Lent 2, Lord Teach Me to Pray/Give Yourself to God

Lent 2 Themes: Breath Prayer, Orientating Yourself (to God) 

Breath Prayer you find yourself and then orient/reorient yourself. 

So you ground down and then ground up; Or Root down and then root down more firmly; Or Orient yourself up/then Outward, or orient yourself in yourself and then yourself in God; or figure out where you are and then where you are in community; or find where you are in community then differentiate yourself within the community. 

Mark 4:25-41 or Matthew 11:28-29
Psalm 150 or Psalm 46

Breath Prayer
Inhale: I am
Exhale: We are

Inhale: God loves us
Exhale: We are beloved

Inhale: God can work with emptiness 
Exhale: it is enough to exist today

Inhale: There is time
Exhale: God sits with us

Inhale: I am a Divine Image Bearer
Exhale: God creates through me

Inhale: Peace
Exhale: Love

Call to Worship
Praise God, we are in God’s sanctuary
Let everything that breathes praise the Divine
Praise God, the mighty firmament, grounding us down
Praise God to the heavens, the deeds that lift us up
Praise God with trumpets, with the gentle lute and heart
Praise God with every breath, for God is worthy of Praise 

Call to Worship
God breathed life in the first humans
It is enough to be present with God
Whether we need to feel grounded or more supported
God will orient us in the ways we need to go
Teach us to pray in the ways we need to pray
Breathe into us today God, Holy Spirit Come!

Call to Confession: God breathed life into us, and taught us to pray. Thus we are able to lay anything that troubles us at the feet of God, come let us confess ourselves to God. 

Prayer of Confession: God, I confess I do not yet know how to pray without ceasing. I confess that sometimes my breath catches in my throat, and I feel stuck. Remind me that your pneuma, breath flows through my body, and that when I do not know what to pray, the Holy Spirit prays on my behalf. Teach me the rhythms of breath and prayer I pray. (Silent Confession) Amen. 

Prayer of Confession: God, we confess that we struggle to feel present. Shopping lists, worries and distractions overcome and overwhelm us. We forget that you know all of these trouble, and that you want us to slow down, to take stock, and to breathe. Teach us to take the time to Sabbath and breathe we pray. (Silent Confession) Amen

Assurance of Pardon: God breathes forgiveness into all things, know the truth In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.

Prayer of the Day/Dedication: God breathes life into all things, reminding us that God is present in the empty spaces, and that some days existing is enough. Let us be present with God today. Amen. 

Taize: Holy Spirit Come to us

Prayer Activity: Body Prayer https://www.cascadialivingwisdom.com/body-prayer-julian-of-norwich or https://katyandtheword.com/2024/01/03/body-prayer/ (seated or standing)

Write a Breath Prayer

Breath Prayer: https://colearthurriley.com/writing/project-three-xdb2n

breath up with a gold heart on either side, breath out with a gold heart on either side

Lent: Ash Weds Lord Teach me to Pray, Give Your Heart to God

Give Your Heart to God: Lord Teach Me to Pray

*For small gatherings (up 20 people tops) I burn the offered prayers as an offering to God and create the ashes out of the burnings at the beginning of service, let it cool, use only olive oil NO WATER, only construction paper—not shiny paper—and use the remains for the Ashes. I put it out using a lid. This is tricky tho and only advised for people who feel up to it and have appropriate burning containers, fire systems (i.e. don’t set off your smoke alarms), etc. Also you have to clear it with your appropriate councils, board, etc. PLEASE proceed with caution.*

(This can be done as a station as well, just ask someone to read the passage and then to read/recite the Lord’s prayer slowly with the indicated breath pauses—using a printed Lord’s Prayer as their guide, before imposing ashes)

Write a Prayer for God on Heart Valentines, Offer it to God as you enter

Read Matthew 6:7-13 or Luke 11:1-11

Celebrate Communion

When you pray the Lord’s Prayer—do it with lots of Breath pauses a follows

Jesus having taught us to pray, let us mediate on the Holy Spirit and our Breath by reading the Lord’s Prayer slowly and meditatively with the breath pauses as indicated on your paper (in your own mode/style)

Read each line of the Lord’s prayer and then breathe in and out slowly after each line to change the rhythm of the prayer, do this together

Our Father who are in Heaven Hallowed Be Thy Name (Breath in, Breathe Out)

Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done, On Earth as it is in Heaven (Breathe in, Breathe Out)

Give this day our Daily Bread (Breathe in, Breathe Out)

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our Debtors (Breathe In, Breathe Out)

Lead us not into Temptation (Breathe In, Breathe Out)

Deliver us from Evil (Breathe in, Breathe Out)

For Thine is the Kingdom  (Breathe in, Breathe Out) 

And the Power (Breathe in, Breathe Out)

And the Glory Forever (Breathe in, Breathe Out)

Amen.

Impose Ashes

Feel free to Email KatyandtheWord at Gmail for Text version for easy Copy/Paste Formatting
Suggested Donation for Entire Liturgy $75
(you decide what is fair for portions)
Receipt Available upon request
Please give credit to Pastor Katy Stenta “KatyandtheWord”

 Venmo @Katy-Stenta (last four 7841), Paypal @KatyStenta, Google Pay Katyandtheword at gmail, Cash App $bookkats
GoFundMe

Ash Weds/Maundy Thurs Prayer

Lent: Lord Teach Me to Pray/Give Your Heart to God

Included:
Two Communion Prayers to use as Needed
Sermon Seeds for Each Week
Breath Prayer of the Day
Traditional Prayers
Prayer Activities for each week
Taize for worship or to sing/play during the Prayer Activities (obviously if you are just playing background music live is fine, but watch your streaming licenses)
Creative Holy Week Worship Ideas

Additional Ideas: 
Prayer Journal
Leave a Space on the Bulletin for Prayers to be written
Pass out Hearts for Joys & Concerns to be written on All of Lent

Workshops following this Lectionary $50 to Brainstorm available Feb 6th at 10am-Noon Eastern time, and February 9th at 12pm-2pm Eastern time–please email me to register KatyandtheWord at gmail

Please note a lot of these texts are in Mark but most do not overlap the lectionary, if they do they are only 1 of the stories so you can choose the other one to preach on later

Feel free to Email KatyandtheWord at Gmail for Text version for easy Copy/Paste Formatting
Suggested Donation for Entire Liturgy $75
(you decide what is fair for portions)
Receipt Available upon request
Please give credit to Pastor Katy Stenta “KatyandtheWord”

Venmo @Katy-Stenta (last four 7841), Paypal @KatyStenta, Google Pay Katyandtheword at gmail, Cash App $bookkats
GoFundMe, if you wish to send a check please email me for info

Narrative Lectionary Sermon Series is Available Here

Communion Prayers

Ash Weds Lord Teach Me to Pray
The Lord’s Prayer
Matthew 6:7-13

Lent 1 Themes: Call to Worship, Being Present with God
Matthew 12:1-8 or  Mark 2:23-28
Psalm 122

Communion Prayers


Lent 2 Themes: Breath Prayer, Orientating Yourself (to God)
Mark 4:25-41 or Matthew 11:28-29
Psalm 150 or Psalm 46

Lent 3 Confession, Placing oneself in community
Mark 2:1-5
Psalm 30

Lent 4 Assurance of Pardon/Words of Grace
Psalm 103 or Psalm 23 (this is an option for lament week)
Mark 2:7-12

Lent 5 Prayers of the People & Joy
Psalm 97 or Psalm 122
Mark 4:30-34

Lent 6 Prayers of the People & Lament, Hosanna, Save me
Psalm 23 as a Lament or James 5:1-6
Revelation 21:1-6 or Mark 11:12-14
Imprecation: Psalm 55 or 58

Communion Prayers

Maundy Thursday: Servant Prayer
John 13:1-17
Mark 10:13-15

Good Friday: Dark Night of the Soul.
Mark 15:1-39
Psalm 22

Holy Saturday: Silent Prayer, Un-Prayer

Easter Sunday: Prayer of the Resurrection
Mark 16:1-8
Psalm 118

Feel free to Email KatyandtheWord at Gmail for Text version for easy Copy/Paste Formatting
Suggested Donation for Entire Liturgy $75
(you decide what is fair for portions)
Receipt Available upon request
Please give credit to Pastor Katy Stenta “KatyandtheWord”

Venmo @Katy-Stenta (last four 7841), Paypal @KatyStenta, Google Pay Katyandtheword at gmail, Cash App $bookkats
GoFundMe

if you wish to send a check please contact me for info