Epiphany is about
inclusion
and Peace
Epiphany is stronger
Than insurrection
and War
That was the point
Herods
So be frightened
Our path will continue to be
A different way
Lit by the Star of Peace
Your sneakiness and violent ways
Are no match for Our God
Thank Sweet Baby Jesus
Amen
God I know I don’t need
To look for you
Advent is in
a minor key
Because
Christ is already here
In the ICE prisons
Christ is already here
with the unhoused
Christ is already here
at the wartorn rubble
Christ is already here
But it’s hard
to see the face of Jesus
Fear not
You say
And you coax us to
free the prisoners
To distribute food
without worry about who is deserving
As you remind us
What peace and wholeness means
Fear not
The Holy Spirit
Inspires us
Laying Groundwork
for the key change
to take hold
We wait with you God
Because we want the miracle
of Christmas
To be about
the seeds that are
planted
to mean
Universal flourishings
Feel free to use/share/adapt with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta aka “KatyandtheWord”
Content warning: Trans* Day of Remembrance: Mentions Abuse, Death, Murder, Abuse, Suicide
God
You know that
when your very
existence
is resistance
Then remembrance
is more
than a story
It is a celebration
that Life
is complication
And beautiful
and every time
We remember
Our Trans* siblings
We co-create
A world
Where mourning
and lament
are not it
We re-member
re-connect
re-present
reality
Knowing that
one way
one being
even one name
is not enough
Complicated
mysterious
God-
THE God of Pronouns
The Almighty
Multiplicitious* God
It is You who blesses us
calls us by our chosen name
Blesses our found families
understands the mysterious, complicated way
hurt, imperfections, love all mix up into life
Perhaps more than anyone else
Help us as we do the hard work
of mourning those who have been lost to this world
through the tragedy of violence
Trans* individuals who have been killed by
intimate partners
family
strangers
or if they lose their life yet another way and died by suicide,
We hurt still from all the abuse and death
that is ongoing
Protect especially our Queer
Siblings of Color
We Celebrate their lives
as a testament and Embodiment
Of the Diversity in the World
Knowing, that their living into themselves
Still counted and was important
even when it felt incomplete
Protect especially our Queer
Siblings of Color
Who are particularly vulnerable
Put a shield across them
We demand your care for them
Melt the hearts of hate
For all who do harm
Physical
Political
Emotional
And may we resist forever
Any injustice in the world
Fighting for a Place
Where all are
Accepted
Fed
Safe
Celebrated
Justified
Recognize
and Known
To be
Fiercely and Wondrously made
In the Image of our Multiplicitous God
Amen
*This is a new word, as of today, pronounce it with confidence
Feel free to use/share/adapt with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta aka “KatyandtheWord”
Am
Heartsick
Healthcare
SNAP
Lord Hear our Prayers
Vaccines
Homelessness
“Cease”less
Cease fires
Peace-less
Talks
Rubble at the White
House
Workers
Without Pay
No Meds
No Food
No Water
No Care
Holy Spirit
Give us Rest
Politicians
Who Talk
Another Nazi
Revealed
Another Person
Who won’t
Pass the Baton
Another
Black Woman
Cassandra-d
Another Immigrant
Ripped
From Her Child
Lord Have Mercy
God
Forgive Us
Teach us
Mercy
God
The Anger
Burns
And
My Soul
Mourns
Teach
Our Hearts
We
Pray
Teach
A
New
Way
To
Be
Because
I Can’t
Exist
This Way
Anymore
Amen
On National Coming Out Day
Stay Safe
Find Sanctuary Spaces
Find places to be you
Find Belovedness
Find Cozyness
Corners
Embrace Mystery
Its ok if it doesn’t all make Sense
Be Gay/Queer And Do Crime
Be a Riot
You are Fierce and Awesomely Made
And Forgive all of us who don’t show us
In the ways you need us to
In the Name of the
God who show Themselves
in a Flaming Bush
To an Enslaved man with a Speech Impediment
to Liberate People
(Who you do NOT have to Believe in)
I Hope you are Affirmed and Celebrated
Be
Beloved
Part of my baptismal vows, and then confirmation, and then ordination and installation includes not only to accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior but also to reject evil. I will admit that as a (white) child of the 80s and 90s I was more sunshine and bubblegum, hoping that evil was fading away. However, I have learned that evil had merely hidden, and that not only is institutional sexism, racism, ableism and homophobia but it seems that in the United States the ugliness of hate feels to move more openly in the world as fascism takes power.
As I write, pray, rest, parent, I find that for me my faith is part and parcel to my resistance. The more inclusive I can be the more I resisting the hate I see.
One of the places I am able to do this is the conference I am attending next month–it is called NEXT church, where we explore church as more of a movement and less than an institution–it runs Nov 11-14th, and is designed for all types of church people (not just leaders) and has full on courses such as community organizing, more than good intentions (don’t just be a nice white person), art as resistance, trauma informed ministry and more! I hope you explore and are able to join me as there are still spots LEFT! https://nextchurch.net/national-gathering/2025-grand-rapids-mi/ (There is special pricing if you live nearby or don’t have designated funs to help (and some meals are even included!)
If you are a church leader and can’t make it to the gathering–or even if you can, you might also want to look into our highly contextual Agents of Change program https://nextchurch.net/preaching-for-change/agents-of-change/ (due OCT 15!) program This is for those leaders who want to embody the transformative work that leads to justice and liberation.
Full disclosure I am part of the newly Formed NEXT church board, but I have been attending NEXT church events for 14 years–and that is all it takes to be a NEXT church community member, I hope you join our community soon, because At Such a Time as This, this is the kind of Faith movement that I find sustaining to the soul.
Katy
AKA “KatyandtheWord”
You may not know this about me, but I am currently working at a federated American Baptist and United Church of Christ Church as a Presbyterian USA Pastor. I love living into this interdenominational reality. Trying to figure out what we have in common of One Baptism, One Table, One Christ. I find it beautiful. I think one of the best places that prepared me for this ministry is NEXT Church
It is probably not a coincidence that I became a board member about the same time I started my ministry at Emmanuel Friedens–the Holy Spirit knows what she is doing.
Anyway I am about to talk about some of the movement of NEXT church and why I think you should come, but we also offer free roundtables https://nextchurch.net/roundtable-conversations/, coaching, a Preaching Cohorts–the one for POC who are in majority white congregations called “Still We Preach” is especially unique and worth checking out https://nextchurch.net/preaching-for-change/cohorts/–and more https://nextchurch.net.
NEXT Church is one of those spaces that continues to transition as time goes on. I have been attending NEXT for about 13 years. It is a place that continues to wrestle with the questions of what it means to be the church today—but uniquely it does this with hope and joy and for the church at all levels. The mantra NEXT church is trying to live into is that it is better together, therefore anyone who is involved at NEXT church at any level is NEXT church. We are NEXT church. It is more of a movement than an institution.
It certainly felt that way when at NEXT church that the ramification of the Gay marriage amendment passing broke. I’ll never forget that day—Diana Butler Bass was speaking. I was sitting up in the balcony, and we all got text alerts about it. No one was able to hear a word about what she was saying, because the news was so exciting. I was livetweeting the conference and asked if someone was going to interrupt her and announce the news. NEXT church is kind of laid-back, so it seemed hard for anyone in the hall to break in. Finally, I realized I was in a good position. I raised my hand and said “Excuse me Diana, I hate to interrupt, but we just got the news that gay marriage was ratified for our denomination can marry, and we are all distracted by the good news, everyone can marry.” Diana said, “Congratulations, this Episcopalian, welcomes you.” Note this delightful interdenominational interaction! And the entire hall erupted in applause. More Light and Covenant Network had planned a reception for that that evening and what had initially meant to be a small gathering practically the entire conference came out to celebrate, many of them ordering “the Presbyterian” which the bartenders no doubt quickly learned how to make.
NEXT church is not place for clergy to gather at the mountaintop and go just in hope. It is trying to meet all of the congregation as we figure out this thing of if the church is not existing as it is now, what then will it be? That is what the Already Not Yet national gathering of Next is coming together to contemplate—not to provide all of the answers, but to give time and space to be the church together, both now and for the future. The pathways are for all people doing all the work that is the church, because this is who we are.
If you have had a conversation with me about the greater church you have probably heard me say “I’m excited about where the church is going.’ It seems like a strange thing to say at this time, but the church was and is always meant to be a movement for the marginal, it was never meant to be for the rich and powerful. Right now people don’t go to the small town church for prestige or honor. The people who come are attracted by community and through a hunger for something more. We are the church together, God is planting the seeds so that we can be enough of a movement to do God’s work in the world. The buildings and pews are just dressing, the people are the heart of God’s love.
That something more is what is being addressed by the current Pathways for Next Church. There is the self explanatory Community Organizing, One about the Goals of your ministry called: More Than Good Intentions, there is the much in demand Communal Trauma track, there is the one I think I’m going to land on Art as Trauma (my mom and I had a long discussion that she forgot that writing was art), and NEXT church’s pathway about measuring progress other than through membership and money (or butts and bucks) called Cultivated Ministry. I hope you consider joining me in November 11-14th in Grand Rapids, MI. The cost is $499 and includes some meals. If you do not have a Continuing Ed budget, it is reduced to $299. There is a hotel deal as well and of course if you convince a friend to come, you can share a room. If you do not have young children like me, perhaps you can drive out and reduce costs more. The information is here https://nextchurch.net/national-gathering/2025-grand-rapids-mi/
Thanks
Katy Stenta
Aka “KatyandtheWord” NEXT Church Board member
God of rainbows
Amidst the floods
When we look for lost girls
and RVs
When we mourn dead camp directors
And family members
When camps
and houses
and belongings
are swept away
With powerfully swept away
Remind us
That you sit with us
amidst
And when we cry out
God where are you
You cry too
And that you
Disarmed
Your very self
Hanging Your weapon
Permanently
in the sky
A proclamation
that you are a God
of Covenants
Promises
Peace
and Love
not punishments
So that when we cry out
“What have we done to deserve this?”
You sweep us up
In your love
and care
Snuggling us
to sleep
murmuring
“Nothing, absolutely nothing”
and you help the
absolutely best search doggies
And you wipe the brows of
the the emergency workers
and volunteers
and you sit and sigh
with the wearied
And God
You give us
Patience
and silence
amidst us
in unexpected
encouragement
Because you are
The God
of Spaciousness
Letting us
Be our full selves
And so
Be with
us in our
Grief
our waiting
and Our
Empathy
Be with
us in our Love
For many waters
cannot quench Love
Nor can the
Floods
Drown it
Be the Love
Amidst us
That outlasts
This flood
We pray
Amen
Feel free to use/adapt/share with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta aka KatyandtheWord
God
For parents
And kids
For whom
This week
Is not a
Celebration
But a struggle
A sigh
A moment
Of girding their loins
Because it means
Transitioning to summer
Or a move
Or not knowing what comes next
For all who dread
“What are you doing this summer”
For families whose meals
Childcare or work become more difficult
For young adults
That are in difficult places or spaces
For whatever reason
This so a prayer
For hard summer
May this transition time
Be smoothed
May you find connection
And companionship
Moments of
Stillness
Sanctuary
And peace
Be found in the in-between
Amen
Blessed* are the protestors
They hold the foretaste Justice on their tongue
It tastes like Community
Blessed are the arrested
They are the forerunners of Liberation
For they know that the root of Liberation is the same as Salvation: Soteria
Blessed are the kidnapped, the human trafficked, the aching families separated
The are tears running down our faces
Blessed are the gassed, the rubber bulleted the trampled
They are voice of the muted, the embodiment of empathy, the spirit of our movement
Blessed are artists, the youth, the elders with wisdom, the marginalized with unique perspectives
They are are prophets giving us ears to hear and hearts to understand
Blessed are the newest among the fold, the awkward, the uncomfortable and uncertain
They are the students, reminding us that there is always more to learn
Blessed are the disparate opinions: the go faster and go slow, the people of faith and the atheists, the Black, Brown and White and all to privileged.
We are the movement, figuring out how to work together, imagining a better system than the one that exists now, may it be so.
*In Aramaic (the native tongue of Jesus) Blessings Baruach is not a passive word, but a word to activate you. You are not blessed. You are gifted with things so you can work with them and use them because you are called to them. Therefore let us be blessed and bless one another in our works. –according to Elias Chacour former ArchBishop of Jerusalem in the Eastern Orthodox Church
Feel free to use/adapt/share with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta aka “KatyandtheWord”
No Kings Graphic by MarathRic63 Chicken in Yellow “We Have Power” Moreinfo Nokings.org Taco, A Joke, Power, Fight for Democracy, No Kings,
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