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.

Seeds Liturgy Crucifixion: Matthew #GoodFriday Fully Abundantly Human

Good Friday

Matthew 27:27-61

Psalm 22:1-2, 14-18

Tenebrae Order of Worship I (Extinguish Candles after singing)

Were You there when they crucified the Lord or Taize: Stay with Me

Crown of Thorns: Matthew 27:27-31

This is Jesus, King of the Jews Matthew 27:32-37

Crucifixion Matthew 27:38-44

Were You There when they nailed him to a tree

Communion

My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? Matthew 27:45-51

Were You There when they left him there to die or Taize O Lord Hear My Prayer

Earthquake Matthew 27:52-54

Nail Sins to the Cross

Tomb Matthew 27-55:61

Were You there when they laid him in the Tomb or Taize Kyrie Eleison

Tenebrae Order of Worship II (Extinguish during Silent Meditations or Hymns)

Matthew 27:27-29

Silent Meditation

Psalm 22:1-2

Silent Meditation

Matthew 27: 41-44

Silent Meditation

Psalm 22: 16-17

Silent Meditation

Matthew 27: 45-47

Silent Meditation

Communion

Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence (abruptly end with “cry” before the Alleluias)

Nail Sins to the Cross

Psalm 22:14-15

Silent Meditation

III. Full Liturgy available here

Communion

Jesus our teacher, our brother, our friend knowing he was going to be betrayed and die, he took the bread and broke it and said, this is my body broken for you

Then Jesus took the cup and said: “I am poured out like water, and my bones are out of joint”

And even though Jesus knew that he would feel alone, he knew he would call out “My God, my God, Elohim, Elohim why have you forsaken me?” He poured himself out, sacrificing his very self for our sins. Every time we remember Jesus’ death we do so as a proclamation of deliverance for generation upon generation.

Send your Holy Spirit, here, God, salve our wounds and help us, even today to taste your kingdom today. We pray this using the prayer your son taught us….

Further Hymn Ideas: Let US Break Bread Together v1 &2

Bread of the World in Mercy Broken

All of the suggestions within the Tenebrae

#Abundance of Presence: Seeds of Prayer #Lent Narrative Lectionary

Last Supper: Abundance of Presence

Matthew 26: 17-30 and Psalm 116: 12-15

Call to Worship

I love the Lord my God, who has heard my voice and supplications

Because God has inclined an ear to me, I will call out for God as long as I live.

Gracious is the Lord, and righteous, our God is merciful

Come, let us walk before the Lord.

Call to Worship

Come let us break bread together today

Come Let us drink the fruit of the vine together, on our knees.

Let us do this remembrance of Christ

Come, let us proclaim his death until he comes again.

Confession: Lord I confess sometimes I am Judas ready to betray, sometimes I’m Peter quick to deny what I’m going to do, sometimes I’m the disciples oblivious to the truth though I’ve been told over and over again. Forgive me, help my faith, save me Jesus I pray.

Confession: Lord I confess I feel the snares of death, O Lord, I pray, save my life. Help me, your servant, loose my bounds to sin I pray. Free me to love you.

Confession: Lord I confess that I have forgotten that you are present. I have forgotten the miracle of your bread and your cup. Forgive me and breathe life back into me I pray.

Assurance of Pardon: (Psalm 116: 8-9) Know this: Your soul has been delivered from death, and now you walk in the land of the living, In Jesus Christ you are forgiven.

Assurance of Pardon: The Lord has dealt bountifully with you, returning your soul to your rest, so know that you are deeply and fully forgiven in Christ.

Prayer of Dedication/Prayer of the Day: Lord, you poured out your blood for the forgiveness of sins, you have already sealed the new covenant with us. Hold that in our hearts so that we can dedicate all that we do to you.

Full List of Lenten Resources (Of course some prayers may be appropriate for other weeks)

#Seeds: #Prayer Resource for Narrative Lectionary Triumphal Entry or Palm Sunday

Triumphal Entry or Palm Sunday

Matthew 21:1-17 or Psalm 118:25-29

Call to Worship

Blessed be the One who Comes in the Name of the Lord

Lord save us!

Bind up the festal procession with branches, cry Hosanna!

Praise the Lord, Lord Save us, Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord

Call to Worship

This is the day that the Lord has made

Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

This is the day that the Lord has made

Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Call to Worship

How will the Lord Come? Upon a great chariot or a fine stallion?

Jesus rides in the back door, on the back of a mere donkey

Victory we cry!

Are you the one prophets foretold? (Is the question ringing in our ears)

Call to Confession: Who is this that we are confessing to? Who is this Son of David? The one who cleanses the temple?

Confession: Jesus we confess that we are still left with questions. After 2,000 years we still don’t know exactly who you are, or how it is you will save us. And yet, we will cry Hosanna, help us to know you and save us from our sin we pray.

Confession: Our temple is still unclean, we confess, for we are broken and do not know how to make things clean. So we confess our sins to you. Heal us as you healed the blind and the lame we pray.

Confession: Lord, we confess that we have trouble keeping our eyes on you. We cry Hosanna, save us, one minute and then turn you over to be killed the minute your justice offends us. Forgive us, and teach us the path to you, we pray.

Confession: Lord, we confess that when things are going our way, it is easy for us to celebrate one another, but when we are worried or in pain we lash out. We confess that sometimes we are the people of Palm Sunday and sometimes we are the mob by the cross. Forgive us when we lash out, we pray.

Assurance of Forgiveness: Whenever we ask, whenever we confess, wherever where we are, no matter what we’ve done, no matter when it is, we are always, always, through the grace of Jesus Christ, forgiven.

Prayer of Dedication/Prayer of the Day: Lord we often don’t know if we will exist as the Palm Sunday Parade or the Mob at the Cross, give us the help we need to be the body of Christ we pray.

Full List of Lenten Resources (Of course some prayers may be appropriate for other weeks)

Hymns

Hosana, Loud Hosana,

Ride On! Ride On Majesty!

What Wondrous Love is This?

God of Our Life

Amazing Grace

If Thou but Trust in God to Guide Thee

#Seeds of #Prayer: Narrative Lectionary #Lent and #Abundance of #Justice

Last Judgement Abundance of Justice

Matthew 25:31-46 and Psalm 98:7-9 (or all)

Isaiah 61

Call to Worship

Let the sea roar, and all that fills it.

The world and all those who live it.

Let the floods clap their hands, and the hills sing together for joy at the presence of the Lord.

Jesus is coming judge the world with righteousness and peoples with equity, let us Praise God’s Holy Name.

Call to worship

Sing to the Lord a new Song.

God has done fiercely amazing things.

Remember, God thinks on us with steadfast love and faithfulness.

Praise the Lord, for all ends of the earth will see the victory in our God.

Call to Worship

Lord, as we approach you, as we look around the room

Help us to see your face

Lord as we feed the sick, and give relief to the thirsty and clothe the naked

Help us to see your face

Lord as we welcome the strange

Help us to see your face, today and everyday we pray

Call to Confession: The Lord hears us with steadfast love and faithfulness, so we know we can give our confession to God.

Confession: Lord we confess we cannot see your face. We are too busy look at the rich, influential and loud to see how power works. We confess that we forget that your power comes from servanthood. We forget to welcome those who are naked or lonely, we don’t do a good job of feeding and nourishing those who hunger and thirst. We confess that we would rather ignore those who are strange, than embrace them. Teach us to see your face, show us how to find you we pray.

Confession: Lord we confess we need to see your face. Remind us of those we need to see your face in we pray (Silent Confession) …..Open our eyes we pray. Amen.

Confession: Lord, we confess that we would rather be shepherds, we forget that we are are all a part of your flock. Help us to stop sorting and instead share what we have among the rest of the flock we pray. Amen.

Confession: Lord we confess that we think Justice means equality, we obsess with who has what, and why it is they have it. We forget that God’s justice is different: full of love and grace. We do not act like a Matthew 25 people, forgive us, we pray.

Assurance of Pardon: God has done a marvelous thing, showing the victory of Love through Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth. Therefore know the truth, In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.

Assurance of Pardon: Remember: God will judge the world with righteousness and equity, and he sent Jesus Christ to save the world and not to condemn it. Therefore you are forgiven!

Prayer of Dedication/Prayer of the Day: Lord, commit us to one another and to you so that we can be feel, taste and be the body of Christ!

Prayer of Dedication/Prayer of the Day: Remind us that your gift to us is each other. We are here to be in relationship with each other. Let us use our gifts to help one another, we pray.

Hymns

Joy to the world

God of the Sparrow

Lord make us partners in Christ’s Service

Full List of Lent Abundance Resources some prayers may work for more than one text this season

Wedding Banquet Thoughts/Notes

I’m basically thinking about how/why we I’m basically thinking about how/why we have customs to attend weddings in this day and age of how to show graciousness and love and blessings to the couple and how much more we can do that for God

Traditionally you don’t wear white so you don’t show up the bride, or black because that is super rude and I wonder if people wore their “look at me” clothes instead of their “Look at God” clothes

same thing with the invite everyone who was too busy being imp to show up or to celebrate or participate (think of it’s your family member/best friends getting married you wouldn’t miss it)–see below via Rev. Tuhina Verma Rasche

Liturgy resource: https://katyandtheword.wordpress.com/2019/02/26/abundance-of-invitation-seeds-lent-liturgy-prayer-resource-march-24/

Or From the Mom Perspective!

Kingdom of heaven is a like meal God made in celebration and wants us all to eat together but some of us are too busy and imp to come and some of us come to show off/celebrate ourselves instead if God/the wedding and this is after God cooked in the kitchen all day and invited us fifty billion times. It gives me all the mom feels

Also if Jesus is setting the table for the Last Supper, I think he did a pretty good job. Everyone did come right?

#Blessings Unlimited

#Lord Jesus God. We make mistakes. We think blessings go to the best and the brightest. We think blessings are prizes, instead of understanding that blessings are salve for the wounded, solace for the lonely, strength for the suffering, rest for the weary. We think blessings are shiny, sparkly things to rub in other people’s faces, instead of seeing them as the wonder of the child looking at a cloud, the sweet love from the overlooked little old lady, the strength of a survivor sitting with someone else in the same pain and trauma. Lord we do not understand blessings, so we don’t think there’s enough, but that is our humanity showing. Help us to discern when blessings peak through. Forgive us when we forget to share our blessings, and love us so we can do better we pray.

Amen

#Lent Seeds of #Prayer: #Liturgy Resource Abundance of Justice April 7th

Last Judgement: Abundance of Justice

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Sacred Quilt Exhibit:“Let Justice Roll Down Like Water” Kit Tossmann; Louisville, KY

Matthew 25:31-46

Psalm 98:7-9

Amos 5: 21-24

Call to the Worship:

Make a joyful to the Lord, all the earth.

Break forth into joyous son and sing praises.

Sing with the lyre and the sound of the melody

Let us make a joyful noise before the Kind, the Lord.

Call to Worship: Can you hear the good news? It’s contained within the roar of the ocean, its contained within the songs of the hills, it fills the earth and and those who live in it.

Now is the time to share the good news of Jesus Christ, passing it out as bread for the hungry, now is the time to show the love of God sharing it as free medicine for the sick. Now is the time to show the warmth of the Holy Spirit, wrapping the naked up with sturdy clothing. Now is the time to be the people of Matthew 25.

Prayer of Confession: Lord, how can we not feed the hungry, or visit the sick or clothe the naked. And yet, there are those who go without, and we fail to help them. Lord Jesus, help us to examine why we fail to live up to your standards of caring for each other and you. Help us to confess where the gaps are, and then help us to build the bridge of kindom care that is needed, we pray.

Prayer of Confession: God almighty, we do not treat our neighbors as we wish to be treat. Instead we differentiate between us and them, we look for reasons behind these differences, and we conclude that the others must be lacking. Forgive us, we pray, correct our mouths and our arms and our legs so that what we do and say represents your love. We pray this in your son’s most holy name.

Prayer of Confession: Lord we forget that every time we help someone, it is as if the waves clap their hands in praise of you. We ignore those in need, forgetting to make a joyful noise, forgetting to tell the good news of your open table, setting a feast before all those in need. Teach us to see your face, in whomever we encounter, we pray.

Assurance of Pardon: God has made known, already, God’s victory of salvation, with steadfast love and faithfulness, so know you are forgiven and be at peace.

Hymns:

Joy to the world

They Will Know We are Christians By Our Love

The Lord’s Prayer Hymn

Live Into Hope

Full List of Lenten Resources (Of course some prayers may be appropriate for other weeks)

#Seeds: #Prayer and #Liturgy #Lent Abundance of Preparation March 31

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Matthew 25:1-13 and/or Matt 25:14-30, and Psalm 43:3-4

Suggested Resource: Nicene Creed

Call to Worship

Lord, you teach us how to prepare,

Every valley shall be exalted

You remind us to gather the supplies we need light the fires & to risk and spend money for the kingdom

And every mountain and hill made low

You remind us to clothe the naked and care for the sick

And the crooked shall be made straight

You remind us to feed the hungry and give the thirst something to drink.

And the rough places plain,

Help us to make a preparation for you today we pray.

Call to Worship

Lord you tell us to prepare for you

Help us to plant the seeds, to do the work

We would rather be safe, but you teach us to trust and grow

Let us praise the Creator, the Gardener, the Tender of all Good today.

Call to Worship:

God you are my help and my hope.

Light us with your light.

Your truth shines on.

I shall again praise my creator today.

Confession: God, are wicks are not lit, we have no spare oil, sometimes we are not able to do the tasks you set before us. Send the Holy Spirit to us, so our fire will not go out we pray.

Confession: Lord, we confess we suck at waiting, its hard work, and it speaks to a maturity that we don’t often have. Teach us how to wait, lord give us patience, we pray.

Confession: Gardening God, sometimes we are afraid to invest, so we don’t plant the seeds that need to be planted. God of Growth Sometimes we don’t want risk, so we bury money instead of planting seeds; we don’t give the time, money or effort needed. Generous God, sometimes we just throw the extra your way, forgetting to make a real commitment Help to do the work and to make the right commitments in the right way we pray. (Silent Prayer)…Amen

Prayer of Dedication/Prayer of the Day: Lord, we are asking for your light and truth today. Send it out, we pray. Let it lead us to your holy hill, bring us to your dwelling place, loving God.

Prayer of Dedication/Prayer of the Day: God of God, Light of Light, Very God from Very God, encourage use to seek your light and truth, and help us to prepare for you we pray. Amen

Prayer of Dedication: God of God, Light of Light, Very God from Very God, help us to prepare for you by investing in your work, and help whatever seeds we plant, whatever money we invest, whatever faith we practice, to grow and flourish we pray in your most Holy Name. Amen.

Full List of Lent Abundance Resources some prayers may work for more than one text this season

Hymns

We Give Thee But Thine Own

Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord, almost any version/hymn 😉

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuUl522_8jQ

#Abundance of Invitation Seeds: #Lent #Liturgy & #Prayer Resource March 24

Scripture

Matthew 22:1-14 and Psalm 45:6-7 (or all of it, or Psalm 45:6-17)

Also Isaiah 61, particularly v. 10

Call to Worship:

Know this, God has anointed you, baptized you in the Holy Spirit.

We are called to love righteousness, and hate wickedness with God.

Let us cause God’s name to be celebrated for generations

Let the peoples praise God, our mother and father, forever and ever.

Call to Worship

God, you call us, the good and the bad forever

Clothe us in your love, so we might be worthy of your banquet

Let us remember to invite one another to partake in the feast

Come, let us accept our invitation to spend time with God together.

Call to Worship:

The Lord says: I love justice

My whole being shall exult my God,

God promised to make a covenant with us, and the covenant will be fulfilled.

God has clothed me, like a mother clothes her children, in the garments of salvation, protecting us from the elements, dressing us in love.

Remember that what is sown in the garden will spring up. The promise of resurrection comes with the winter of Lent.

God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations, come let us plant the seeds of praise today.

Confession: Lord, we confess that sometimes we come into your presence, thinking we are dressed in love, but then realize that we are wearing judgement or shame instead. It is so easy to forget the worst of ourselves or other. It is so easy to disclude people from your invitation. We can feel unworthy, or be convinced of others’ unworthiness. Forgive our prejudice, and teach us to extend the invitation again and again, we pray.

Confession: Lord, sometimes I love wickedness. Sometimes I like to gossip about or ignore those who are need . Sometimes I spend all my day complaining and forget to practice gratitude for the invitations you put forth. Forgive me, and teach me to pray and confess in such a way that my words are a love song, and my tongue becomes like the pen of a writer. Teach me I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen

Confession: Lord, we confess here together, because we are each and every one of us invited to your party. Though we are each uniquely made, and though our circumstances are different, you call us each here to experience your love, hope and grace. We are invited here to confess our true selves, and to honor one another’s stories, help us when we forget to do justice in either the confession or the honoring, we pray.

Prayer of Dedication/of the Day: Lord we enter back into the world where people look and sound different from us. We enter a world where we are afraid to invite people, for whatever reason, to join us in your banquet. Encourage us to go into the world and to make that invitation we pray.

Prayer of Dedication/of the Day: Let us begin again to prepare for the feast together, with invitations and appropriate garments, with words of prayer and praise, we pray.

Prayer of Dedication/of the Day: Lord, remind me that I am here for you. You are the host of the feast, and you have anointed me as a beloved child of God. Please don’t let me forget that today or any day, I pray.

Hymns: I’ve Got Peace Like a River

God be the Glory

Christ is made the sure Foundation

Crown him with Many Crowns

Praise My Soul the King of Heaven

He is King of Kings

(Look in your Christ the King/Ascension hymns)

Food for Thought:

Those who think they should be invited to God will take that gift for granted.

2. We think we need to clothe ourselves in the appropriate garments, but really we have to depend on God for the right clothing.

3. Justice is God’s and is not in being productive (or too busy or too important) for God.

4. Human’s often think looking right is more important than acting right, how might that play in here?

More Thoughts https://wp.me/p2rhxZ-2iI

Full List of Lenten Resources (Of course some prayers may be appropriate for other weeks)

Seeds of #Prayer #Lent #Liturgy #Prayer Resource for #NarrativeLectionary #Abundance

Abundance

An extra Abundance Prayer

Ash Weds Mar 6 Who is the Greatest? Abundance of Blessings

Sun Mar 9 Forgiveness Abundance of Forgiveness

Sun Mar 17 Laborers in the Vineyard Abundance of Grace

Sun Mar 24 Wedding Banquet Abundance of Invitation

Sun Mar 31 Bridesmaids (or Talents) Abundance of Preparation

April 7 Last Judgement Abundance of Justice

Note: for Palm Sunday you may wish to swap out or combine depending on your holy week schedule

April 14 Triumphal Entry Abundance of Celebration

April 18 Words of Institution (Last Supper) Abundance of Presence

April 19 Good Friday/Tenebrae options Crucifixion: Matthew Fully, Abundantly, Human

April 19 Full Liturgy: Tenbebrae & nailing sins to cross

April 21 Easter: Matthew Abundance of Discipleship

April 28: The Great Commission Go! by Rev. Dr. Barb Hedges-Goettl

An extra Abundance Prayer