Category: Christmas

Extended Advent, Magnificat Sunday

For use anytime in Advent

Magnificat Rewritten
Advent Unleashed: Magnificat Prayer
All I want, Magnificat Prayer
Waiting for Magnificat Prayer
Magnify the work of Jesus Prayer
Empty Advent Prayer (and Filling up)

Magnificat Worship
Another Magnificat Worship

O Come, O Come Emmanuel: Magnificat Version

Psalm 146
Luke 1:46-55

Call to Worship
God we are leaning in to hear the good news from Gabriel
We confess we long to be filled with Good News
We want to both ponder with Mary, and shout with her!
Let us prepare to Magnify the Lord together

Magnificat Candle:
God we want the systems of oppression to cease
We long for peace on earth and goodwill for all
We are ready to magnify you
Help us to magnify your Good News God.

Invitation for Confession: Nothing is too big for God, come let us lay our worries and concerns at the feet of God today.


Prayer of Confession: God we confess that Mary’s message is a little strong for us. The idea that you will completely restructure the world sounds like a little much. However, we love the promise of justice and hope. We can hold on tight to a world filled with good things. Teach us how to work towards this world of the world of the Magnificat without being too overwhelmed, tired or scared we pray Amen.

Assurance of Pardon: God promises that Jesus forgives us as soon as we give him our burden, thus we can proclaim the good news In Jesus Christ we are forgiven. Amen.

Prayer of the Day/Dedication: God help us to continue to commit to you, your justice and your Kin(g)dom as we enter into this season of Advent, prepare our hearts for you and your work we pray. Amen.

If you appreciate my work please Donate! I am between jobs right now and would truly appreciate any donation from $5-$20 GoFundMe

Also check out my Candle Liturgy Workshop

Want some help Getting ready for Advent?

Write an Advent Wreath Liturgy in a small personalized environment

Limit 10 people per workshop

This Zoom Workshop is designed for all levels and experiences for people to engage in prayer writing–using the scripture as your guide. This will be an instructional, small group (limit 10) and experiential workshop.

Mon Nov 27th 6-8pm (Eastern) $50 Per Person Tues Dec 5th 12:30-2:30pm

(As Advent will have already started, Katy will have an Advent Candle Liturgy for use, she will send you)

Led by Katy Stenta, Pastor, Writer and Educator

For more information to sign up, email Katyandtheword at gmail.com. Titled “Liturgy”

Katy Stenta is a regular contributor to Sermonsuite, (formerly) RevGalBlogPals, and is published in Enfleshed, Presbyterian’s Today and Outlook. She received her undergraduate in English and History and Minor on Philosophy at Oberlin, her M. Div. and MA in Christian Formation at Princeton Theological Seminary. She is currently pursuing her D. Min. in Creative Writing as a Public Theologian at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. She also writes personal prayers regularly at katyandtheword.com.

(Min. 3 People to run)

Extended Advent

RCL
Matthew 25:31-46
Psalm 95:1-7a
Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24
Ephesians 1:15-23

Preparing for One another, Prophecy of God’s Coming

Call to Worship (Based on Ezekiel 34:11-6)
God promises to seek us out, and gather us together
Even as we seek Jesus, Jesus seeks us
We are preparing for Christ, Christ is preparing for us
Come let us seek the face of God together

Call to Confession: God is even now preparing the table for our feast. Let us lay down our yokes, bags and heavy burdens, so that we might be better able to recognize Christ’s presences among us.

Prayer of Confession: God we confess that we are so anxious to see you that sometimes we are unable to see the needs in front of us. We forget that you are the Good Shepherd who longs to care and feed all of your sheep. We forget that your mother Mary proclaimed your birth with cries of justice and the hope of filling the earth with good things to eat. Teach us to celebrate your arrival with generosity and thanksgiving as an ongoing practicum throughout our lives we pray. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon: We are the people of God’s pasture and the sheep of God’s hand–today we have heard God’s voice and are forgiven, let us proclaim the good news to one another: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven. Amen.

Prayer of the Day/Collect: Let us come into God’s presence with Thanksgiving, ready to see the face of Jesus in the least of these, the hungry, the poor, the impisoned, the immigrant and the thirsty. And then God, help us, empower us and energize us to be your arms and hands, and to go into the world to help all those in need we pray. Remind us that we are doing this in your name, and that every time we demonstrate belatedness, we see the face of Jesus, in your name we pray. Amen.

Candle of Thanksgiving/Preparation:

We light this candle in anticipation
We gather this candle for all the people are going to be fed this week
we light this candle in thanksgiving for good things to eat, clothing, and water
We light this candle in anticipation of the day everyone gets what they need and the world will be at peace
God we are awaiting you
Jesus help us to prepare the way




Advent Candle Liturgy Writing Workshop

Want some help Getting ready for Advent?

Write an Advent Wreath Liturgy in a small personalized environment

Limit 10 people per workshop

his Zoom Workshop is designed for all levels and experiences for people to engage in prayer writing–using the scripture as your guide. This will be an instructional, small group (limit 10) and experiential workshop.

Mon Nov 27th 6-8pm (Eastern) $50 Per Person Tues Dec 5th 12:30-2:30pm

(As Advent will have already started, Katy will have an Advent Candle Liturgy for use, she will send you)

Led by Katy Stenta, Pastor, Writer and Educator

For more information to sign up, email Katyandtheword at gmail.com. Titled “Liturgy”

Katy Stenta is a regular contributor to Sermonsuite, (formerly) RevGalBlogPals, and is published in Enfleshed, Presbyterian’s Today and Outlook. She received her undergraduate in English and History and Minor on Philosophy at Oberlin, her M. Div. and MA in Christian Formation at Princeton Theological Seminary. She is currently pursuing her D. Min. in Creative Writing as a Public Theologian at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. She also writes personal prayers regularly at katyandtheword.com.

(Min. 3 People to run)

Prayer for Canceling Christmas (again) Prayer

This is a prayer
For all those
in the middle
Of canceling Christmas

Because everyone is sick
Or the storm is raging-Mr. Freeze Miser or Elsa is Raging
Or the Hell has frozen over, and the weather is downright Disrespectful

This is a prayer, for the pastors
boards and and councils who have to figure out
If they are videoing, scrounging
or just calling the whole thing off
After years of hoping to finally be in the warmth of one another’s company again

We thought it would be Hallelujah chorus again
And we were looking forward to lighting the Christ candle again
And were happily scrapping and squabbling about service on Christmas day
When…it came to this…!

And even though, Pastoral Leadership Promises
That Christ will come anyway (every time)
This year is bitterly Hard
So I will not say these words to you

So I’m going to pray
And validate every curse word
Every Sigh
Every Grunt
Every Frustration
Every Headache
And remind you that Yelling at God is an Option

And the the “wise men” got lost
Joseph had no idea what he was doing
Elizabeth and Zechariah were clueless
The Shepherds were fairly uninvited
and pretty much no one knew what was going on but Mary

Prayers friends…I hope you get some support this Christmas
Some affirmation
And some kind of God moment in the mess
Because, truly is what Christmas is all about,
Amen

Feel free to share/adapt/use these words as they are helpful. Please give credit to Pastor Katy Stenta

Look at my broken cross cookie, seems appropriate

Longest Night Christmas Prayer

Nativity, 2022 (Ukraine) by Irenaeus Yurchuk.

Jesus,
Sweet Baby Jesus
Born in the midst of a collapsing empire
Hidden in plain sight from everything and everyone official


When different factions of the religion
were all claiming to be the “truer” one
Each saying if you don’t worship our way
You don’t belong to God.

You were born when a Messiah
Seemed to be around every corner
Lamps were left on at night and demagogues and dynamic cult leaders
Were followed at whim, because people needed hope

And the gulf between who was poor and who was rich
The distinction between who was citizen and who was not
The taste in one’s mouth when people called one another
Foreigner, Outsider, or Different was sour and full of hate

Violence was everywhere
Children, the Poor, The Elderly, The Lonely, the Sex Worker
were Ignored or Forgotten
Laws were passed against anyone deemed Unclean in any way (oh my Queer siblings!)

Jesus Christ, you were born in a time
When no one was receiving proper healthcare
So people banged down your door
for a bit of healing

And my heart aches
With the familiarity, you could be born today
Is this why you have to be born into today’s world?
Have we forgotten why we need you?

Sometimes I wonder if you haven’t returned
Because we haven’t learned enough?
Heretic thought I know
But I sit in the hate and terror and worry Jesus

Jesus Christ, we need you. A baby
A sneak king full of healing and mischevious teachings of Grace
Jesus we need someone who will sit in the dirt with the marginal
and embody the Peace so much that we will sit in the dirt with you.

Sweet baby Jesus, though I know we picture angels, shepherds, & magi
I think that a baby born in the war-torn dark
might be the truth
Help us to sit with that, in the shortest day and longest night I pray.

Amen.

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

Finding Christmas

Prophets Promised
Angels Appeared

Mary Upended
Joseph Recognized

Elizabeth Visited
Zechariah Hushed

Stars Illuminated
Magi Perceived

Herods Lied
Israel Trembled

Shepherds
Animals Snuggled

Jesus Appeared
God Incarnated


Christmas Accomplished

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

In addition to being read as a poem, this probably could be used as some kind of Pop Up Pageant with silly masks, puppets or the like. I would hand it out and then have the congregation read the verb when the character “appears”

Please Support my Writing, I am Funding some of my Doctorate in Creative Writing as a Public Theologian through donations https://gofund.me/554d36e3 Thank you to all those who have donated, I have successfully completed 2 years thanks to your support.

Full Advent Resources

Tender Christmas

God,
I’m praying
a tender prayer
for Christmas

For all those for whom
they have a tender and surrendered faith
because of all they have gone through.

Because you cannot surrender
until you’ve been through a battle
and so for all those who have felt like
Advent
Christmas
or just Living
has been a battle this year
I want to pray the prayer of thanksgiving

that you are still here
you are beloved
and God is with you–

And I hope you have found yourself in the Christmas story
whether it is in
Mary, not so meek,
Joseph conflicted but quietly obedient
Magi, shepherd, even if it is the donkey, the innkeeper or the star

I hope and pray that you find a corner to belong in
Because this is your story too

But if you do not, know, that’s ok
Maybe the space for you is in the silence
or the darkness of the night
or the wavering light of the candle

God I hope you know that
God is here
God is with you
God loves you
no matter what

And that is what makes Christmas
Especially when you feel tender
and like you have to give up
May God hold you in the Palm of God’s hand
Whenever and wherever that happens

Amen.

Feel free to use/share/adapt with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta and if you quote the tweet be sure to credit Traci Rhoades and Rev. Jes Last

Please Support my Writing, I am Funding some of my Doctorate in Creative Writing as a Public Theologian through donations https://gofund.me/554d36e3 Thank you to all those who have donated, I have successfully completed 2 years thanks to your support.

Full Advent Resources

With thanks to Jes Last and Traci Rhoades for their inspirational conversation

Traci Rhoades: I met with a mentor of mine yesterday. He said my faith was in a better spot, more tender and surrendered than ever before. Ya'll, tender and surrendered are not easily gained. They come out of hard seasons if we let them. Reverend Jes Kast: Oh I understand and resonate with this, tender and surrendered are not easily gained indeed purple heart.

Joseph, A prayer

God,
Today, I’m imagining
Joseph as the squishy parent.

Mary was the one with the justice cries
And the mom look, that got Jesus into ministry
Maybe Joseph was the one with the physical play

And the squishy hugs–
Maybe Joseph was the one who reminded Jesus
Your only human, too

Maybe Joseph was the one who showed Jesus
mortality was ok,
because he was (probably) the parent who died first.

God, I’m thinking of that fierce encounter with an angel
where Joseph was already, heart in mouth, trying to figure out
how to react full of humanity and peace

God, I’m so thankful for Joseph
And today I’m hoping
he was the squishy parent.

Amen.

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

Please Support my Writing, I am Funding some of my Doctorate in Creative Writing as a Public Theologianthrough donations https://gofund.me/554d36e3 Thank you to all those who have donated, I have successfully completed 2 years thanks to your support.

Full Extended Advent Resource

Canva artwork of Joseph by Pastor Katy Stenta feel free to use with credit

Magnificat

The Rich are against my religion
God,

I am ready to magnify
Pregnant calling for the downfall of the mighty
and the poor being filled with good things

Raising up all those who have
Never
Ever, Been empowered before

I can picture Mary and Elizabeth
glowing and tired, demanding you step up and step in God

In a world, where the hospitals are full of sick children
again
I am more than ready to demand healing

God I am tired of this human nonsense:
where money is ready for war, but not for childcare, food or healing

I am am ready for magnficat
to Magnify
All the things you promise (instead of the humans)

I am hungry for the time when justice turns the world upside down
the moment when we can see the hope of all children
incarnate
in a baby

I am pregnant with it.

As my kiddos say
Lets Go, God

Let’s Magnificat,
We have been waiting for it
Forever

Amen.

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

Magnificat Artwork by Katy Stenta on Canvas feel free to use/share with credit