Category: lent

Lent 5 March 26

Last Judgement
Matthew 25:31-45
Psalm 98:7-9

Call to Worship
God of the sick, naked and hungry
Help us to see you
God of the thirsty, the stranger, the prisoner
Help us to welcome you
God of the least of these, let us remember you
Come let us worship Jesus, born in the manger, minister to the sick, welcomer of all

Call to Confession: God lets us confess everything, Out Loud, at a whisper or at shout, God will hear whatever it is we need say, come let us say it all to God.

Confession: God we confess, we do not know what the difference is between invitation, welcoming, accessibility and true acceptance and belonging. Too often we think that throwing open the doors is enough, when we forget that you, Jesus Christ wandered the streets for three years, healing and teaching, teaching and toughing them and calling them individually by name. Teach us to love more deeply we pray. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon: God knows how to love and forgive, and teaches us everyday, Hear the good news: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.

Prayer of the Day/Dedication: God, may we go into the world holding tightly onto the idea that we are called to be the helpers of the world, we called to action, that we are called to find the image of Jesus Christ in every human being we meet not out of pity but out of belovedness. Teach us to do this we pray. Amen.

Hymns: Jesu, Jesu, Lord I Wanna Be a Christian In My Heart, Here I am To Worship, There is a Balm in Gilead, Amazing Grace, What Wondrous Love is This

Children: God Gave Us You Book, Talk About Seeing Christ in Every Single Person you Meet, not out of Pity but Out of Love

Notes: Kingdom of Heaven is Like Seeing Christ in Everyone, Further Mr. Rogers Theme We are the Helpers

Picture Fred Rogers “When I was a Boy and I would see Scary Things in the News My mouther would say to me “Look for the Helpers You will always find people who are Helping” –Fred Rogers


March 19th Bridesmaids and Talents


Psalm 43:1-2
Matthew 25:1-30

Call to Worship
O God, send out your light and truth
Let them lead me
Let your let and truth envelope me
Let them bring me to your dwelling place
May I be awake
For then I will praise you with exceeding joy, Come let us praise the Lord!

Prayer of Confession: God says that we can always confess, for God will wait for us, come let us confess ourselves to God

Prayer of Confession: God we confess that we struggle to be awake. Sometimes we confess we do not even know what it means to be awake. What is it we are being awake for? And we worry, will we recognize you when you knock on the door? Forgive us when we try to be make busy work for ourselves. Remind us that paying attention is holy work*. Amen

Prayer of Confession: God we confess that we do not think that we should use our talents: whether that means our gifts or actual money; we confess that we humans are designed to hoard things. We do not invest or spend like you are an abundant God. Forgive us, teach us how to prepare the ground for an abundant and open Kingdom we pray. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon: Hear the Good News, Jesus sends envelopes us in forgiveness and brings us back home: let us proclaim the Gospel Truth: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.

Prayer of the Day/Dedication: God you remind us that you are equipping us. You are giving us the tools we need to be present and do the work. Let us go into the world full of your Kin(g)dom we pray. Amen.

*Its Mr. Rogers Sunday this is a whole sermon right here

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

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God of the Cross

Dear Jesus
You are the God of the Cross

Journeying with Us
Suffering Amongst Us

You do not Proscribe Suffering
But Walk,
Thirsty in the desert with us

Sweet Jesus
You do not make demands
But call us, and listen, when we spill our whole selves to you by the well

Compassionate Friend
You wait for us on the Cross
And tell us, it is not too late to apologize, even then, and You will be there on the other side

How beautiful is the whole testimony of the Cross:
We are not alone, We do not have to suffer, We can be our full self
And we do not have to double down
Because its never, ever to late to apologize

Jesus is waiting for us
Our theology is not ultimately about debates
But about love, and to see the humanity of each other
And Jesus
On the Cross

How beautiful is the Body of Christ,
Thank you for being the God of the Cross
Amen.


Image of Brown hammer, nails and cross of thorns on wood in a the lefthand foreground, and and a cross in the righthand background. Created on Canva

March 12 Parable of the Wedding Banquet

Matthew 22:1-14
Psalm 45:6-7

Call to Worship
The Poor One Calls to The Lord
God hears, and saves the poor, out of all of their Troubles
Looks it is the Angel of the Lord
The Angel of the Lord comes, and encamps around those who fear God, and delivers them
Taste and see that God is God, Blessed is the one who takes refuge in God
Come let us take refuge in God Today

Invitation to Confession: Jesus says come to me those who are heavy burdened and I will give you rest, come let us lay our burdens at the feet of Jesus. 

God: We confess, we do not understand this Wedding Feast. This parable, confuses us and confounds us. Who are we to invite? How are we to dress? Is the violence good or bad? Who is even getting married in the first place? Perhaps the point is not about the invitations or being chosen, but that fact that we are here, at God’s table, together. Help us to gather at the table, whenever God invites us to we pray. Amen. 

Assurance of Pardon: Hear the Good news, Jesus will always forgive us, yesterday, today and tomorrow. Let us proclaim that good news to one another: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven. 

Prayer of the Day/Dedication: God, help us to walk into the world, inspired to act not just like those invited, but as though Jesus is chasing humanity, over and over again. Let us remember that Jesus came not to condemn the world but to save it, yesterday, today and tomorrow. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen. 

Hymns: On Eagle’s Wings, Jesus Our Divine Companion, Somebody’s Knocking At Your Door, We Walk By Faith and Not By Sight,

God of the Cross

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

Canva Image (created by Katy Stenta) Brown Hands welcoming a line of multicultural people, behind which is a basket of bread and wine and the Golden outline of a Middle-Eastern Couple Getting Married

Notes: the differences between invitation and belonging seem relevant

The idea of getting kicked out for not dressing right in the era of anti-Trans/Drag legislation is super ouchy. Handle with Care. But I think it’s also something that may need to be addressed. I bet this person was dressed with hate and thought that was more appropriate than the drag queens and the sec workers off the streets.

Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard

March 5
Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard
Matthew 20: 1-16
Psalm 16:5-8

Call to Worship
God, how is it your grace is so expansive
Truly God, your keep calling us
Come let us bless our God who calls us
God calls us by name
Let us keep God before us, God who is always at our right hand!
God be praised, God is with us! Let us Praise God together!

Call to Confession: God is calling us to confess, Come let us confess ourselves to God

Prayer of Confession: God we confess that sometimes you have to call us more than once. Sometimes we are the ones that do not hear you until close til dusk. We confess that we envision ourselves as the early morning workers–but we do not know when it is you first called our name. God’s love is not a competition. Help us to remember that faith is always a gift, and that you are always, always calling us by name. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon: Hear the Good News: The Steadfast Love of the Lord never changes, God’s mercies never come to the end, they are new every morning, so we know that God will always love and forgive us. Let us proclaim the Good News: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.

Prayer of the Day/Dedication: Let us go into the world refreshed by the Holy Spirit and remembering that it is God who is calling us by name. God loves us from the earliest dawn til the darkest dusk–let us go forth enveloped in that love. Amen.

Hymns: Morning has Broken, This is My Father’s World, Here I am Lord,

Forgiveness, Feb 26th

February 26th
Forgiveness
Matthew 18:15-35
Psalm 32:1-2
Kingdom of Heaven is like Unending Forgiveness

Call to Worship
God is calling do you hear?
God is calling for forgiveness
God is the great accountant
Look, even now God’s grace is spilling upon us
Come let us drink up God’s grace
Come let us gather, by the grace of God

Call to Confession: Is it not beautiful to be able to bring your full self to God? Come let us confess ourselves to God?

Prayer of Confession: God I confess that I do not always understand this forgiveness thing, how do you do it? How am I supposed to do it? Can I forgive when I am still angry? Is there such a thing as forgive and forget? Is seventy-seven times per person, or a metaphor or what? Forgiveness seems to be a complicated thing, please cover me in grace, so I might better glean the beginnings of a forgiveness practice I pray. Amen. 

Assurance of Pardon: Hear the good news, you are forgiven, as soon as you confess, Jesus has made it so, and hopefully, we can learn how not to make the same mistakes again: thus we can proclaim the good news to one another: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven. 

Prayer of the Day/Dedication: Let us go into the world, forgiven and forgiving, ready to embody the grace that God has given us as the confessing Body of Christ. Amen. 

Transfiguration, Feb 19

February 19
Transfiguration:
Matthew 16:24-17:8
Psalm 41:7-10
Suggested Micah 6:8 (again)
Psalm 46:10
The Kingdom of Heaven is Like God Shading Godself, for humans to perceive

Call to Worship
God calls us, the deep from the deep
God your magnificence is too great for us
God you are changed from glory, into glory
So you come to us, human, and walk with us
Teach us again, today
Come let us walk with God

Call to Confession: What is confession, but walking with God? Why don’t we let ourselves walk with God here. 

Confession: God we confess that we are overwhelmed by being human. How is it then can we take in your glory of divinity? We feel like we should respond. We feel like we need to do things or say things. And yet, sometimes, stillness is grace. Sometimes we need to just sit with our own humanity. Sometimes its ok to just try to get to know ourselves better, and to remind ourselves that getting to know ourselves is to get to know you. Let us allow ourselves to do that we pray. Amen. 

Assurance of Pardon: Be still, and know God is with your, today, tomorrow, everyday, and feel the good news: In Jesus Christ you are forgiven. 

Prayer of the Day/Dedication: May we walk into the world shaded by God, so that we might better be able to hear and understand the Good News God has for us today. Amen. 

light human figure shining down with glares and a dark cloud slightly obscuring it, giving the eyes some relief

Nov 27th Hope: Faith as a Way

Justice, Mercy & Light Extended Advent
Nov 27 Hope Candle
Faith as a Way of Life
Habakkuk 1:1-7; 2:1-4 3: [3B-6], 17-19 
Prophet grieved by injustice: Faith as a way, not an answer
Matthew 26: 36-38 Gethsemane Jesus is grieved, asks Disciples to watch
Psalm 73:21-26

Advent Candles Liturgy

Hope

Call to Worship
God, we gather in faith
Looking for your ways
God we gather looking for you
Stay with us, as we gather in your name God

Call to Confession: Come all you who are heavy burdened, let us lay them at God’s feet

Prayer of Confession: God, we confess that we want faith to be an easy answer to all of our questions, not a path to follow. I confess that like the disciples, sometimes keeping watch does not feel like enough. Sometimes faith does not feel like something to keep for others, or likes something that others can keep for me when I have a long lonely night of despair. I confess that sometimes the emptiness feels too overwhelming for me to trust the community to keep faith for me. Forgive us when we make one person keep faith alone. Help us to be a community of faith we pray. 

Assurance of Pardon: Jesus is with us, we are never alone. So know the truth: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven. Amen

Prayer of the Day/Dedication: Let us God forth reminded that there is an entire choir of Saints, holding the notes of faith, singing for us when we falter. Help us to rest  in the chorus we pray. Amen. 

Hymns: God the Weaver to Away in the Manger, Come Thou Long Expected Jesus, For All the Saints, We Walk By Faith and Not By Sight, A Mighty Fortress is Our God, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear (Which I feel like is an Advent Prophetic Song)

With Children: The Invisible String, by Patrice Karst What ties us altogether even when we cannot see one another 

Cover of The Invisible String: A mom and one kid whispering to another, the title, and a heart on a string, author: Patrice Karst, Illustrated by Geoff Stevenson

Image Found Here

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Full Extended Advent Resource

Good Friday/Empty Saturday Prayer

Jesus
Tonight is when you
We’re so human
You experienced
Godlessness
You hit rock bottom
You died
And knew what it was to be
Abandoned, forgotten
& unloved.

Because all of these feelings
All of these experiences
Each of these realities
Are part of being human.

Jesus, you truly
Utterly
Emptied
Yourself for us
In a Friday that
Wasn’t good!

(Yet)

And Jesus
Even without you there—
You invite us
To sit in that emptiness
All of Empty Saturday.

(How do you even do that?)

Thank you
For the emptying
And the emptiness
Jesus.

Thank you for being that human.

Amen

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

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