christianity – katyandtheword

Advent Candles, Narrative Lectionary & RCL, Blue Christmas, Advent Hymns to Christmas Tunes Other Useful Links

Advent Candles

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

Week 1

God of Hope you Sustain us
Even when the world is on fire
We walk with you, and hear your voice
We walk with you, and follow your voice
We hope for a better world, in the meantime, send angels, messengers with your voice
Walk with us, Fill us with the courage to walk with one another
Even the world feels on fire
Fill us with Hope

Possible Advent Hymns: Open my Eyes that I May See, Live Into Hope, Taize: Bless the Lord My Soul

Week 2

God of Peace you sustain us
When we do not know the answer, you wait with us
When we are full of questions, You accept our ponderings
Help us to imagine a world of peace
Breathe on us your Holy Spirit, so that we can live into your Kin(g)dom

Fill us with Peace

Possible Advent Hymns: God of Peace, Comfort, Comfort You My People Taize: Nada The Turbe, God of Peace (to the tune of Silent Night)

Week 3
God of Joy, you quench us
You promise fulfillment in all the ways
God you know that joy is more than happiness, it is shalom, being complete
It is abundant gardens, full stomaches, justice and equity for all
We rejoice that you are a God who answers when we call,
Fill us with Joy

Possible Advent Hymn: It Came Upon a Midnight Clear (which could be an advent one), Taize, The Kingdom of God

Week 4

God of Love you accept us
You embody community and belovedness, one with the dark and the light.
You cloaked in mystery, and yet contain all knowledge
You are one, yet many
You are love, and teach us belovedness
Fill us with Love

Possible Advent Hymn: Love that Wilt Not Let Me Go, Taize: Magnificat

RCL Advent Candles: Primarily Based on Isaiah: Theme God the Gardener

Week 1

God you plant the seeds of hope
God’s house will be the place for all people
Laying the groundwork for peace, joy and love
All Peoples shall stream to God’s mountain
Hoping to Learn from God
We hope together

Week 2

God, the seeds of peace are shooting out of the stump of Jesse
Equity is growing, so that the wild animal and the tame shall live together
Shalom shall grow, such peace, that all children shall be safe
None shall harm on God’s holy mountain
Peace will be pursued
We seek peace together

Week 3

God will nourish the land, so that the land itself will blossoms of joy.
All will know God’s glory, weak hands will be made strong.
Say to those with a fearful heart, “Be strong, do not fear, Here is your God.”
We will rejoice in the healing of God, no traveller will be harmed by wild animals
All shall safely and joyfully be able to go our merry way
We can rejoice together

Week 4
God’s Divine love will continue through the gift of a child, Immanuel
God tends to the garden of the world by giving us Godself
God with us, a child, Love embodied
God loves us
We are beloved
We can be loved together

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

More Advent Hymns to Christmas Tunes

Blue Christmas

Magnificat Prayer collection (so far)

We 3 Kings: alternative Version

If you want a doc version of this email KatyandtheWord at gmail Title ADVENT candles (specify RCL or Narrative) and I will email you a document for easier formatting

With gratitude for all who supported My D.Min. degree

If you appreciate my work, Feel free to support it at Venmo @Katy-Stenta (last four 7841), Paypal @KatyStenta, Google Pay Katyandtheword at gmail

Rejecting Evil, Finding Creativity

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”

Have you considered becoming a part of the NEXT church community?

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

Accessible God

My God is the Immigrant God
The son of a slave
(I’m sorry do we usually translate Mary as a servant?)
The God of the found Family
the God of Queer Joseph
prancing around
in their lady’s cloak..
coat of many colors

God sees and hears the trauma
In the stories and sees the perspectives
we miss
Holding our hand
as we untangle the narrative
that we need to hear
Helping us to
get to a place of
true sanctuary
community
and Shalom: wholeness, defragmentation, peace

Our God is the accessible God
not contained to Jerusalem
Ephraim
God can be worshipped anywhere
even in
Samaria

And so God says–remember
I am the immigrant God

And when David says
Solomon says
humans say
I’ll build you a building
God says
Why would
I
EVER
Want to be
Contained in that

I’m really glad we listened to you on that one

Our God is the expanding God
The one who turns the “bad Moabites” sterotype
on it’s head with Ruth
The one who contrasts the evil people from Uz
with blameless Job
the one who shows the wholeness of personhood
Of foreigners and eunuchs
(God of immigrants)
with the magi and the baptistism of the African Eunuch
And the Samaritans, those neighbors too like the Hebrews
become “Good” in the neighbor parable of Jesus

“THE BIBLE IS CLEAR: Moabites are bad. They were not allow to dwell among God’s people (Dt. 23) BUT THEN comes the story of “Ruth the MOabit” which challenges the predjudices against Moabites. THE BIBLE IS CLEAR: People from Uz are evil (Jer. 25) BUT THEN comes the story of Job a man from Uz who was the “most blameless man on earth.” THE BIBLE IS CLEAR: No foreigners or eunuchs allowed (Dt. 23) BUT THEN comes the story of an African eunuch welcomed into the church (Acts 8). : God’s people hated Samaritans BUT THEN Jesus tells a story that show snot all Samaritans are bad. THE STORY MAY BEGIN with prejudice, discrimintaitono and animosity, but the Spirit moves God’s people towards openness, inclusion, acceptance and affirmation.

God is a protest God
who sends yelling Prophets
and Fighting Judges of Justice
and Well Endowed Women to back
Jesus and his disciples

God is many things
a mover
a shaker
a creator
an artist
someone helping those
in the corner of your eye

Affirming the full personhood
of all those you meet

What God is not is
a Kingmaker
A wealthproducer
An institution creator
a power propper

The Divine has no interest in
human machinations
they are but
wisps
and string
Unimportant

God is interested in
how people
and relationships will flourish
Giving life and personhood
to all….
Moving in
Unexpected ways
(Which is probably why
we think the Divine is so mystery)

Thank God
for that!

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

*with thanks to Aemina Razzina for her book and discussions about “Healing Together” to help inspire this prayer https://www.everand.com/book/813879316/Healing-Together-Trauma-Informed-Care-for-Spiritually-Integrated-Communities

God of all things

You are the God of all people
Too many to mention
When I try to list all the kinds of people you are God of
I get caught up
In who and what you are the God of
And yet, it helps,
I find
To start to name
How you are God
to people who are struggling right now
And so I lift your name in praise today

You of the God of Weather Predictors
The God who keeps humanity humble because we cannot
even tell you if it will rain tomorrow–but you help us to develop
the science for national disasters, and to be overprepared–and then to complain when the disasters never hit as hard as predicted. You paint the sky in rainbows, reminding us that you love us, and never want us to be hurt by disasters. You remind us that you are the God of love and peace–and remind us too to hang our weapons us as well.

You are the God of Immigrants
Calling your people to get up and journey, so many times
And to never forget that we are all immigrants at some point in our lives: emotional, spiritual, mental, physical, and so we are are never to mistreat immigrants. If only, God, if only we would remember your words and treat immigrants with love and respect, because you make crystal that you are the God of immigrants. The God of those displaced: by violence, by climate change and those who simply had to leave because they felt it in their hearts. Whatever the reason, you know that immigration is an important part of human existence.

You God of tireless Data recorders. You call yourself the Keeper, the God who keeps track, the Great Mathematician. You know every hair on our head, every grain of sand, every star in the sky–so God you know
Thank God, you know….
The unseen and unknown Piles of Paperwork
The God of Government workers who do mysterious things that we don’t even know–you are the God of tax collectors–every single person I know who has had to work with the IRS is relieved how nice they are. You are also, the blessed God of grant filers and grant fulfillers. The God who knows that it takes a special kind of spirit to keep the lights on in any kind of place that serves.

You are the God of the arts, the God that knows that we need creativity, theater, museums, reading. The God who understands that we are herd animals who need places to gather and just be. A God who wants us to just wonder at life. You give us the power to name all things, so that we too can pursue the arts and be creative as we find all ways to “name” and create new ways to understand the world. You are the God of creativity.

The God of Education and those who need to be Educated
The God of Teachers who somehow make it to the end of the year–and all the children, teenagers and adults who are juggling everything who make it too. You are up with the janitors and bus drivers in the morning, and hold the hands of those studying and grading into the night. You accompany us in Psalms, reminding us that you are with us from the wee hours to the earliest dawn of the days.

You are the God of the disabled, For you understand what it means to be fully human, but different. To come into resurrection scarred and not whole. The Resurrected Jesus came with Holes in his arms and his side–because all of us who live long enough will not be fully abled anymore. It is a part of being human, and that does not stop God from being our God. God does not bless those who are able bodied. God loves us exactly as we are.
God loves all of us, the young, the elderly, the healthy, the frail
The doctors, the nurses, the caretaking, the hospice workers, the sick.
You are the God of all. God help us to understand that we are not valued by what we do, or how much work we produce, but instead you walk with those on the journey of care–breathing in and out as they make whatever journey they make in these handcrafted, beautiful and imperfect human bodies of ours.

God, I could go on and on about who you are the God of…

You are the God of the Veterans, who deserve love and care every step of their live, not just when they have served their country: for you have said “Feed my Sheep.”

You are the God of the LGBTQIA community, for you have said “Love one another” and there is no asterisk on that command, and you give us to one another as family, and teach us to love and care for each other from the baptizing of the Ethiopian Eunuch to the understanding that in Jesus Christ “There is no male nor female, no Greek nor Hebrew no slave nor free.”

God you are the God of all of those who are being
pushed away
forgotten
stifled
ignored

And yet

That does not stop the reality
You see all people
value them
Call them into being
Value the fullness of who they are
You love them
Because of who they are

God of all people
Help us to remember that
When others try to
Grind our identities into nothing

Remind us
of our belatedness in God
we pray
Amen.

Psalm 41:1-3

God
We are calling down
Your protection

Because
I see the face
of terrified
College students
of Brown People with
Tattoos

Echoing
Those of
Separated
Families
at the border

I am still haunted
by a picture of
their jewelry
and crosses
piled like
Jewish
loot
during
the Holocaust

And the Fragile
Gaza
peace
has been broken

and so I pray
Protection
For the families

And for the Soldiers
in Yemen
And around the world

As OPSEC is said
but not Enacted

Though truly
My heart
Longs for Peace
I pray for a language
beyond bombs
and threats
and bullying

and even tariffs

Staunch Pacifist that I am

As the budget for food
and Veterans are cuts
but the Military remains
bloats
Military Industrial Complex
Indeed Lord, I cry

And God,
I cry out for all of those
with Cancer
longing for Treatment
whose funding was cut
The researchers
who have been sustained
I know that God
You work to sustain
All those with infirmities
I pray that you will work
To heal all infirmities

Open the ears and hearts
of those who need to
understand
Melt those with
hearts and brains of stone

Melt them
Reverse their Decisions
Transform things so Completely
That we do not even Recognize things

For God you know
When we pray for Health
We are praying for a healthy
World–
Not for just ourselves
But for me, my neighbor, my enemy
to all be transformed into
(almost unrecognizable) signs of mercy
Signs of the Kin(g)dom
And so I pray
For a Forgiveness of Debts
That I cannot comprehend

For Food for all people
In a Dailyness of Bread

For the coming of your Glory
Which of course will be in Mercy

And for
Your Kin(g)dom Come
Your Will Be done
Amen,
Amen.

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

Psalm 41:1-3

¹ Happy are those who consider the poor;^* (marginal/oppressed)
   the Lord delivers them in the day of trouble.
² The Lord protects(guards them/covenants with them) them and keeps them alive;(like a. shepherd guards a sheep, like a sacred duty, like a hedge of protection)
   they are called happy in the land. (It will be a gifting, a granting)
   You do not give them up to the will of their enemies.
³ The Lord sustains them on their sickbed; (a sustain, supporting, comforting, stability and continuity))
   in their illness you heal all their infirmities.^* (Healed and transformed, reversed, turn over a new leaf) The grace and mercy of God will be through compassion.

Narrative Lectionary, Luke, Year 3, Lent 6

April 13
Lent 6
Passion/Palm Sunday
Luke 19:29-44
Psalm 118:19-23
Triumph Entry, Jesus Weeps
Lost Peace? God weeps with you

Call to Worship
Let God open the gates of Equity
Whenever God opens them, I give thanks
When God opens the gates Justice will enter
I thank God who answers prayers—and becomes Liberation
The stone that the builders reject will become the chief cornerstone, it is God’s doing
God’s steadfast love endures forever, Praise God!

Call to Worship
When God opens the Gates, we shall know
Equity, Justice and Liberation will flow in the form of Lovingkindness
All that seemed marginal and rejected before, will become marginal
In God’s world, everything will be upside down, and peace will finally be prioritized
We love God who is all about love, salvation and redemption.
How can you no praise that kind of God? Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Prayer of Confession: God, we confess that we get tangled up in our words, thinking that this story is all about judgement instead of empathy. We confess that too often we are looking for the bad guys, instead of the purveyors of peace. Forgive us, teach us how to plant, sow and understand peace we pray. Amen.

Prayer of Confession: Jesus, we confess that sometimes we want to weep without stopping. We feel stuck in the Good Friday moment, and we do not feel like a resurrection people at all. Sit with us when we cry, and teach us how to get up, walk and take the next steps we pray. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon: Hear the Good News: Nothing can separate us from the love of Jesus Christ, nothing in the present, past or future. No angels, demons, laws, rules, governments, powers, principalities, churches or anything else. So hear and know in your hearts the Good, Good News. In Jesus Christ we are forgiven. Amen.

Prayer of the Day/Dedication: God send us into the world, remembering that Jesus became fully human to walk and be with us. May we try to be fully present in love with one another too. Amen.

Children: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Viorst (bad things don’t take away from the good things, but good things don’t take away from the bad things in life) https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/alexander-and-the-terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad-day_judith-viorst/253652/?resultid=b18ddc0d-6f7a-42ac-81a1-e6f4798e79ad#edition=2284278&idiq=4130587

Paperback Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day Book

Narrative Lectionary Luke 3, Lent 2

March 16
Lent 2
Lament over Jerusalem/Fig Tree Bore No Fruit
Luke 13:1-9, 31-35
Psalm 122
Lost Fruit/People? God Gives Time and Dirt (remember what humans are formed with)

Call to Worship (based on Psalm 122)
I am glad, whenever I make it to God’s House
We stand at the Gates of God, and sigh
We are heading towards God, bind us together
Peace is on our lips
Put it in our hearts
Come let us experience the fruit of God

Prayer of Confession

God, we are looking for the fruit of our labors, and yet, we confess that it seems to be missing. Where is it? We are frustrated! Grant us patience, fertilizer, dirt, time, all of the time we need. Grant us the peace to grow we pray. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon: God of Time, a thousand years is like a day for you, and so we know that your forgiveness is quick. We will linger in your steadfast love and the truth: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.

Prayer of Confession: God we confess that we long for your sanctuary and to seek your walls, but it is hard to get you. We cannot always find your peace. We can’t always get to church, find time to pray, or even remember that you are there to shout to God? Help us when we cannot find the ways to access you God, to take the time and space to do so, we pray. Remind us that you will fill the space for us. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon: Jesus is the Prince of Peace, therefore we can rest in the truth In Jesus Christ we are Forgiven

Prayer of the Day/Dedication: God, remind us as we enter the world, that you will give us time and food that we need, grant us the gift to do the same for others we pray. Amen.

Children’s Story: The Carrot Seed https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-carrot-seed-by-ruth-krauss/285680/?resultid=242d96a7-6ea9-4c2e-babe-8aefdb988163#edition=1904277&idiq=1569512

Paperback The Carrot Seed: 75th Anniversary Book

Narrative Lectionary Lent 1, Year 3 Luke

Under Construction

Food for thought: Build Knowledge and Community, not information: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFNixEuOv3L/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Lost Neighbors? God brings Strangers/Enemies/Immigrants

(Lost in shoulds, God gives us calling (To sit at the feet of Jesus is to be disciple/be called to be a rabbi)

March 9th
Lent 1
Good Samaritan/Mary and Martha
Luke 10:25-42
Psalm 15

Lost Neighbors? God brings Strangers/Enemies/Immigrants

Call to Worship (based on Psalm 15)

Come let us dwell with God
Come let us sit in God’s honesty
Let us find our deepness here
Come we want to honor imago dei in one another
May we be near each other and God
Come, let us dwell in God together

Call to Worship
Come let us find our neighbors
The big, small, near and the far
Who is our neighbor?
Come let us find our neighbor with God
Come let us build a community with God
Come let us dwell with God and neighbor today

Prayer of Confession: God we confess, sometimes we do not want to admit that those who need help are close enough to be our neighbors. However, you remind us that anyone who is helper is a neighbor. Teach us to build neighborhoods of love we pray. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon: Let us dwell in the Good News of God, God is here to forgive us so we can live in community with one another, so we know the truth: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.

Prayer of Confession: God we confess that I do not always see imago dei, your image in the eyes of those human beings around us. Sometimes we find people too annoying, different or mean to find any image of God in them. And yet you remind us, there is no one who is not made in your image. Teach us, how to see humanity in your image we pray. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon: Hear the Good News, God loves us and calls us by name, so we know the truth, in Jesus Christ we are forgiven. Amen.

Prayer of Confession: God we confess we are always comparing ourselves, we are in tumult over surviving the world, like Martha. However let our anxiety not take away from the good in the world. Teach us to understand both our Mary and Martha parts we pray. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon: Jesus loves us exactly as we are, so let us dwell in the grace of Christ knowing the truth: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven. Amen

Prayer of Dedication/Day: God, may we go into the world knowing that you are inspiring us to heal, bless and find neighbors through all the gifts that we are given. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen

Children’s Story: Stone Soup Recipe: https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/stone-soup/ Book https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/stone-soup-by-marcia-brown/274361/?resultid=5c371ce3-18d1-497f-b31b-a89536ac617e#edition=3803531&idiq=3865219

NL324: Healing on the Sabbath Liturgy

Scripture Reading
Psalm 92
Luke 6:1-16

Call to Worship
Still Again, let us declare God’s steadfast Love, with songs, instruments and praise
For God makes our hearts glad by your work, by the works of God’s very hand, we sing for joy!
God’s works are great, and God’s thoughts are too deep to even know; destruction and nothingness have nothing to do with you
God of the Covenant, we will rest with you
Come, let us seek sanctuary and Sabbath with God
Come, let us rest with Jesus

Prayer of Confession: (All) God we admit that we long for wholeness, and healing and peace and all of that, but confess that we feel like it is something that we need to achieve instead of seek. Help us to find Sabbath, to sit and be with the Lord of the Sabbath with Pray. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon: Hear the good news, Jesus is walking with us, teaching us and healing us, thus we know the good news: (All) In Jesus Christ we are forgiven. Amen

Offering/Dedication Prayer: God, may we use these and all our gifts for rest, healing and wholeness as we go into the world we pray. Amen.

Children’s Sermon: Remember that God rested on the 7th Day, so it is not surprising that Jesus wanted to honor resting/healing with the disciples even before he chose them/got to work with them