lent – Page 5 – katyandtheword

Maundy Thursday Taize Communion/Footwashing Worship

Taize “Laudate omni Gentes”

On the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?” He said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is near; I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover meal. When it was evening, he took his place with the twelve; and while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” And they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another, “Surely not I, Lord?” He answered, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born.” Judas, who betrayed him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” He replied, “You have said so.” Matthew 26: 17-25

Taize “Bless the Lord My Soul”

[Jesus] got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him.He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand. Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.” Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. John 13:4-10, 16-17

Taize: “Ubi caritas” during Washing of the Feet/Hands

While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” Matthew 16:26

Taize “Wait for the Lord”

(Serving of the Bread, An invitation to all onscreen or in the bulletin is appropriate)

Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” Matthew 17:27-29

(Serving of the Cup)

Taize “Jesus Remember Me, When You Come into Your Kingdom”

When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Mathew 27:30

Taize “Jesus Le Christ” or “Nada le Turbe”

Good Friday

Extinguishing of Lights Worship & Nailing Our Sins to The Cross
(Yes we nontraditionally do communion, because my worshiping community does not do Maundy Thursday, feel free to disclude)

Call to Worship

L The Lord be with you.
P And also with you

THE NAIL OF BROKENNESS*

“We are a resurrection people” we like to say
And we say it often
“But resurrection doesn’t erase or replace the real life that happens before, during and after, the real life that we all know.
The places where we are broken
Where we are grieving
Where we are sad
Where we are angry
Where we are hurting
Where we are anxious
Where we are lonely
Where we are human—fully
And we each carry around the experiences of trauma, and loss and hurt, that are a real part of our life.
Those experiences live within us, and they exist before, during and after resurrection. Yes, we are a resurrection people
But we are also human—fully.
And that means that we know death, just as surely as we know life.
Death is real, it is excruciating, and painful, and it is a part of life.
But God is not afraid of death. God is big enough to hold us in our hurt, in our brokenness, in those places of death where we cannot hold ourselves. When we find ourselves in those places, when we cannot imagine ever feeling joy again, may we remember, that although God will not erase the pain, God will hold us, God will stand with us.

THE NAIL OF BETRAYAL Matthew 26:48-50

. ⁴⁸Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, ‘The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him.’ ⁴⁹At once he came up to Jesus and said, ‘Greetings, Rabbi!’ and kissed him. ⁵⁰Jesus said to him, ‘Friend, do what you are here to do.’ Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and arrested him.

NAIL OF HATRED Matthew 27:27-31

27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters,^* and they gathered the whole cohort around him. ²⁸They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, ²⁹and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ ³⁰They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him on the head. ³¹After mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

Sung Response:

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

O Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble;

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?(silence)

Silent Meditation: Extinguishing of the Light

THE NAIL OF STUMBLING Matthew 26:69-75

69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant-girl came to him and said, ‘You also were with Jesus the Galilean.’ ⁷⁰But he denied it before all of them, saying, ‘I do not know what you are talking about.’ ⁷¹When he went out to the porch, another servant-girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, ‘This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.’^* ⁷²Again he denied it with an oath, ‘I do not know the man.’ ⁷³After a little while the bystanders came up and said to

Peter, ‘Certainly you are also one of them, for your accent betrays you.’ ⁷⁴Then he began to curse, and he swore an oath, ‘I do not know the man!’ At that moment the cock crowed. ⁷⁵Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said: ‘Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.’ And he went out and wept bitterly.

Sung Response

Were you there when they left him on the cross?

O, Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble;

Were you there when they left him on the cross? (silence)

THE NAIL OF DEATH Matthew 17:45-50

45 From noon on, darkness came over the whole land^* until three in the afternoon. ⁴⁶And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ ⁴⁷When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, ‘This man is calling for Elijah.’ ⁴⁸At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink. ⁴⁹But the others said, ‘Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.’ ⁵⁰Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last.

Sung Response

Were you there when the sun refused shine?

O, Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble;

Were you there when the sun refused to shine? (silence)

Silent Meditation: Extinguishing of the Light

THE RESPONSE

ACT OF CONFESSION

You are invited to have your sins nailed to the cross

Sung Response

Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?

O, Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble;

Were you there when they nailed him to the tree? (silent)

Silent Meditation: Extinguishing of the Light

RESPONSIVE READING: THE PROMISE OF MERCY*

O God of my heart, remind us that this was the day the temple’s curtain was torn in two, breaking open the divide between the divine and human. God’s mercy

Let hold onto what centurion and those who were keeping watch said “Truly this man was God’s Son.” (Matthew 27:51, 54)

Communion

The Lord be with you
And also with you
Lift up your hearts
We lift them up to the Lord
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God

It is right to give our thanks and praise….(Pastoral Prayer & Lord’s Prayer: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for Thine is the power and the kingdom and the glory forever. Amen.
Jesus came into the world, not to judge it, but to save it.
We are so grateful for God’s infinite love, and we celebrate with all of creation, the saving work, of our Suffering Savior. On the night before he was nailed to the merciless cross,
Jesus shared His last meal with His friends. He took the bread, He broke it, and He gave thanks, and then He passed it among them saying,
This is my body which is broken for you. Eat it and remember Me.
He took the wine, and He gave thanks, and then He passed it among them saying,
This is my blood which is shed for you. Drink it and remember Me.
And so, we take, we eat and drink, and we remember:
There is no greater love, than this sacrifice which You, Jesus, made for us
God is with us, even when we fear.
Come, let us taste and see the Lord.

Sung Response: Extinguishing the Light

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

O Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble;

Were you there when they crucified my Lord? (silence)

*Prayer from Dying Liturgy of NextChurch national gathering 2018

Hosanna, a Dangerous Prayer

“Hosanna” God we cry
When did we make this
an easy prayer to pray

We hand it to our children
And make it a parade
–Filling their hands with palms
to dance around the room

Hosanna, the children Scream
“SAVE US”

As the rooms fill with gunfire

As their gender identities are destroyed

as they are ripped away from their parents at the border

As they cry for hunger when we cut their SNAP benefits

And Jesus takes a child
puts them on his lap and says
unless you understand the children
you will not see the Kingdom of Heaven

“How do we tell the children about school shootings?”

They know
They have been practicing for them, like maths or piano
And they know the grownups are not preventing them

Hosanna, they cry
My youngest came home from kindergarten
And said to me we are practicing being quiet for when bad guys come to school.

Shhhh!

Hosanna!

My middle child has autism
He will never be able to be quiet
If a bad guy comes to school

Hosanna!

Hosanna, God, Grace alone
But Still we know we have to participate
in our own salvation
Thoughts and prayer won’t do it

Policy and Change
will be our chant of Hosanna

Jesus paraded into the City
And then Flipped the Tables
It is not enough to cry out and pray
Action and Accountability must follow

Hosanna, we pray–what a Dangerous Prayer
on our Lips
Maybe only the Children truly know what it means

Hosanna God, Hosanna Christ!
May we Hosanna this together we pray

Amen

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

Gun Violence Prevention Prayers

Image is a pair of AK47s crossing, covered with the words Hosanna and palms layered, and Save us at the Top and Prince of Peace, Flip the Tables, Policy and Change on the Bottom. Created by Katy Stenta on Canva, free to use with credit.

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Palm Sunday April 2nd Triumphal Entry

April 2nd
Triumphal Entry, Cleansing the Temple
Matthew 21:1-17
Psalm 118:25-29

Hosanna: A Dangerous Prayer

Call to Worship
Hosanna, Blessed is the One who comes in the Name of the Lord
Hosanna, Lord, Jesus
The Lord has given us Light, Come Lord Save us
Hosanna Lord, Save us
Bind the festal procession with branches! The Lord is God!
Hosanna, Hosanna in the Highest!

Call to Confession: God we are longing for you to save us, so we come to confess to you, full of hosannas, come let us confess ourselves to God.

Prayer of Confession: God we confess that we forget that right after we cry Hosanna, Jesus save us! We do not Jesus coming in and flipping over the tables of the sanctuary. Yet here we are and it turns out the Palm Sunday and Flipping Tables Sunday are one and the same. Because you save us, by turning our worldviews upside-down. Remind us that Jesus is with us and for us, remind us that Jesus loves us no matter what and that Jesus continues to walk with us.

Assurance of Pardon: Hear the Good news: God is good, God’s steadfast love endures forever, let us proclaim the truth to one another: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.

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.