Tag: God

Joy

Joy
is not a platitude
though sometimes
we use it as a mask

Joy is not smile
Jesus loves you
it is not happiness

Have you seen
a joyful child?
the gift of their giggles
the wonder of life
borne from love
(yes I am writing
all bornes with
poetic “e”s this season)

Joy is rebellious
it is deep-rooted sense
of differentiated
Belonging
to Community
Creation
and Self
All at Once

it is the ability
to still Create
even in the Midst
of Grief

Joy is Art

Joy to the World
Is practicing
Advent
claiming the
Holy Imaginings
for better
How Much More
For Proclaiming Lament
And Claiming Tomorrow

Joy is the In-Breaking Christmas
In the Midst of Advent

Even the Ancient Priests had Proclaim in Pink
Excuse me I mean Rose
Because they could not hold back
the Gaudy Carols of Christmas
During the Long Season
Of Advent
(and not just because it used to be
Six Weeks instead of Four)

God, you know,
That we know,
We are tired of this Advent Season
Yet
Somehow
You Teach us Joy
In Children
In Art
In Gardens
In Our Deep Longings for More

Remind us that
Joy
is a
Revolution*
Amen
Amen

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

To read more about How Joy is a Revolution

https://aestheticsofjoy.com/joy-is-an-act-of-resistance-how-celebration-sustains-activism-2/

https://www.whatcompjc.org/blog/august-03rd-2020

“Incite Joy” By Gay Ross from your local bookstore

Community

May be a graphic of text

Without community there is no liberation-Audre Lorde

NL and RCL covers Elijah going to the Widow of Sidon during the drought. She says “I don’t know why YOUR God sent you here, I have but one meal left for my son and I and then we will die.” She talks about the pain, loneliness and shame of having nothing. Elijah then asks–“Do you have a cup of water?” and she agrees (I like to think begrudgingly as a tough woman) that she does.

Over this established Table Fellowship and Hospitality Elijah offers pastoral care to a widow. I like to think that as she opens her heart to him, she feels seen and heard, and she realizes that the table fellowship was a moment of openness that was just the beginning of a beautiful friendship. He then says that if they establish a community, that she, her son and he will not run out of the oil, meal/flour (and one would think Elijah would then help to gather the wood to cook them).

Mutual aid works because people who have little share what they have and form strong bonds of community. Community is formed here hospitality, pastoral care, table fellowship and mutual aid, among foreigners of different races, religions, genders, and socio-economic statuses. Community is not just about leadership, but about what the people do to help one another along the way, in the times of trouble when the leadership was terrible Elijah and the widow formed community. This is the work, the hope and the blessing that is before us. 1 Kings 17:8-16

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May be an image of text that says 'taco belle @animalologist People often romanticize "being in community" without realizing that community is formed and sustained through reciprocity fulfilling mutual obligations to one another and that this is sometimes inconvenient and taxing! But you can't receive support without offering it'

People often romanticize “being in community” without realizing community is formed and sustained through reciprocity—fulfilling mutual obligations to one another—and that this is sometimes inconvenient and often taxing! But your can’t receive support without offering it! by Baena@Silkyyy with thanks to decolonizing.love on Facebook for the images

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

Strategically Undervalued, A Prayer

Via: farmerricshi I tried a new phrase in a meeting today. Instead of “underserved,” “underprivileged” “historically marginalized,” 

Try Strategically undervalued.”

I like it because it emphasizes the purposefulness of racism(rather that the historically” which gives a kind of happenstance energy) and uplifts the community, rather than emphasizing the marginalization. 

God
Almighty
in
Heaven

This is
definitely a
“Do not put your
trust in princes
powers
or principalities”
week

as the value of
actual human
beings
was strategically
cleverly
humorously
manically
and with
immediate
deniability

undervalued

The weariness of
political clamor
falls away some

God
you understand
that this is
systematic
dehumanization

Bad theology
kills

And that

for us

Christians
imago
dei
is essential
for faith

We
carry God

And that
God contains
multitudes

God is community
To deny
the complexity
of humanity

To make
the human
experience
one

is to
lose
faith

God
I pray for
humanity


re-human-ing
I pray for
peace

I carry
hope
that we
will find
flashes
of true community

Walk with us
in this time of
anger and fear
we pray.
Amen

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

Stormy Prayer

God,
We are so tired
Of
Unnatural Disasters
1, in a 1,000 chance
Hurricane, Flood, Tropical Storm
Things

Holy Spirit
We do not have to tell you
the weariness
the dwells
within
our very Souls

It is the weariness
that aches
as we
try to figure out
Evacuate
or Stay
What path is the storm
taking?

What Path is
Humanity Taking

Sweet Beloved
Peacemaking
Jesus
You know the trauma
that is being wrought
–this is not just about
climate change

Perhaps it has never been
It is humanity
trying to hold
hands with one another

before
during
and
after

these tragedies

And then
crying out
because we realize
we don’t know how

Teach us
to sit with
the Job’s
who have
lost everything

Teach us to
understand the
bitter Mara’s
and the
resourceful
Naomi’s
with their found
families

Teach us to
listen to the
leadership
of the Esther
who stand up
for the marginalized
and forgotten
at such a time
as this
during trauma
and devastation

Teach us to
sing with Miriam
when there are
moments of joy
and triumph
even in the sadness.

Walk with us God
and teach us
how to love one
another
and care for
your world
and all the humans
in it
we pray.
Amen.

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

PHOTO: 

MOUNTAIN MULE PACKER RANCH

 Photo from: https://www.southernliving.com/hurricane-helene-north-carolina-mules-8721273

Gardens, not Robots, a prayer

God,
I just don’t know–
everything seems unstable
We long for leadership
Security

We would like someone
to set us up
to go
like grand leader
or perhaps a master mechanic

It reminds me of when the Hebrew people
just wanted a King
to swoop in and fix everything
and they got David
who was kind of an Ass

God’s ass, but still

God you know
that we know
that there is no perfect leader
to save us right now

that it is time to take
responsibility
and start tending
things ourselves

And maybe
that is why we are so
scared
confused
tired

We would rather be on
auto-pilot
But we are not robots

And the God created us
in a Garden
Growing slowing
and differently

@joynessthebrave “you are not a machine. you are more like a garden. you need different things on different days. a little sun today. a little water tomorrow. you have fallow and fruitful seasons. it is not a design flaw. it is wiser than perpetual sameness. what does your garden need today?”

God teach us to
think
listen
respond

Help us to tend
what needs to be tending
we pray.
Amen

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

More like guidelines

Jesus: I came because the commandment thing…well..it wasn’t working in the first place (and Christians have a weird understanding anyway of it. See below)
You have heard it said posting the law is the answer
But Truly I say to you the law has been fulfilled so that you are redeemed by grace, overflowing and freely given—And that grace is better than the law.

The code is more like “guidelines” than actual rules

By Pastor Katy Stenta “Katyandtheword”

The Bible is Queer

The Bible is Queer

God I remember–when you came out of the closet–
Flaming!

And Moses, said, What are your Pronouns?
And God says, I am what I am

And Moses says,
Cool, I gotch-you, You’re the God of Pronouns!

And, God says, Good, because I have a feeling,
This will get more complicated!

And then People were doing Violence to one another
So God turned the World On and then Off again

And sent the animals two by two Upon a boat
And hung up God’s weapon, a Bow (that’s an old school gun)

And said, I’m hanging up my weapon, so you will hang up yours
As a sign that Love is Love is Love is Love

And Noah said Cool
And God said, Cool, Because I have a Feeling this might get misconstrued someday

God I remember when Joseph
Draped themselves in a Lady’s Coat

And their bros made fun of them
And tried to feed them to the Lions

And God said, Nope, I claim the Queer One
And then we “retranslated” it as a Rainbow coat, so no one will understand them as Queer

(And you laughed again God, didn’t you? You mysterious and all knowing I Am)

And then Joseph said what you meant for Evil, God meant for Good
No one can take away my God, And God said mmm-mmmmm

And I remember Isaiah, where the prophet saw God,
And clearly identified God as multiples, and referred to God as them

And scholars thought up a new word Trinity–
And we ignored the singular/multiple thing–and God waited, patiently as only God can, for it to dawn upon us.

And then there was when Ruth declared her love and devotion for Naomi
And said where you go I will go, your people will be my people, your God will be my God

And God laughed and said, this will be the foundation text for weddings
This found-family declaration between two women, shh! Don’t tell the Conservatives.

And then came Jesus who instructed us, “Care for the Least of these”
and “Let no one revile you in my name” and “Welcome the Stranger”

And we nodded along like we knew what he meant
and then we disciples whispered among ourselves about exceptions

And God, God you knew
You knew. You knew before we knew

You know, the Bible is so Queer;
It would not even be the Bible, if it did not include rainbows and flames

It would not be Holy without found families
and radical, unconventional love

God only knows, that it is not us who gets to say who belongs to God;
it is but our job to practice welcome and hospitality

Someday, perhaps
we will get the laughter of angels right

Amen.

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

https://sojo.net/articles/joy-being-queer-and-christian/how-pride-flag-speaks-promises-god

Blessed Holy Trauma Week

Blessed Holy Trauma Week
Where the spying
on our friends
Come out to haunt
our Wednesdays
We feel the reality
That not all of our relationships
are safe

Where the Table
when we eat together
might feel haunted
by those who are missing
the ones who have died
Or the ones we are not speaking to
(hopefully for just now, Lord hear our prayer)
The echoes of lonesome pandemic times…

We remember that Jesus ate with Judas
and are comforted (How do you do that God?)

And the washing of the feet feels too much
But right

And some people are wedding
Bibles to constitutions
And we remember that Jesus said
That he would temple down
And that what he did was
rip the curtain that was separating the
so called “holy” people from the people
into smithreens (Holy Spirit flip these tables)

Blessed Holy Trauma Week
when your Youth Group Leader
Dies of Breast cancer that she has been battling
Basically since the day you met her
She counseled, supported
Got you the hall for your wedding
Sponsored your call to ministry…

Blessed Holy Trauma Week
When Friday is supposed to be Good
But your car is in the shop
and you can’t get to worship
to cry at the cross
And you think about how trauma lives in your bones

Is not Jesus our very Sibling, who died in the cross?
Do we not say we die with him? How then do we not feel it?

And so you weep instead for the children in Gaza
Gaza–where the word gauze, the cloth for healing was made
And no hospital has any medicine for infection
And children are dying from malnutrition

Blessed Holy Trauma Week
where you have permission to be fully human
weak
pathetic
Empathetic
Sympathetic
To melt on the floor and weep
Because we are all only human
And Jesus Christ knows it
Crying utterly alone on the Cross

Does everything always happen on Holy Week?
All the ministry colleagues ask?

Yes
my soul answers

Blessed Holy Trauma Week
Where we are blessed to be fully human
Fully aware
and to breathe in and breathe out
in-between


Narrative Lectionary, Year 2, Easter Resurrection Sunday

Themes:
Disciples want to get close to Jesus, Jesus continually points the disciples to look outward
Kneeling with Christ :When Jesus Comes Every Knee will bow,
Because Christ will return as he came, Kneeling to Serve
And we will Kneel to be Beside him
The Promise of a New Kin-dom
A World Beyond Capitalism, Breaking Capitalism

March 31st Resurrection
Mark 16:1-8 Empty tomb, Fleeing
Psalm 118:21-27

Breath Prayer
Inhale: Resurrected Lord
Exhale: Resurrect us Lord

Inhale: Christ is Risen
Exhale: Christ is Risen Indeed

Call to Worship
God has already rolled the stone away
Come let us celebrate
Christ is risen
Christ is Risen indeed! Come let us praise the Resurrected Lord!

Call to Worship
This is the day that the Lord has made
The news feels overwhelming
Come let us worship and serve the Lord!
Come let us worship and serve the Lord!

Call to Confession: There is nothing too big for God, come let us confess ourselves to the Divine.

Prayer of Confession: God we confess that there is too much to take in. We confess that at times feel alarmed, and like we cannot find Jesus. Help us when we are overwhelmed with the news. Allow us time to take it in we pray. (Silent Prayer) Amen.

Prayer of Confession: God, we confess that we are not alway able to hear the news of resurrection and be your people. Help us to make the changes we need to be an Easter people we pray (Silent Prayer) Amen.

Assurance of Pardon: Hear the news, the stone has already been rolled away, the resurrection has already occurred, so we know the Good News, In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.

Prayer of the Day/Dedication: Jesus Christ, we are your people, loved, forgiven, redeemed. May we remember and hold it in our hearts no matter where we go. May we be your Easter people we pray. Amen.

Hymn Suggestions: Blessed Assurance Jesus is Mine, Live Into Hope.

Taize Option: Bless the Lord, Laudate Omens Gentes,

Children’s Activity: Play Hide and Seek Remind the Children they are always found by God (If the room is small play where’s Waldo with small Jesus figures)

Children’s Book: God is Like by Rachel Held Evans or Jesus the Word by Mark Francisco Bozzuti-Jones, A very Abridged Velveteen Rabbit is always a good option as well.

Entire Liturgy

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