September 24th Jacob Wrestles God

Finding God: Blessings and Belonging
Jacob Wrestles God
Genesis 32:[9-13], 22-30
Mark 14:32-36

Wrestling God: Topical Prayer/Poem

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.

Call to Worship
God you are with us
You give us the space to wrestle
God you find us when we are worried and alone
Bless us God today

Call to Worship
God of blessings
Bless us
Wrestling, Hoping, Lonesome or Hurting, You bless us
Let us walk away blessed today

Call to Confession: Whatever we are wrestling with, God can handle, Let us trust that God can wrestle with it too today.

Prayer of Confession: God, we feel like Jacob, needing to wrestle some more. The struggle, as they say, is real. We are weighed down with our past mistakes. We feel the pain of loneliness. We feel unworthy of the blessings you have awaiting us, and we have to wrestle first. Forgive us, teach us that we are beloved, and that you are ready to call us, by our chosen names, and bless us. In Jesus’s name we pray. (Silent Confession) Amen.

Assurance of Pardon: Hear the Good News, Blessings are not Pie, they flow from the cup overflowing grace of Jesus Christ, so we know the truth: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven, Amen.

Prayer of the Day/Dedication: God we know that the struggle is real. We are thankful that Jesus sees and understands when we limp along. Bolster us as we walk into the world today we pray. Amen.

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.

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”

Sept 17th Isaac Born to Sarah

Finding God…. of possibilities

Isaac Born to Sarah
Genesis 18:1-15; 21:1-7
Mark 10:27

Topical Prayer: God of Laughter

Call to Worship
God of Laughter, inspire us
Walk with us on our journey
God of hospitality, remind us that you are with us
Gather us close to you today God.

Call to Confession: Remember that God loves us exactly as we are, come let us confess ourselves to God

Prayer of Confession: God we confess that we do not believe that with you all things are possible. Instead we remember all the things that stand in our way. We think of ourselves as impossible: too young, too old, too weird, too poor, too ungifted. We would laugh at the impossibility, but we are afraid to do even that. Forgive us, teach us that it is ok to feel helpless, it is ok to understand that things are impossible. Help us to find the good humor of Sarah, the hospitality of Abraham and the Graciousness of God we pray. (Silent Prayer) Amen.

Assurance of Pardon: Jesus loves us and walks with us, he forgive us always. Friends proclaim the good news to one another: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven. Amen.

Prayer of Dedication: God we are so thankful of how Sarah found your grace, with laughter. May we too be blessed with that grace as we walk into the world we pray. Amen.

Topical Prayer: God of Laughter

Notes: Finding God through laughter: Sarah laughs at God and as a woman (for whom no doubt it would be very dangerous to laugh at those in power/a man) finds not punishment but grace. How beautiful our God is one who can be laughed with/at.

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.

More than hot takes…

If you want to know why pastors are leaving ministry
There’s a lot of people to compassionately ask—but don’t do it the minute they are leaving maybe?
If the PCUSA wanted to do a study (which are are renowned for) we could, but a study is just the beginning of the work…

I personally asked around during Covid and 30-40 PCUSA pastors told me very personal, very heartfelt stories about why they were leaving ministry.

I carry them in my heart and pray for them a lot because I want them to be happy where they are 🙂 (I realize I should clarify this) and some of them need healing and some of them might come back but only a couple and only if it’s right. After almost every conversation I affirmed every person’s choice to leave, because of course they were doing the right thing for them.

And of course every SINGLE person had legitimate huge, really hard, personal reasons for leaving that made the choice really valid and really tough.

But maybe it doesn’t have to be this way.

Maybe it does. Maybe ministry is a dying profession no matter what.

However, if we wanted to change the way pastors are paid and supported we could. Pay and congregational support/treatment were the two most named reasons. (Status due to gender, race and sexuality were also huge).

I still am hoping we will. Because I bet it will help the church to change into the justice bearing entity the way it needs to be.

Either way, I’m glad we are starting the conversation.

A Prayer for the Pastors

Here’s a Prayer for the Pastors
All the Pastors
The ones who feel heard
and the ones who don’t

The ones who are ready to quit
and the ones who left years ago…quietly…without any recognition
Or maybe without apologies or healing
God knows your work and calls it good

Here’s a prayer for the pastors who were told suck it up buttercup
and the ones who are faithfully, quietly serving–without any fanfare or anything close to a living wage
May justice flood down like water

Here’s a prayer for the bivocational pastors
The stretched thin sandwich generation or parental parents
the disabled or otherwise doing too much pastors
the am-I-worthy-because-I’m working four things but none-of-them-technially-count-as-a-call pastors
May God bless all the kinds of your work

Here’s a prayer for the pastors–who know every situation is different
who won’t speak their hurt in public, because it crosses too many boundaries
But it’s there

And for the pastors–for whom, its less specific
It is just the quiet knowledge–that the profession is fading
and that if there was a will, things might be sustainable
..but everyone seems to instead wring their hands, and talk about the beloved buildings…and Sunday Schools that can no longer exist and sports on Sunday
May God hold you in the palm of God’s hand

Here’s a prayer for the pastors
who are trying to set boundaries
trying not to be caught up in all the things they could be doing
and trying to figure out what they should and shouldn’t be doing
Here’s a prayer for the juggling pastors
Jesus calls you to do what you can and also give you room to rest

Here’s a prayer for the pastor
Who is not Jesus, but is trying to serve
the faithful pastor who is trying to see both
the church as it is..and as it is forming to be
God bless you pastor
and God bless your people
May you have a good ministry
And may you stop when you need to
Here’s a prayer for all the unique pastors
Whoever you are, wherever you are

May you know that your ministry matters
Traditional, Nontraditional, Parish or Beyond
It all counts, I believe you are called by God,
By Name
And it all counts, and I am praying for you.

Amen.

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

Narrative Lectionary: Year 2

Finding God

Sept 10th NL201
Garden of Eden
Genesis 2:4b-25
Mark 1:16-20
Mark 10:6-8

Sept 18th NL 202
Isaac Born to Sarah
Genesis 18:1-15; 21:1-7
Mark 10:27
Topical Prayer: God of Laughter

Sept 24th NL 203
Jacob Wrestles God
Genesis 32:[9-13], 22-30
Mark 14:32-36

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.

Finding God: Garden of Eden

Sept 10th NL201
Garden of Eden
Genesis 2:4b-25
Mark 1:16-20
Mark 10:6-8

Call to Worship:
God created us in companionship
God created us to be good
Come let us worship God the Creator
Come let us be in communion with God

Call to worship
We are God-breathed beings
It is good to dwell with God
We are called to be with God
Come let us spend some time with God together

Call to Confession: God calls us all to unburden everything to God, come let us give ourselves to the Divine.

Prayer of Confession: God, we come to you imperfect, but still your creation. When we feel alone or incomplete, walk with us we pray. Remind us that you still are there, calling our name, creating connections and companionship for us–walking with us wherever we go. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon: Hear the Good News, Jesus calls us to him again and again, therefore we know the truth. In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.

Prayer of the Day/Dedication: God, you created us, you breathed life into us, you have walked with us. Continue to remind us of your love, continue to remind us how you call us by name, each and every day as we walk into the world we pray. Amen.

Hymns: In the Garden, God Who Stretched the Spangled Heavens, God Created Heaven and Earth, I Sing the Mighty Power of God