Category: Uncategorized

#Advent Day 10, North of Whoville

I think that our Christmas tree looks remarkably like the Grinch one this year

A Decorated (unevenly and crowded) Christmas tree, lit, with a red star on top

When our eldest was little approximately 3
The Grinch Who Stole Christmas–the 22 minute cartoon
became their favorite movie;
it was one of the few things they watched on TV
They would watch it on repeat
(You’ve all had that DVD right the one you were tempted to hide?
What do parents do now with streaming…the advantages of disks)

This meant that I started to read it to them every night as well–
It was not long until I had the entire book more or less memorized.

Every Who down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot…
but the Grinch, who lived just North of Whoville
Did Not

I am spending my first Christmas not working for a church
in 17 years
The isolation is tough,
I am not feeling Grinchish,
but I am feeling a little North of Whoville

All the things I unconsciously hold together
as Christmas are not there
which is hard, because tradition are important
rituals help to make us human
and keep us rooted

And though I long for a church
that is more flexible
open and able to communicate
to the world at large

It doesn’t mean that I do not miss
all the pieces that I cherished
About leading through Advent

All the carefully chosen pieces
that others might not have noticed
but I knew were full of meaning
and nudging people to open their hearts
to teach about the full humanity,
humility and the wonderful
accessible salvific work of Jesus

But I also know that Christmas
doesn’t come from what we do
or say
It comes all the same

And though I’m between jobs
and making new traditions
and trusting in God for these next steps
Somehow or other
Christmas [will come] all the same
as it has come, every time before

In pandemics, wars and God knows what else
and though they are foregoing Christmas in the West Bank
in solidarity with Gaza, and I agree
I think, somehow or other
I have to believe

Christ is here all the same.

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


Still time to sign up

Want some help Getting ready for Advent?

Write an Advent Wreath Liturgy in a small personalized environment

Limit 10 people per workshop
This Zoom Workshop is designed for all levels and experiences for people to engage in prayer writing–using the scripture as your guide. This will be an instructional, small group (limit 10) and experiential workshop.

Mon Nov 27th 6-8pm (Eastern) $50 Per Person Tues Dec 5th 12:30-2:30pm
(As Advent will have already started, Katy will have an Advent Candle Liturgy for use, she will send you)

Led by Katy Stenta, Pastor, Writer and Educator
For more information to sign up, email Katyandtheword at gmail.com. Titled “Liturgy”

Katy Stenta is a regular contributor to Sermonsuite, (formerly) RevGalBlogPals, and is published in Enfleshed, Presbyterian’s Today and Outlook. She received her undergraduate in English and History and Minor on Philosophy at Oberlin, her M. Div. and MA in Christian Formation at Princeton Theological Seminary. She is currently pursuing her D. Min. in Creative Writing as a Public Theologian at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. She also writes personal prayers regularly at katyandtheword.com.
(Min. 3 People to run)

Extended Advent

RCL
Matthew 25:31-46
Psalm 95:1-7a
Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24
Ephesians 1:15-23

Preparing for One another, Prophecy of God’s Coming

Call to Worship (Based on Ezekiel 34:11-6)
God promises to seek us out, and gather us together
Even as we seek Jesus, Jesus seeks us
We are preparing for Christ, Christ is preparing for us
Come let us seek the face of God together

Call to Confession: God is even now preparing the table for our feast. Let us lay down our yokes, bags and heavy burdens, so that we might be better able to recognize Christ’s presences among us.

Prayer of Confession: God we confess that we are so anxious to see you that sometimes we are unable to see the needs in front of us. We forget that you are the Good Shepherd who longs to care and feed all of your sheep. We forget that your mother Mary proclaimed your birth with cries of justice and the hope of filling the earth with good things to eat. Teach us to celebrate your arrival with generosity and thanksgiving as an ongoing practicum throughout our lives we pray. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon: We are the people of God’s pasture and the sheep of God’s hand–today we have heard God’s voice and are forgiven, let us proclaim the good news to one another: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven. Amen.

Prayer of the Day/Collect: Let us come into God’s presence with Thanksgiving, ready to see the face of Jesus in the least of these, the hungry, the poor, the impisoned, the immigrant and the thirsty. And then God, help us, empower us and energize us to be your arms and hands, and to go into the world to help all those in need we pray. Remind us that we are doing this in your name, and that every time we demonstrate belatedness, we see the face of Jesus, in your name we pray. Amen.

Candle of Thanksgiving/Preparation:

We light this candle in anticipation
We gather this candle for all the people are going to be fed this week
we light this candle in thanksgiving for good things to eat, clothing, and water
We light this candle in anticipation of the day everyone gets what they need and the world will be at peace
God we are awaiting you
Jesus help us to prepare the way




Sign Up Now

It is not too late
Sign up for this morning workshop/retreat
and learn how to write prayers.

Do you want to learn how to write prayers and liturgy? Psalms and Calls to Worship? Confessions and Personal Prayers? This Zoom Workshop is designed for all levels and experiences for people to engage in prayer writing–using the scripture as your guide. This will be an instructional, small group (limit 10) and experiential workshop.

Friday November 17th 10am-12pm (Eastern) $50 Per Person

Led by Katy Stenta, Pastor, Writer and Educator

For more information to sign up, email Katyandtheword at gmail.com. Titled “Liturgy”

Katy Stenta is a regular contributor to Sermonsuite, (formerly) RevGalBlogPals, and is published in Enfleshed, Presbyterian’s Today and Outlook. She received her undergraduate in English and History and Minor on Philosophy at Oberlin, her M. Div. and MA in Christian Formation at Princeton Theological Seminary. She is currently pursuing her D. Min. in Creative Writing as a Public Theologian at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. She also writes personal prayers regularly at katyandtheword.com.

(Min. 3 People to run)

O Come, O Come Emmanuel, Magnificat Version

Verse 1
O Come and help us magnify
Your justice in our heart and mind
Tear down the power structures that be
And the rich send away empty

Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Those Who Seek

O Come thou mighty and find
Ways to scatter the powerful n proud
And show your strength through grace and mercy
And exalt those who are humble and meek. [Refrain]

Verse 2
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captives from all war
who mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear. [Refrain]

Verse 3
O come, thou Wisdom from on high,
who orderest all things mightily:
to us the path of knowledge show;
and teach us in her ways to go. [Refrain]

Verse 4
O come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer
our spirits by thine advent here;
disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
and death’s dark shadows put to flight. [Refrain]

Verse 5
O come, thou Root of Jesse, free
thine own from ev’ry kind of tyranny;
from depths of greed thy people save
and give them victory o’er the grave. [Refrain]

Verse 6
O come, Desire of nations, bind
all peoples in one heart and mind;
bid envy, strife, and discord cease;
fill the whole world with heaven’s peace. [Refrain]

Feel free to use with credit to pastor Katy Stenta “katyandtheword”

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”