Author: katyandtheword

Pastor Katy has enjoyed ministry at New Covenant since 2010, where the church has solidified its community focus. She now works at Capital CFO plus as the Non Profit Director. All opinions expressed on this blog are her own and do not reflect those of Capital CFO plus. Prior to that she studied both Theology and Christian Formation at Princeton Theological Seminary. She also served as an Assistant Chaplain at Trenton Psychiatric Hospital and as the Christian Educational Coordinator at Bethany Presbyterian at Bloomfield, NJ. She is an writer and is published in Enfleshed, Sermonsuite, Presbyterian's today and Outlook. She writes prayers, liturgy, poems and public theology and is pursuing her doctorate in ministry in Creative Write and Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. She enjoys working within and connecting to the community, is known to laugh a lot during service, and tells as many stories as possible. Pastor Katy loves reading Science Fiction and Fantasy, theater, arts and crafts, music, playing with children and sunshine, and continues to try to be as (w)holistically Christian as possible. "Publisher after publisher turned down A Wrinkle in Time," L'Engle wrote, "because it deals overtly with the problem of evil, and it was too difficult for children, and was it a children's or an adult's book, anyhow?" The next year it won the prestigious John Newbery Medal. Tolkien states in the foreword to The Lord of the Rings that he disliked allegories and that the story was not one.[66] Instead he preferred what he termed "applicability", the freedom of the reader to interpret the work in the light of his or her own life and times.

Psalm 41:1-3

God
We are calling down
Your protection

Because
I see the face
of terrified
College students
of Brown People with
Tattoos

Echoing
Those of
Separated
Families
at the border

I am still haunted
by a picture of
their jewelry
and crosses
piled like
Jewish
loot
during
the Holocaust

And the Fragile
Gaza
peace
has been broken

and so I pray
Protection
For the families

And for the Soldiers
in Yemen
And around the world

As OPSEC is said
but not Enacted

Though truly
My heart
Longs for Peace
I pray for a language
beyond bombs
and threats
and bullying

and even tariffs

Staunch Pacifist that I am

As the budget for food
and Veterans are cuts
but the Military remains
bloats
Military Industrial Complex
Indeed Lord, I cry

And God,
I cry out for all of those
with Cancer
longing for Treatment
whose funding was cut
The researchers
who have been sustained
I know that God
You work to sustain
All those with infirmities
I pray that you will work
To heal all infirmities

Open the ears and hearts
of those who need to
understand
Melt those with
hearts and brains of stone

Melt them
Reverse their Decisions
Transform things so Completely
That we do not even Recognize things

For God you know
When we pray for Health
We are praying for a healthy
World–
Not for just ourselves
But for me, my neighbor, my enemy
to all be transformed into
(almost unrecognizable) signs of mercy
Signs of the Kin(g)dom
And so I pray
For a Forgiveness of Debts
That I cannot comprehend

For Food for all people
In a Dailyness of Bread

For the coming of your Glory
Which of course will be in Mercy

And for
Your Kin(g)dom Come
Your Will Be done
Amen,
Amen.

Feel free to use/adapt/share with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta aka “KatyandtheWord”

Psalm 41:1-3

1 Happy are those who consider the poor;* (marginal/oppressed)
   the Lord delivers them in the day of trouble.
2 The Lord protects(guards them/covenants with them) them and keeps them alive;(like a. shepherd guards a sheep, like a sacred duty, like a hedge of protection)
   they are called happy in the land. (It will be a gifting, a granting)
   You do not give them up to the will of their enemies.
3 The Lord sustains them on their sickbed; (a sustain, supporting, comforting, stability and continuity))
   in their illness you heal all their infirmities.* (Healed and transformed, reversed, turn over a new leaf) The grace and mercy of God will be through compassion.

Psalm 119, God’s Justice is Grace

God
I think of the blessings
Integral
Individuals
of Integrity 
Hearts
without Splintering
Uapologitically
Following God
of Empathy
and Love

The Walking
Working
Stay Awake
Disciples

Always
Looking
of the Prodigal
–Which means
the lost, marginal
not yet accounted for
Among us. One
Might say
Those
Who need to be
still included in
the covenant

The ones
God is calling
To their
imago
DEI*

Your Precepts
Are Alive
In them

Even when
So-called Princes
Techno-crats
Billinonaires 
“The Powerful”
Plot

My soul clings
To the Word of God
Which feeds me

Even when I confess to
Fading Away With
Being Broken By
The Sorrow of the World
I remember 
Your Word
God

Which Established
All
And

(Thank God
Almighty)

Existed
Before humanity

And our fights
Over politics
Governances
And even the concept of money

Then I meditate
On
The
Wondrous
Pieces Of
God

Teach me your ways God
Deep than
Human definitions
Divine
Love
Liberation
Tzadik**

If comforts me, Jesus
Especially when I am hot
with indignation from evil
–which is often these days
Because there is a lot
of stupid evil in the world

But you are my
Sweet inheritance
Please hurry
To put your Sweet
Holy Spirit Honey
tasting Good News
in My mouth

Tasting
the Path
Of the Precepts
That I eternally
Follow
I Pray


Piecing my
way
To a
Promised
Peace
That
Proclaims
Amen
From
Sunday
to Sunday

Amen
Amen

*DEI can also stand for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

*justice, equity, loving-kindness: covenantal care for others especially the marginal 

Feel free to use/share/adapt with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta “KatyandtheWord”

Peace and Sanctuary: Psalm 122

I admit
I was relieved
When someone said
Let’s go
to a sanctuary
Come
Let us God
And Seek God

For I need to rest
my weary
soles
soul
something
somewhere

And my house
is way too messy

And before I knew it
My soles
soul
were standing at your gates

And we were knocking on heavens door
And I realized

that God’s Kin-dom
is unlike any other

Binding together people
who I had never seen
or known

And my heart leapt
To my throat
and I wanted
to scream
cry
and lay down
and rest
and never get up again
For here is a place
where everyone
would come up
and be welcomed

There are no locks
in heaven

and as I put my hand
On your door
my soles
felt the ground
itself
welcome me
And gratitude
Spilled from my lips
Unbeckoned

And Judgement Came
And it sounded like this
“Peace will radiate from you,
It will be part and parcel
of your homes, your walls,
your cities

It is promised
Even in our messy
houses
cities
churches
governances
countries
and streets

And that peace
will hum from our throats
And we will sing
greet
and radiate to one another
“Peace be within you”

And so
We will go
And seek
Good and Sanctuary

For the sake
of this
needed
Sanctuary
That my soul
and the itchy
Soles of my feet
ache for
I will
keep seeking it

And catch moments
of respite, whenever I can


Because God knows
We need it.

Image

Iconic Black Lives Matter DC Mural Is ...

Tears roll down the face of Starlette Thomas, of Bowie, Md., as she holds a chunk of pavement from the Black Lives Matter mural, Monday, March 10, 2025, as the mural begins to be demolished in Washington. “I needed to be here to bear witness,” says Thomas, who was present at the 2020 George Floyd protests. “For me the Black Lives Matter sign etched in stone was a declaration of somebodyness and to watch it be undone in this way was very hurtful. To walk away with a piece of that, it means it’s not gone. It’s more than brick and mortar.” (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Image

Ash Weds: Life is Messy

Because
We are Here
In
This World
Right Now

Even
Maybe Especially when
It feels like
Everything is on fire

Deep breath in
Deep breath out

I am here
I am present

My body is worth
being present for

God wants me
to be present

So God bless this Mess
Ashes I began
Ashes I’ll return

Life is messy
Dirty
Full of ashes
fire
renewals

Grappling with Mortality
Tis hard

Grappling with reality
is Hard

But
it’s ok
to be
fully human
to cry

To sit
in the dirt
sometimes
and wonder
will anything grow?

God sits
with us too


Rub a little dirt in it
maybe
the reality
the visceral mundanity
of life

We are
only
blessedly
beautiful
Ashes
and to
Ashes
We will Return

Life is Messy
Amen

Feel free to share/adapt/use with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta “KatyandtheWord”

Transfiguration

When faced
with Divinity
We find
your Equity
it has
ranges
upon ranges
like mountains
covering all
heights
and elevations-
and yet somehow
accessible to all

Confession:
Your Justice
contains
so much Mercy
It cuts
into me
with a Deepness
that I
cannot
comprehend it

There is no word
For your
Kind of Love
It Overshadows
all else

Sometimes I feel like
I need protection
From
the holiness
That I will
be blotted out
in your Presence

Glory
Spills out
and Touches me

And
I am
in Awe

And Realize
all
the Systems
of Injustice
and Hopelessness
that surround me

And I know
In that
Deepness
of My
Very Self
That I cannot Touch you

Without being
Tranformed
Transfigured

Changed

(And God do you know
how much we humans
Love change?
Not much)

But then..
You come
and protect
me
From your own Glory

And Divinity
With ..

Your very Self
Offering Divine

Shadow

Protection

Shade

A moment to collect
and Be
My
Self

And whilst
You Shadow
me
From You

I can see
God’s Loving-Kindness-Mercy-CovenantalParentalLoveFromtheWomb
And
the Whisper Comes
All Will Be Well
Listen
AllWillBeWell

Based on Psalm 36 and Luke 9

Feel free to use/adapt/share with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta “KatyandtheWord”

image

Haloed Jesus in a white outfit surrounded by Haloed two figures in Red robes, with three kneeling disciples. All Figures are brown skinned, the painting rendered is older and somewhat chipped. It is credited to Solomon Raj in India and can be found here https://globalworship.tumblr.com/post/110604805435/transfiguration-global-art

Narrative Lectionary Lent, Year 3, Easter, Resurrection Sunday

April 20 
Resurrection
Luke 24:1-12
Psalm 118:17, 21-24

Call to Worship:
This day is marvelous 
Because it is the Lord’s doing
What day is that?
Today, is the the day that the marginal stone, that the builder’s rejected became chief cornerstone for equity
This is the day, this must be the day that the Lord has made
Let us rejoice and be glad in it

Call to Worship
We must recount the deeds of the Lord
We give thanks to God who has become Salvation 
Salvation and Liberation, for are they not the same thing?
God is marvelous in our eyes
This is the day that the Lord has made
Let us rejoice and be Glad in it.

Prayer of Confession: God we confess that your resurrection is too hard to believe. We confess that some days it is hard to talk about the good news, that sometimes the message seems to get lost. Help us to live in such love and relationship that we can understand the Good News we pray.

Prayer of Confession: Jesus, we confess that we are perplexed. Your love is too deep for us to understand. Teach us to be an Easter people we pray. Amen. 

Assurance of Pardon: Here the Good News, Jesus loved us, came for us, died for us and is the Resurrected living Christ, thus we know in our Hearts the Good News of Easter: In Jesus Christ, we are Forgiven. Alleluia. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon: Hear the Good News, all sins have already been washed away, we have the promise of the resurrection and so we can sing the Good News to one another. In Jesus Christ we are forgiven, Alleluia, Amen. 

Prayer of the Day/Dedicaiton: God, we are an Easter People, and we get to celebrate it every Sunday. May we go into the world with the promise of Resurrection in our hearts we pray. Amen. 

Children’s Story: Summarize Velveteen Rabbit. (Being made more real/human by God’s Love)

Narrative Lectionary, Luke, Year 3, Lent 6

April 13
Lent 6
Passion/Palm Sunday
Luke 19:29-44
Psalm 118:19-23
Triumph Entry, Jesus Weeps
Lost Peace? God weeps with you

Call to Worship
Let God open the gates of Equity
Whenever God opens them, I give thanks
When God opens the gates Justice will enter
I thank God who answers prayers—and becomes Liberation
The stone that the builders reject will become the chief cornerstone, it is God’s doing
God’s steadfast love endures forever, Praise God!

Call to Worship
When God opens the Gates, we shall know
Equity, Justice and Liberation will flow in the form of Lovingkindness
All that seemed marginal and rejected before, will become marginal
In God’s world, everything will be upside down, and peace will finally be prioritized
We love God who is all about love, salvation and redemption.
How can you no praise that kind of God? Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Prayer of Confession: God, we confess that we get tangled up in our words, thinking that this story is all about judgement instead of empathy. We confess that too often we are looking for the bad guys, instead of the purveyors of peace. Forgive us, teach us how to plant, sow and understand peace we pray. Amen.

Prayer of Confession: Jesus, we confess that sometimes we want to weep without stopping. We feel stuck in the Good Friday moment, and we do not feel like a resurrection people at all. Sit with us when we cry, and teach us how to get up, walk and take the next steps we pray. Amen. 

Assurance of Pardon: Hear the Good News: Nothing can separate us from the love of Jesus Christ, nothing in the present, past or future. No angels, demons, laws, rules, governments, powers, principalities, churches or anything else. So hear and know in your hearts the Good, Good News. In Jesus Christ we are forgiven. Amen.

Prayer of the Day/Dedication: God send us into the world, remembering that Jesus became fully human to walk and be with us. May we try to be fully present in love with one another too. Amen.

Children: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Viorst (bad things don’t take away from the good things, but good things don’t take away from the bad things in life) https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/alexander-and-the-terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad-day_judith-viorst/253652/?resultid=b18ddc0d-6f7a-42ac-81a1-e6f4798e79ad#edition=2284278&idiq=4130587

Paperback Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day Book

Narrative Lectionary, Year 3, Luke Lent 5

April 6
Lent 5
Zacchaeus 
Luke 18:31-191:10
Psalm 84:1-4, 10-12
Lost Sight of Things? God calls You

Call to Worship
How our souls long for God
My heart and flesh sing for the joy to the living God
Even the Sparrow (Freest of Birds) finds a home, and the Swallow (Smallest of Birds) a nest for herself.
Happy are those who live in your House, Singing your Praises God.
A day in God’s house is better
A day in your courts, are better than a thousand elsewhere
Come let us keep the door for God
Come let us listen for God, our sun and our shield, today.

Call to Worship
We long for you God
We want to feel your presence
Even when we can’t see you
God you see us and call us
Be with us
God, be with us today

Prayer of Confession: God I confess that it is hard to see Jesus. We look and cry out, and sometimes Jesus is not there. Teach us to be open to Jesus so that when he invites himself over to dinner, we may be able to open our doors to him we pray. Amen

Assurance of Pardon: Hear the Good News, Jesus is looking for us, and loving us into being. Thus we know the truth: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.

Prayer of Confession: Jesus, we confess that we hate not knowing and feeling lost. We feel like we need to know the way. Allow us trust that it is ok to feel blind, and help us when we stumble and fall we pray. Amen. 

Assurance of Pardon: Hear the Good News, Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and will never lead us astray, so we know the truth. In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.

Prayer of the Day/Dedication: God teach us to be ok with following Jesus, even when we feel lost along the way. Teach us to trust and follow we pray. Amen. 

Children’s Book: Red by Michael Hall https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/red-a-crayons-story/9128924/all-editions/?resultid=8c659c58-dc2a-4647-8ab4-e5ea74a40596 Knowing how to see yourself (how God sees you) even when other’s don’t

Red: A Crayon's Story 0062252070 Book Cover

Prophecy?

Jesus Christ
Are you Here
Are you the One

John, the actual Baptist
who recognized
Jesus in womb asks

Because, in case you didn’t
notice Jesus

Things aren’t going so well
The world is on fire
And public funding
is being cut off
from the fire stations
And nobody has time
to volunteer anyway

And some people think
its because no one is praying enough

And yet
I see all the
art
songs
and
memes
And can’t help thinking
Don’t they count as prayers
God

And Jesus answers
I’m too busy
Healing
and Feeding
People

To come
to your
Prison
And answer

But
John
I will tell you one
Thing

You are right

No one on my side
Has the time
To be getting rich
And
sitting
on the
Sidelines
In Silk

Keep
Prophesying

Loving
And
Making art
And I’ll
Do
The Same

And we
will call that

Prayer?
Deal

Amen

Feel free to use/share/adapt with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta aka KatyandtheWord

Narrative Lectionary, Year 3 Luke Week 4

March 30
Lent 4
Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus
Luke 16:19-31
Psalm 41:1-3*
Verse 3: Lord sustains them in their sickbeds could be translated as God sustains them mutually in sickness or health

Lost Life? God reminds you what really matters
There is a theme of mutuality and community
As well as an interesting theme about weeping here: weeping wounds, weeping from sadness, etc.

Call to Worship
Blessed are those who consider the Poor
God protects
For God delivers them trouble
God sustains
God provide mutuality, in sickness or in health
God restores
Blessed be the Divine
From Everlasting to Everlasting, Blessed be God

Call to Worship
God we look to you in mourning
You love us
God of resurrection, You are rich beyond compare
You are the God of Love
You remind us to live in Love
May we greet one another in Love today

Prayer of Confession: God we confess that we are a country that hoards things: goods, power, influence. We are not good at sharing. And you are honest with us, resurrection and life and the Good News are sometimes not enough for us to hear. We confess that we are afraid of losing things. Teach us to live into love, relationships and community and to embrace joy and good whenever we can, so that we do not miss the riches we have we pray. Amen.

Prayer of Confession: Jesus we confess that we worry, we worry sometimes that we are the Rich Man, other times we worry that we are Lazarus with weeping wounds unable to help others. Help us when we are uncertain or scared of the outcomes, to remember that Christ is with us, doing the work of resurrection. 

Assurance of Pardon: Hear the Good News Jesus came for us, loved us, taught us, died for us and is resurrected for us, so we know the truth: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.

Prayer of the Day/Dedication: God your Good News calls us towards a Resurrection that is beyond riches. Teach us to hear and believe your Good News we pray. Amen. 

Children: https://a.co/d/evgvo9h The Golden Goose Laughter and Joy over Money) Or the Selfish Giant The Kingdom of Heaven is sharing not Hoarding https://a.co/d/dJq9XqJ There are a million editions of both of these stories–and they could be told with figures too or cutouts as well

The Golden Goose