Paul’s Mission

Acts 13:1-3; 48-18
Matthew 10:40-42

Call to Worship
When we are welcomed
God you call us
When we heal
God you call us
When we feed one another
God you call us
Come let us serve the Lord
Come let us worship the Lord

Call to confession: Let us confess ourselves to the God who loves us and welcome us exactly as we are

Confession: God we confess that we do not believe that those who welcome us welcome Christ. We confess that we have trouble believing ourselves one minute to be imposters and the next taking on too much for Christ. Help us to find balance in serving you. Give us the strength, patience and understanding we need. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon: Be assured, Christ loves us and walks with us in disciples, so know the truth In Jesus Christ we are forgiven, Amen

Prayer of the Day Dedication: May we walk with Christ, as he walks with us our discipleship we pray. Amen

April 23 Peter’s Vision

Acts 10:1-17, 34-48
Matthew 9:36-37

Call to Worship
God we are the sheep and you are the Shepherd
Come Risen Christ
In Christ there is neither male nor female, slave nor free
Come Risen Christ
We are ready to greet Jesus Christ
Come Risen Christ

Call to Confess: We are truly all made clean in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, come let us confess ourselves to Christ.

Prayer of Confession: Dear God, we confess that we would like to pick and choose our Christians. We often would like to say, we are not like those Christians, or we would like to tell people who is included in our congregation and who is not. Forgive us. Teach us how to be both inclusive, and still to tell be brave enough to denounce wrong when we see it. Help us to continue to act in love we pray.

Assurance of Pardon: Remember that Christ came returned saying “Peace be with you” and so we can be assured of the Good News: In Jesus Christ we are Forgiven. Amen

Prayer of the Day/Dedication: God may we go into the world blessed that any may be given the gifts of the Holy Spirit, may we recognize these gifts when we see them we pray. Amen.

Great Commission

Psalm 40:9-10
Matthew 28:16-20

Call to Worship (based on Psalm 40:9-10)
Let us speak of God’s faithfulness
Come let us proclaim God’s salvation
Here is the glad news of God’s deliverance
God’s love is steadfast and God is faithful!
Let us praise God today!
Come, let us praise God forever!

Call to Confession: Nothing is too big, too burdensome or too human for Jesus to understand, come let us confess ourselves to God.

Prayer of Confession: Jesus, we confess that we have trouble with the complexity of your final commandment. That you grant us your authority, that we are to baptize all nations–that you promise that you remain with us forever. To be honest this sounds like a lot of work for us to do, and the fact that you are with us, is hard for us to always believe. Help us when we are weary, scared or feel alone. Help us when we take your command to mean to force, ostracize or belittle other people to be Christian. Help us to understand that all of this falls under your Maundy Thursday work of loving and saving one another we pray. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon: Hear the Good News, Jesus Christ Loves us, Serves us and helps us. Let us comfort one another with the the good news: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven

Prayer of the Day/Dedication: Let us go into the world making disciples, through the acts of listening, praying, inviting and loving. Let us go and create disciples through the love of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

Sitting on Good Friday

Jesus
I wasn’t there Good Friday

But I’ve planted a garden almost every year
despite the fact, my thumb is black, and nothing will ever grow

I have sat alone in middle school, at the lunch table, at the classroom
Being told to shut up every time I’ve spoken, isolated and alone

I have left a room
only to realize later that I participated in White Supremacy–
Leaving a Person of Color to fend for themselves

And I have participated in politics that have lead to people having to leave
or find solace, because they were so hurt by what happened

I have cried Hosanna! after Massive Gun Violence And Gender Violence
So many times–with phone calls, votes and letters

Again, and again, and again

I wasn’t there on Good Friday
But I have been abandoned or done the Abandoning

Jesus, I picture you
starting your descent into hell
with the words “My God, My God, Why have you abandoned me”

I wasn’t there that Good Friday–
Almost no one was–
Yet that was the point

Hate
Violence
Politics
Sexism
Patriarchy, All the bad things…seemed to be winning

I wasn’t there Good Friday,
But I have felt those pieces of Hell, the utter loneliness
the failure
I have heard the devil whispering to me

that I’m too different
that my voice doesn’t matter
that peace won’t win

that my betrayals are bigger than my good works

that THAT scene, the one on replay in my head? Everyone remembers that one about me

I don’t know how Jesus utterly cut off from Love
in Hell

But I know all humans feel that at some point;
so I know you did it Jesus

You walked into Hell…
so we wouldn’t be alone there anymore

To remind us that Nothing
no height, no death,
no
angels
no
demons
heaven
nor hell
can cut us off from the love of Jesus Christ

I wasn’t there Good Friday..But you were,
Un-abandoning us
Sitting with us
We can’t see you or hear you in the dark

But thanks for being there
with me when the seeds won’t grow,
at the lonesome lunch table
Or in the Aftermath

And it’s ok to sit in the dark for awhile
Amen.

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

Senator Jones in the foreground Rep Pearson in the background in a black suit—both with their fists raised after the two young, black men were expelled from Tennessee House for partying peaceful anti-gun demonstrations, the white woman senator was allowed to remain

Maundy Thursday Prayer

I firmly believe
Jesus Christ
I confess
your Lordship

And it does not scare me
The way power does
in the hands of lets say
some humans

Because I have seen
You
healer Christ
teacher Christ
companion Christ

I have seen you
sitting at the well
hanging out with the outcasts
talking to the tax collectors
the nuerodivergent
the disabled

the poor, ethnically, religiously, differently gendered
You see them, talk to them and call them by name

I know what the authorities called you
dangerous
rabble rouser

Trouble

I know that you you don’t care about
money
status
and power

And on your last day on earth
You ate some good food
With friends
you took some time to pray
and asked your friends to sit with you

And you made a point
to get on your knees
and wash their feet

People picture your return
in glory–and that tongues
will confess Jesus as Lord
As some kind of military thing
(Again)

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
It is clear that we have learned nothing
Since you hung bow, your weapon, your Rainbow
up permanently in the sky
That many-a-thousand-years ago

But I know your secret
When you return–every knee will bow
…because you will return as you came
stooping down to see heaven and earth

Kneeling to serve

And we are Allllll
all of us
gonna kneel….to get next to you

Every knee will bow indeed

We will knee next to our Savior
and confess….Lord
I want to do what you are doing
I want to serve the people you are serving

It will be Maundy Thursday Incarnate
Communion
filling our tongues
with Love
and the Servant Lordship of Jesus Christ
Confession–all of it the same

I cannot wait to kneel beside you
and confess

Jesus Christ is Lord
Amen, Amen

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

Stick Figure Kneeling created by Canva

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”



CW: Suicide, A Prayer for the Pastors

Here is a prayer for the pastors*
The ones who are quitting
the ones whose therapists ask
“Is there another line of work you can do?”

Here’s a prayer for the pastors
Who get phone calls about another piece of the building breaking…
Another pillar of the church in the hospital…
Another person threatening to leave…

Here’s a prayer for the pastor
who hears the whispers
who thought they would be backed up at the meeting
only to hear silence

Here’s the prayer for the Pastor
who draws the firm boundaries
but grinds their teeth
or gets migraines
or talks to their therapist, spiritual director and prayer partner to keep it all
together

Here’s a prayer to the pastor, who gets asked
“Are you the pastor???” on the regular
But has been serving faithfully, for many a year;
competently and well

Here’s a prayer of the pastor, who has intrusive thoughts
And suicidal ideation
Here’s a prayer for the pastor, who gets a donation for the poor
And thinks–but I am the poor

And has to figure out, which bill not to pay each month
And is striving to help their congregation
Even as they cannot meet their own needs
Because church’s cannot conceive what salary is needed to live on these days

Here’s a prayer for a pastor
who is far away from colleagues
And is lonely, and trying to preach from their scars and not their wounds
Here’s a prayer for the pastor

Who knows self care is not bubble baths and massages
But has little time, money or energy to do what needs to be done
Especially post-Covid
Here’s a prayer for the burnt out pastor

Here’s the prayer for the pastor
Banging on the governmental doors:
Civic, Denominational; Local and National
And says, “God give them ears to hear” and goes home with empty hands

Here’s a prayer for the pastor
who needs support
At every level
and cries in the shower

“My God, My God Why have you abandoned Me?”

Here is a prayer for that Pastor
I’m praying for you,
so you don’t have to

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

*This prayer is an amalgam of all those pastors who have been overwhelmed throughout my ministry life and does not represent any one person

Questions

A Poem

Questioning
……………Is so 
beautiful Have
…………………….You Ever
Ev
……………..er
……………………. Been caught un
awares by a 
……….Child’s quest
ioning queer
ing your 
……..brain in
making you ketchup
……… the sandwich 
of the world?
Your drive in
…….ter
In
………..ter
………………………. rupted
…………. Goals
Re
…………..Vise
You cannot
……………Block the Sun
with the 
…………………….Visor
Too 
……………Bright
ly 
………Eyeing 
Shin
…………..shin
…………………….Shining
Quest
…………Questioning
Quer
…………Queering
………………….Queurying 
Requeering
……………Requestioning
………………… Quest-Re
Queer-Re
………..Quester-Eye
………..Jester-
………..Gesture
………..In
Quire
………..You-are
Squire-
………………. ing
……..Eye-ring
Rupted
……Ter
….In
Caught
…….Ever
……………You
Been Have
…………………..Caught
Child By
Child’s Ioning
………..Quest
Queer
………..You?
Beautiful So
………..is
Questioning.

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

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