Please Share/Adapt with Credit to Katy Stenta and Please contribute to my Doctorate of Ministry with a Donation I have PayPal https://paypal.me/KatyStenta?locale.x=en_US Venmo www.venmo.com/Katy-Stenta or Google Pay to Katyandtheword at gmail
About Me: My Story & My Writing
God Amongst Us
Nov 22 (Extended Advent Option 2)
God’s Promises a New Covenant
Jeremiah 36:1-8, 21-23, 27-28 then 31:31-34
Luke 22:19-20 Opt. Psalm 89:31-37
Call to Worship (Psalm 89:1-8)
Let the heavens praise your wonder, O Lord
Who among the skies can be compared to the Lord?
O God of hosts, who is as generous as you?
Your faithfulness surrounds you
Your love is like a feast
Come let us praise God, who drips in grace
(Psalm 89: 14-18) Prayer of the Day/Dedication: Lord God, happy are those who know you, let us walk with you and exult your name all day long. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne. Steadfast love and faithfulness go before you. Let us go into the world and use all of our gifts to extol your righteousness in the light of you countenance today, we pray. Amen.
(Joel 2:13) Call to Confession: Return to the Lord, your God, for God gracious and merciful—slow to anger and abundant in steadfast love.
Prayer of Confession: Lord God, we confess that sometimes we cannot look at all of the disasters and needs of the world. We confess we long for comfort—and that sometimes we compare God to governments or the wealthy. Teach us to have the ears to hear what it is we need to do, and the eyes to see that you have gifted us with enough to do it. Help us to be thankful and share all we have. You are here, God, sharing your very self with us. Teach us, love us and forgive us we pray.
(Psalm 89: 20-22) Assurance of Pardon: Hear the good news: we belong to God, we have been baptized and anointed, God promises that God’s very hand hand shall always remain with us. Know the truth, that God is among us: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
(Luke 22:19-20) Communion Prayer: Lord God, you have poured out your very self to us. First when you made space in your womb to birth the world. Then when you poured Jesus out into the world. Jesus who took bread and broke it and said “this is my body that is given for you, do this in remembrance of me” and in the same way he took the cup and said “this cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” Then you poured your Holy Spirit onto the world, pour that Spirit on whatever elements we have here today, fill them with your love so that we might be nourished for the (Advent) journey we pray. Amen.
Hymn Options: God is My Rock, Just As I Am, God of Peace to the tune of Silent Night
Children: Stone Soup, The Goblin Chair (room for others)
Nov 29th
Daniel’s Hope in God
Luke 23:1-5 Opt Psalm 91:1-6, 11-13
Call to Worship (Psalm 91: 1-13)
You who live in the shadow of the Bounteous God
We say to God “My refuge and my fortress”
The Holy Spirit will fly up, and wrap you in her pinions
Under her wings, we will find refuge
God will command her angels concerning you, to guard you
We are borne of God, and can depend that she is among us
Prayer of the Day/Dedication: Lord who loves us and calls us each by name. We know that we are your beloved. If we listen we can almost hear the angels proceeding us shouting out to the universe “make way for the beloved of God.” But still we fumble: temptations and trials still exist, imposter syndrome lurks, and our imperfections sometimes shout at us louder than the angels. Open our ears to hear your voice, your voice that is here among us, that calls us by name, and remind us we are beloved children of God, we pray.
(Joel 2:13) Call to Confession: Return to the Lord, your God, for God gracious and merciful—slow to anger and abundant in steadfast love.
(Psalm 91) Prayer Confession: Lord God we confess that we need protections. Lions and snakes are everywhere: bullying or sneaking power based upon their might or wealth. It is hard to stand up to the powerful. We also confess that we feel the terror, trust is hard to find, and pestilence lurks in diseases we cannot yet control. We confess that we feel afraid. Send your angels, spread your wings, protect us, deliver us, we pray. Help us to know how to withstand all the trials that come our way, we pray.
Assurance of Pardon: Hear the good news, God says, Those who love me I will deliver; When they call to me I will answer, walking among them, and showing them my salvation. Know the truth: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Communion Prayer: Christ, how huge is your wingspan! You say the kingdom of heaven is like a tree where everyone can have enough to eat, and come home to roost. Your promise comes on the wings of the dove: first flying across the ocean as you created then earth, then your Holy Spirit flew showing dry land to Noah, then to baptize Jesus your son, and finally like a wild goose dispersed among the disciples. Here we can see your promise once again, as we practice communion together. Be present among us in this celebration we pray. Amen.
Hymn Options: Here I am Lord, A Mighty Fortress is My God, Eagles Wings, My Hope is Built on Nothing Less, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Children: Daniel and the Lion’s Den story, Where the Wild Things Are, The Gruffalo
Dec 6 (Regular Advent)
Joel: God’s Promised Spirit
Call to Worship:
Lord, how vast are your thoughts, O God!
I try to count them—they are more than the grains of sand.
Lord, the journey is long.
But I know when I come to the end, I am still with you.
Prayer of the Day/Dedication: Lord, help us to dedicate ourselves to you in such a way that our eyes are opened to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Help us to be Christ to one another, to be the arms and legs of Jesus. Gift us with the prophecies, the dreams and the visions we need to have the energy to go forward into the world we pray. Amen.
(Joel 2:13) Call to Confession: Return to the Lord, your God, for God gracious and merciful—slow to anger and abundant in steadfast love.
(Psalm 139: 1-7) Prayer of Confession: Lord God, I confess that you know me completely. You know when I sit down and when I stand up. You have searched out my path, and are acquainted with all of my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, God, you know it completely. This is why we come to confess to you. For you know the truth, and there is nowhere to flee from your Holy Spirit. When I hide from you God, I confess that I am really hiding from myself. Forgive me Lord, and remind me that nothing I can say or do can separate me from your love I pray.
(Luke 11:13) Assurance of Pardon: Hear the Good News, God is merciful and just, always ready to give grace, how much more will God give the Holy Spirit to those who ask! We have said the word, so it is: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Communion Prayer: Lord God, you have poured out your spirit on all flesh. You have come among us then commandments, then judges, then prophets, and then Jesus: all to tell of your justice and mercy. Then you only son Jesus Christ took bread, and gave thanks and blessed it and broke it, and he did the same with the cup. A reminder that we can always come home to you for supper. A reminder that whenever we want Jesus to be particularly present, we can always invite ourselves to God’s feast. Spill your spirit once again onto these elements once again we pray, so we might taste and see your love and grace together. We pray this in your son’s most Holy Name. Amen.
Hymns: Spirit, Open My Eyes That I May See, This Little Light of Mine, O Come, O Come Emmanual, https://katyandtheword.wordpress.com/2018/11/27/advent-hymn-to-the-tune-of-awayinamanger-based-on-nl/?customize_changeset_uuid=015d328a-26f2-4f92-bba6-4d54f2507b72&customize_autosaved=on God the Weaver to the Tune of Away in a Manger
Children: Runaway Bunny By Margaret Wise Brown or Guess How Much I Love You
Dec 13
Spirit of the Lord Upon Me
Luke 4:16-21 Opt Psalm 143: 4-10 or Psalm 139: 13-18 (this works next week too)
Call to Worship (Psalm 143: 4-10)
Lord God, I think of all of your deeds
I meditate on the works of your hands
I stretch out my hands to you
My soul thirsts for you like parched land
Come to the Lord Our God
God is our hope and refuge
Prayer of the Day/Dedication: Lord when I think about all you have done, when I contemplate who you are, then I long for you. I know whenever I spend time with you, my soul is lifted. I long for your teachings, I hunger for your Holy Spirit. Please come and be among us God, for it is your righteousness that brings me out of trouble. Be with us today, we pray. Amen.
(Joel 2:13) Call to Confession: Return to the Lord, your God, for God gracious and merciful—slow to anger and abundant in steadfast love.
(Psalm 143:1-9) Prayer of Confession: Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my pleas in your faithfulness. I confess that I am flawed, and that I am not perfect. Lord, I feel stuck in the darkness. Please answer me quickly, for my spirit fails. Teach me the way that I should go, I pray, for you lift up my soul. Save me, O Lord, I have fled to you for refuge.
Assurance of Pardon: God’s love is steadfast, God’s mercy is new every morning. Thus take heart: In Jesus Christ you are forgiven.
(Isaiah 61:1-2, 10) Communion Prayer: Lord God, you have come to earth to bind up the broken hearted and to proclaim liberty to the captives. For this reason you come in a feast: you continue to party people into your kingdom. You will clothe us aright, in the garments of salvation. And here we get to have a foretaste of the feast. You have us practice communion with one another, and with you, so that the seeds of righteousness and praise will spring up before all of the nations. Teach us to celebrate communion, through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, here and now we pray. Amen.
Hymns: My Shepherd will Supply My Need, Blessed Assurance, O Come All Ye Faithful
Children: Harold and the Purple Crayon, The Color Kittens
Dec 20
Jesus’s Birth Announce
Psalm 113 Opt Psalm 139: 13-18
(Psalm 113) Call to Worship:
Praise the Lord, O servants of the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord
Blessed be the name of the Lord, from this time on and forevermore
From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised!!
Who is like our God? Who raises the poor from the dust and the needy from the ashes?
God raises the forgotten, they will sit with rulers of nations.
God does not forget the barren or orphaned, God will make a home and a family for them!
Let us praise the Lord!
Prayer of the Day/Dedication: God you are the God of the poor and the forgotten. You stayed with Abraham and Sarah as they lived as immigrants in the desert. You did not forget the Hebrews when they were enslaved in Egypt. You made a family out of Ruth and Naomi, and made them the grandmother’s of Jesus himself. You have remembered you covenant with Abraham, let us rejoice as his descendants, we pray.
(Joel 2:13) Call to Confession: Return to the Lord, your God, for God gracious and merciful—slow to anger and abundant in steadfast love.
(Luke 1:52-54) Prayer of Confession: Lord, we confess that we do not always magnify you. We forget to fill the hungry with good things. We give trust too much the human power structures and get lost in the glow of the rich and powerful. Remind us to serve you and only you. Empower us to speak for the forgotten, like Mary, and help us to rejoice in your power only, we pray.
Assurance of Pardon: God even now stoops down on bended knee to hear us speak, and then hug us like the loving Parent God is. This God with us, forgives us: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven!
Communion Prayer: Lord Jesus, you have promised to fill the hungry with good things. We are hungering for you today. We are awaiting Jesus to be among us. Send your Holy Spirit so that we can taste your covenant. Remind us that you have blessed us to be a blessing. Jesus is here, and Jesus is coming. We celebrate both of these truths with communion. Help us to share this communion in a spirit of welcome and hope we pray. Amen
Hymns:Magnify the Lord (the Tune of O Come All Ye Faithful), It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
Children’s Story: The Velveteen Rabbit, God Gave us Christmas, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, Charlie Brown Christmas
Dec 24
Birth of Jesus
Call to Worship
O Sing to the Lord a new Song
Come we are awaiting the Lord!
Declare God’s glory among the nations!
God’s marvelous works are among all people
Come Christ we are waiting
Prayer of the Day/Dedication: Lord God, we are awaiting for your presence among us. How wonderful is it that we have a God who stoops, taking a bended knee to be a human. Humble in birth, you showed us how to serve God. You came to be with us, and to remind us we are not alone Let us feel your presence we pray, in your most Holy Name. Amen.
(Joel 2:13) Call to Confession: Return to the Lord, your God, for God gracious and merciful—slow to anger and abundant in steadfast love.
Prayer of Confession: God we confess that we need to practice. Every year we need to practice you being among us, otherwise we forget or are distracted. Otherwise we lose sight of the truth: That you are a God with us, for us and among us. Help us to ascribe to you all the glory, we pray. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: God so loved the world he gave his only son, as a wee baby so we might all be saved and forgiven. Know the truth: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Communion Prayer: God, as we honor the arrival of your son, Jesus Christ, let us remember that Jesus came down to the world not to condemn it but to save it. Let us remember that God sent his only son, to love and teach us, to eat with us and heal us, to walk with us and to guide us. And as we practice communion, let us remember that Jesus washed his disciples feet, feasted with them, and then served them the bread and cup, saying take and eat every time you do this, you celebrate me until my return. Holy Spirit, help us to celebrate and remember Christ today we pray. Amen.
Hymns: O Little Town of Bethlehem, Silent Night, Aways in a Manger, Angels We Have Heard on High, Hark the Herald Angels Sing
Children Stories: Christmas in a Barn, Room for a Little One, The Story of Christmas, Christmas in the Manger (The Friendly Beasts Song)
Dec 25
Shepherds’ Visit
Call to Worship
Glory to God in the highest
And on Earth Peace Among all those whom God favors
For unto us a son is given!
And his name is wonderful counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Glory to God, in the highest.
Prayer of the Day/Dedication: Lord, let us dedicate ourselves, once again to you. Help us to adopt one another as siblings of Christ, knowing that Jesus came to extol God’s love to us. Let us celebrate the beauty and miracle of Christmas. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.
(Joel 2:13) Call to Confession: Return to the Lord, your God, for God gracious and merciful—slow to anger and abundant in steadfast love.
Confession: Lord we confess that sometimes the celebration becomes rote. Sometimes we forget to stop and ponder. Sometimes Christmas seems like a huge to do list, instead of a time to spend with you. And here you are, here among us, let take that time to wonder at this truth we pray. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: God so loved the world, he translated himself into human form to love us and forgive us. Here the good news: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Communion Prayer: Jesus, you are here. In the manger and the elements, and the Holy Spirit. We confess we do not know how to fully imbibe your presence. So we pray that we can practice taking you in as we experience communion: we pray that it binds us together, that the taste on our tongue tastes like grace, and we pray that you send your Holy Spirit to bless us as we do. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.
Hymns: O Little Town of Bethlehem, Silent Night, Aways in a Manger, Angels We Have Heard on High, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, What Child is This
Children Stories: Christmas in a Barn, Room for a Little One, The Story of Christmas, Christmas in the Manger (The Friendly Beasts Song)
Please Share/Adapt with Credit to Katy Stenta and Please contribute to my Doctorate of Ministry with a Donation I have PayPal https://paypal.me/KatyStenta?locale.x=en_US Venmo www.venmo.com/Katy-Stenta or Google Pay to Katyandtheword at gmail.
I plan to raise $2,000 to offset tuition
katyandtheword 
Hi Katy, your link to your “Silent Night” hymn words doesn’t work. Can you help me out?
I’m sorry to hear that, I will try to track down where the hymn is broken. Here is another link. I hope it works! https://katyandtheword.com/2017/12/05/advent-hymn-tune-of-silentnight-god-of-peace/
Also I’ve added a tab specifically for Advent Hymns, thank you for the idea. https://katyandtheword.com/2020/11/11/advent-hymns-to-christmas-carol-tunes/ –Katy