link on our website and in future E-blasts. Meanwhile, shoot me an e-mail expressing your interest or curiosity in any of these vital roles. Church looks and feels different right now, but we want to make our worship life together as rich as it can be – both for us and for those well beyond our congregation who are in need of a word of hope and encouragement! Hope that you can be present with us this weekend in whatever way you can! Pastor Tim

Dear Friends, My heart soars after an evening of youth ministry! After many years of Wednesday Night Ministry, I can truly say, I love being a pastor! Last night, we started with the evening with Club 56 students. It is the first time we really focused a ministry on the kids who are in between elementary and Confirmation ministry. We want them to experience small group ministry and be ready to jump in when they start Confirmation. Club 56 students closed the evening by making a bonfire with Pastor Tim for High School Students. We had almost 20 High School Students standing around outside sharing their joys and challenges. All the while, I was hosting Confirmation Ministry via Zoom with another 20+ students! The energy, the fellowship, the awkwardness infused with the authentic and sincere compassion for one another is holy ground. These students as they gather together – they are the church. But it isn’t only the youth who are being community together. On Tuesday Mornings, a new small group called, Agape, is now gathering via Zoom or as a very small group in the sanctuary for prayer, fellowship, and study. Everyone is welcome to join in. If you have been holding back to join in because of technology, we can walk with you and make you feel at ease! There are so many groups that are meeting in a variety of ways. Maybe it is crafting together in the garage, or connecting on the driveway, patios, screened back porches, on zoom, on Facetime, or one of many ways via social media. We are being the church! It is the individuals who serve donated baked items, lend a helping hand at the food pantries, help clear debris and clean up after the storms up north, donate blood, pray for a friend or stranger. This is you and I. This is us being the church. But it takes intentionality. It takes creating a space in your day or week when you give God and your neighbor your undivided attention. It takes consistent effort and engagement with all of your brothers and sisters in Christ that you know and the ones you have yet to meet. Where am I going with this? Well, in a world of chaos – some good and some downright ugly, there is this place, this community, this group of people. We are the imperfect, but faithful, church. In a world of changes, how can we continue to lift up the message of hope that Jesus loves you and me? How can you and I intentionally be the church, God’s Church in the here and now? In a world where we long for what was church, we are seeing the church find new ways to do what we were created to do for thousands upon thousands of years: to be in relationship with God and to be in relationship with one another. If you are longing to be in community, check out the newsletter article by Pastor Tim and Pastor Katie regarding Community Groups. Or contact Pastor Katie about joining a group. Or reach out right now with a text, a call, or a card with someone who longs to know that they belong to this community called Church. Pastor Katie

Holy Trinity’s new logo is here! Our previous logo, a circle of three figures united in a dance, was used to highlight the relational aspect of the Trinity and implemented in 2008 with permission from its artist who had created the image for a different purpose. Holy Trinity’s communication team, staff, and council have discussed the importance of having a logo created for our church and about our church. It was through many conversations that the ideas evolved and have been implemented. The circle, carried over from our original logo, represents the unity of God, You’ll see that it is still comprised of three portions, which signify the Holy Trinity--God as the Creator, Savior, and Spirit. It represents our congregation’s mission to Love Christ, Live Christ, and Share Christ. The colors, which coincide with our website themes, represent baptism, spiritual growth, and the earth which God entrusted to us. Our hope is that the image stirs in you the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord, the spirit of joy in God’s presence, now and forever. (Isaiah 11:2) From a technical standpoint, a logo should be simple, recognizable, and versatile. We are grateful for the support from our communications team and for their dedication to finding a meaningful representation of Holy Trinity and passing it to those who could capture it. Thank you to member Matt Hibbard for sketching our words into visuals and to Tara Ellison, member and graphic designer, who skillfully created our final images. Look for opportunities to purchase new Holy Trinity clothing and other items in the near future.

It’s crazy to realize that we’ve already reached the last weekend of September. It seems like it was only a few weeks ago that we were talking about October 1 as the date when we would review our assumptions about COVID-19 and the possibilities for physically gathering. Here we are! Please pray for our Council and our staff as we strive to make the most faithful decisions possible amid a context where there are no easy or universal answers. This Sunday will feature a number of unique features and new access to boot! First, we’re going to return to our “Upside Down” sermon series as we explore the challenging values of Christ’s kingdom or “commonwealth,” using Matthew and Philippians as our basis. We’ll be discussing how developing genuine humility is our starting point for changing the world. Come ready! We’ll gather on the lawn, in vehicles, through the recorded service on our website, and even live-streamed on Facebook – all at 9:00 a.m. Sunday. Sure hope you can join us! At 9:45 a.m., we’ll continue with a special Family Ministry Experience (FX) for children and their parents, once again available outdoors in person on the lawn or in your cars via zoom. Last but not least, we’ll be celebrating Confirmation Sunday with 15 of our young people in a revised and safe fashion – in a special service for their families at 11:00 a.m.  Please keep these youth in prayer as they commit to continuing to grow in their journey of faith! On an unrelated note, we invite all who are interested in furthering their relationships, community, and understanding to take advantage of upcoming “1-on-1 Training” through Johnson County Interfaith, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on either Oct. 5th or 12th. It’s an excellent chance both to meet some neighbors in faith and to grow in awareness of yourself at the same time! Shoot me a note to tim@holytrinityNL.org if you’d like to participate! Hope that you can be present with us this weekend and beyond! Pastor Tim

Dear Friends, Do you remember your childhood “chore?” I remember around the age of 5 that my chore was to go into the chicken coop and collect the eggs. Now this isn’t some great Hollywood moment of singing to the feathery ladies while throwing seed on the ground. To me, this was a moment of real terror. Imagine, a building large enough in which to park cars reconfigured to house 50-100 egg-laying chickens. The “chore” started like this: you courageously turned on the light to wake up the chickens. You would hear the scurrying of the mice who loved the feed on the floor. Then you would go into each nest and take the eggs from large chickens, who would rather you leave their hard work right where they left it. Once you had your containers full you would carry these huge buckets back to the house to wash the eggs so my mother could take the eggs to the buyer in the morning. The allowance or “pay-off” that I got for this chore that had been handed down from sibling after sibling was a quarter a week, big money in those youthful days!. What? Not fair. My friends made cash from feeding their dog in the warm kitchen or bringing in the dirty clothes from their room to the laundry room. Ah, time for a life lesson with my father. He explained to me that, being asked to take on a chore, meant that I was part of the family, our little community. I was offered to do a chore that fit my age and abilities. I got an allowance because we had agreed that I would collect eggs and my father would give me a quarter each week. He told me, as I sat red in the face complaining, it wasn’t his job to decide chores and allowances for the other children. In that moment, it was just little Katie Lowe that mattered. I’m not sure I realized the lesson I was being taught to its fullness. What seems unfair to you right now? Maybe you are a health care worker and in the middle of pandemic you have been asked to take a pay cut to help the hospitals financially survive. Maybe you are a parent trying to make the best decision you can on whether or not your children go to school on-site or virtually at home. Maybe you are the employer and you have to decide whether or not to let an employee go because of lack of sales. Maybe your home was damaged in the derecho and the neighbor seems to be doing just fine while you struggle with insurance policies. Or maybe your unfair is the way you are treated because of your gender, race, personal identification, economic or educational background, citizenship, political party, or wearing or not wearing a mask for COVID. What is unfair? Our Lord and Savior has conquered the consequence of a forever separation with God by taking on our “unfair,” the “ugly” of our lives by the way we treat one another or demand fairness on our terms alone. Check out the story from Matthew 20:1-16 and you will connect the dots on how Jesus turns the fairness of this world upside down with the fairness that God provides for each of us. In a world that is deeply hurting from unfair, it is Good News that the peace from our Lord and Savior is exactly the only thing we need. Worship with us this weekend with a willingness to ponder God’s Good News for you and me each day. You may check us out online on Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. on the lawn, in parked cars, or listen online with Facebook. The pre-recorded service will continue to be available on our website. See you this weekend! Peace, Pastor Katie

While giving thanks with farmers for the especially wet week behind us, I am looking forward to the opportunity to gather outdoors for worship this Sunday. The weather report is looking conducive at this point; we’re hoping that, by remaining in vehicles this week, the COVID numbers might allow us to gather safely. We’re going to be starting a new series entitled “Upside Down,” which explores some of the challenging and transformational values apparent when we embrace God’s authority and vision for life together rather than our own. We hope that you can join us for a fresh perspective on the practice of forgiveness in Matthew 18. It was encouraging to be among the two dozen faces present on “Zoom” Wednesday night for the launch of our Confirmation year. While the challenges to learning this year are significant, we have a great cadre of youth; their enthusiasm for the possibilities and patience with the process were both a blessing to experience. Don’t forget that High School youth and younger children have ministries beginning this month. Watch the calendar! Recent reports of the pandemic upon the mental health of both youth and adults are really alarming. The stigma attached to the topic isn’t helping to grow our awareness. I’d like to highlight a Holy Trinity event just over a week ahead! The Mental Health Advocacy Team invites you to a presentation on suicide awareness Sunday, 9-20 at 10:15 a.m. Join us as we welcome the “Alive and Running: Suicide Awareness and Prevention” founders, Ryan Nesbit and Troy Belmer, who will talk about the loss of their friend. Likewise Gail and Dan Husmann will share their experience with losing a grandson. This session is intended to increase awareness about prevention, identify available resources, and offer a message of hope. It’s intended for adults and students of middle-school age or older. We hope this will take place on the west lawn, accessible either under canopies or via FM radio in your vehicle. We truly hope that you can be present for these powerful testimonies. Check the website or the church voicemail for updates as the date grows nearer. Let’s open our ears, eyes, and imaginations to what Christ might reveal to us this week. We need each other’s love and perspective more than ever! Pastor Tim

Dear Friends, In the past few weeks, I have found myself making a list. You know…every time something goes wrong, I respond with, “put it on the list.” The car broke down, “put it on the list.” The dog ran away, “put it on the list.” Seems Iowans can’t wear masks, “put it on the list.” The electricity went out (again), “put it on the list.” And so on, and so on.  Honestly, I’m also getting pretty snippy when someone responds to my litany of all the things that are going wrong with even the slightest hint of "but Katie, you should look on the bright side." You know, surviving a derecho, aka hurricane in the middle of Iowa, can make you smirk just a bit and find more comfort in the re-reading of your list. I had a conversation this week with someone who really “got me.” This person didn’t respond to my list by diminishing my list; instead, that person put themselves in my shoes and walked alongside of me. To me, “put it on the list” was a way to deflect that we had to cut down 30+ severely damaged trees and put into a pile, I was grieving the loyalty to the stewardship of creation, my own memories, relationships, my father, a childhood home, the home where I raised my children, and most importantly, the life of trees that were 50-150-year-old that had witnessed life. I hurt and that alone was the list. I wonder what’s on your “put it on the list?” In Psalm 119:33-40, the writer’s key points are; God, teach me lessons for living so I can stay the course. Give me insight Guide me Turn me away from my own selfishness Affirm your promise to me Fast forward to the writings of Matthew in chapter 18 and its as if Peter is asking Jesus the same type of question, “Master – teach me how many times to forgive.” Peter may actually be asking, "Jesus ,teach me how to forgive, give me insight, guide me, and affirm your promise to me." In the past few hours my thoughts have been about my “list.” Crazy as it seems, I’m not sure I’m ready to forgive the #1 item on the entire list – well, it’s 2020. As if, a year in my life, in our lives, has a sinister plot against me or against you. Instead, what I hear is this teachable lesson by Jesus,  "Katie, sit your list down and spend time with me. I am your forgiving God and I want you to hear my message of hope, that I am indeed merciful, I hurt with you, I love you…stay the course for I promise a forever life with me." What’s on your list? Worry, fear, anger, loneliness, exhaustion, or ________. Put it on the list. Then, spend time with God and simply…well, spend time with God. You don’t have to throw the list away; but by the grace of God through Jesus Christ alone, your list of teachable moments will reveal how to love and forgive and how to be loved and forgiven. 2020 is not going down as the worst year. It’s going down as challenging, but it will not defeat you or me, for, by God’s gift of grace through Jesus Christ , you and I have been saved. Put that on our list. Blessings to you all, Pastor Katie