Prayer for the Weird Ones

A Prayer for the Weird Ones
the ones who don’t fit
the ones who take comfort in being scared

Here’s a prayer for those fascinated by magic
the mystical
the liminality, those marginal places in-between

Here’s a prayer for the lonely–
those who identify with the goblins, the witches and trolls
the ones who want to be able to go up to strangers and demand hospitality

This is a prayer for all those who can find beauty in what others find ugly
the ones who are fascinated with the inner workings of bodies
or diseases, or want to study psychology
or fear, or loneliness, or liminality

Here’s a prayer for the kind of holiness that comes from being different
The kind of prophecy that comes from telling the truth
the kind of radicalness that comes from opening your doors to the mess on the street

What kind of holiday is All Hallow’s Eve?
Where we say, life is messy and ugly and beautiful and short?
Where we acknowledge all that is scary in the world,
and fill it with the laughter and joy of children?
Here’s a prayer to celebrating that kind of holiday

Here’s a prayer for the children–who always understand it first
Who confront death with a sharp honesty that is refreshing,
And help us to confront our fears with real questions,
and the worrying answers of “I don’t know.”

Here’s a prayer for All Hallow’s Eve, where we celebrate
the complexity of humans, humanity
and human life.

Halloween Blessings to all who need it.

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

Melt our Hearts Prayer

CW: war and violence

Good God who is glorious, generous
full of bounty, food and other good things

I feel too exhausted to pray
about pieces of metal
that explode into
messes of blood
tragedy
and annihlation

As the weeping of babies
across oceans
haunt my dreams at night
and the artwork of Banksy
decorates the walls,
the walls of hate

My words seem like a meager choice
the cry of Peace
while those with nothing are crying
in war

Who will share this burden?
The prophets cry

And the artists will paint
with their tears

Call your Congressperson
I pray

Do not tell the story of the downtrodden:
the Palestinian Christian,
the hungry senior citizen
the beaten Black Lives Matter Activist
the forgotten Trans Teen
the shot kindergartener
Do not tell the story after the tragedy has happened

God
I am so tired of praying
about pieces of metal
empty of bullets
emptying lives
emptying souls

Teach me another prayer
Teach me the prayer of
Peace
Because

Because
I am all too familiar with the vocabulary of hate
it contains words like
animals
revenge
and dehumanization

Reteach me the
languages of love
teach me the
me the lexicon of
humanization

Melt our hearts
our weapons
our souls
into another shape
I pray.
Amen.

Feel Free to use/adapt/share with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta “Katyandtheword”

How do we Pray for Peace? Prayer

God
We admit
Confess really

That we do not know how to pray for peace.
We want it to be a magic incantation.

One where we have picked the right side.
So peace happens

There you go God
the mystery of Shalom-Salaam is solved.

But Salaam-Shalom isn’t about sides,
You can’t take the word apart like that
You cannot take the world apart like that

These things are not meant to be broken

There are no sides to peace

Shalom-Salaam
the mystery of wholeness, health
hospitality, healing
peace

No wonder peace is
Created
Constructed
Made

It took a Carpenter-
Or at least someone who worked with their hands
to teach us that.

Blessed are the
Builders of Peace
For they Shall Be
Called.Invited.Named.
Children.Having the Nature of.Inheritors of
God
Allah
Yhwh

Salaam-Shalom (Have I said the spell enough yet, God??)

Our tongues ache
From the words of war
(revenge)

And we know
That we have
Taught it

My soul aches
to teach war
No more
no more
no more

Shalom-Salaam

Teach me
to sit with peace
To hammer
weapons into
Planting tools

Teach me
how find the broken pieces
to plant
And to mend
To nurture
And to tend

To sow
Until we find the wholeness
teach us the mystery of this binding

Salaam-Shalom,
Us
Because we Do Not Know How
And none of Us can do it alone
Salaam-Shalom us,
We Pray.

Amen.

Feel free to use/adapt/Share with Credit to Pastor Katy Stenta “KatyandtheWord.com”

Banksy Dove with a Bulletproof Vest https://www.thenationalnews.com/weekend/2022/08/05/banskys-west-bank-dove-and-the-palestinian-shopowner-who-met-the-elusive-artist/

Children

CW: Israel/Palestine

Child

How to define
Not an adult
magical being
inspirer of future
bringer of now
takes their sweet time
so meone who should still believe
one who fears scary things
leader to heaven
welcomer
noticer of small things
laughter that bears fairies
wishie-blower
always in a hurry
bearer of peace
own self
right to be

When I was in
Israel & Palestine

Both times
Children ran around me
Giggling, playing chase
speaking a language I didn’t know

I sighed

despite all the propaganda
water shortages
talk of building permits
and guns

I breathed in
and out
in hope

because
the
Children
were
and
are
children
everywhere

Do you see
the
children?

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

Recommendation Black Liturgies: Prayers, Poems, and Meditations for Staying HumanRecommendation

I recommend that you pre-order this book Black Liturgies: Prayers, Poems, and Meditations for Staying Human

Cole Arthur Riley has always been a big inspiration for my writing. This is a recommendation I am making on my own.

If you don’t know I have a wonderful Sermon Series based on This Here Flesh here

Her next work is coming in Jan 2024 and I cannot wait! I expect this to be another inspiration for my work. I am looking forward to it.

Wrestling

God, you know I have a brain
that just will not stop

It wrestles with what could have been
what should have been

What if I did this differently?
Was it me, Lord? What if it was all my fault?
What if I lost my chance?

But then God picks me up
places me on my feet
and blesses me,
me and my imperfect body

Maybe you didn’t know God
I’ve got racing thoughts
and a mind that wrestles
And by the way
my hip now hurts…too

What is that?
You are blessing me
Any
Any
Any
way

Not, anyway
Just a blessing
A blessing for
the one
the one who cannot stop wrestling

A blessing for the one who is all too aware
of their awkwardness
their imperfections
Their past

You are blessed
(and can bless others)
God whispers

and then sits, and watches the sunrise with me

So that I know that
even as my brain races
and still cannot comprehend

God sits with me
in my wrestling
So I no longer feel
Alone

Feel Free to use/adapt/share with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta “Katyandtheword.com”

If you appreciate my work please consider giving to my FINAL year of Doctoral Work in Ministry in Creative Writing. I am writing a book of Poem Prayers and Essays to be Published for my dissertation.


God of Laughter

You know all the kinds of laughs there are
the joyous bubble of a child
safe and warm

The nervous laughter
of denial

The sobbing laughter
of those overcome
by grief

The laughter of friend
a quiet comforting chuckle
that holds no judgement

God you know the awkward laughter
of a teenager,
uncertain

The laughter of those who laugh
when they are overwhelmed with emotions
including grief

You know the laughter
at one’s one mistakes
beautiful and generous

God you know the whys of laughter
the difference between Sarah’s laughter and Abraham’s

How beautiful, in a world
where women’s laughter is so often punished
and men’s is rewarded
somehow, it’s different

Sarah is the one
who believes, in her disbelief
who has good humor threading through
her journey, her marriage, her laughter–
And although Abraham is known for his faith
I like to believe that Sarah is known for her humor

Thank you God
for laughter
all of its meanings
and for the grace
of Sarah–
Amen.

Feel free to use/share/adapt with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta “Katyandtheword.com”

If you appreciate my work please consider giving to my FINAL year of Doctoral Work in Ministry in Creative Writing. I am writing a book of Poem Prayers and Essays to be Published for my dissertation.