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 too 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
And so Coming Out Day Blessings to those who can celebrate And safe spaces and sanctuary to those who can’t
May those who are Lesbian, Gay, Trans, Ace, Bisexual, Nonbinary, Queer, Androgynous, Demi, Intersex, Questioning, Omnigender, Poly, Pan, and of Two Spirit find the space to be their full self.
And may they scream or yell or ignore or bless God as wish– Because,
Because You are God, and you care to endure all those things when your children have suffered so
May we create a world where Coming Out day that is a true celebration and choice
May all people be celebrated in their fullness we pray–not because of the Bible, but just Because, We pray this together!
Amen.
Feel free to use/share/adapt with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta
If you want a document version of this entire series for easy viewing and formatting just email me at Katyandtheword at gmail and title it Narrative Lectionary and I will be happy to send it to you.
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Call to Confession: Come let us confess our Hope in God
Confession: God, we confess that sometimes it is hard to hope for rainbows. We do not believe that every storm will run out of rain, we have trouble remembering that you are not a violent God when people who call themselves Christians scream hate. Stop their hate, Protect us, and help us to see the rainbow we pray. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: Nothing Can Separate you from the Love of Christ: Not height nor depth nor floods nor hate. Know the truth and affirm it to one another: In Jesus Christ we are always beloved and always forgiven. Amen.
Prayer of Dedication: God, let us be proud of you as the rainbow God, and stand proud that before we knew, you knew the full meaning of the rainbow. Thank you. Amen.
We are Stardust, Praise be to God, the Creator of Stars!
Call to Confession: Come, let us confess and sparkle to God
Prayer of Confession: God, we confess that we sparkle and glitter, but sometimes it does not feel like we are wonderfully and fiercely made. Help us when we forget. Show us the stars. Remind us that we are beautiful and everything we do counts, just like every star in the sky counts. Amen
Assurance of Pardon: You loved us into being, just as when you created the magnificent heavens, so we know the truth: In Jesus Christ we are always beloved and always forgiven. Amen.
Prayer of Dedication: God, remind us that like stars, our sparkles count. Help us to glitter we pray. Amen.
Call to Worship God you anoint the outside The outcast from their family: the queer, gay, nonbinary, lesbian, ace—you will go with them on their journey to find a home.
God, you promise to be with them, no matter what
God be with us
Imprisoned, Abused, Lied about, False witness, You promise, You will still be our God
God be with us
There are no empty footsteps in the Sand for Joseph, You will still be in our dreams, you promise
God, be with us today.
Call to Confession: God, let us confess and be our full selves with ourselves today.
Confession: God, we confess that it is hard to be our full selves. We are ignored, mocked, sold into slavery, imprisoned and abused. We confess that even though you know what we go through, we feel ashamed, less, alone. Help us when we are broken. Remind us that we do not need to be forgiven for who we are—that Joseph wore women’s clothes and ran away from sex with a woman way before Jesus was even born, and was beloved, by his father, his brother, the King and you. May safe spaces be formed for all people we pray. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: Jesus longs for this to be a safe space of forgiveness for all, though we may not have achieved that yet, know that one thing is always true: In Jesus Christ we are always beloved and always forgiven. Amen.
Prayer of Dedication: Let us go into the world our full selves, proud, loud and beloved children of God. Amen.
Call to Confession: Come let us rest with God today
Prayer of Confession: God, we confess that it is hard to believe that you would part the ocean for me. Don’t I complain too much? Is it not too much work? Are you sure that I am worth it? Yet I look at the complaints of the Hebrews, and am reassured that you want not only to rescue me, but to listen to my worries and complaints. Help me when I am troubled an in trouble I pray. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: God longs whisper the good news to you, so let us whisper it to one another and be reassured of its truth: In Jesus Christ we are always beloved and always forgiven. Amen.
Prayer of Dedication: God extend your protection into the world with us as we go we pray. Amen.
God let us hear your commands as promises of hope, not hammers or laws
Come, let us feel God’s grace
Call to Confession: Let us confess ourselves to the Graciousness of God
Prayer of Confession: God, you know I don’t like rules—they are weapons of hurt instead of tools of justice. We humans cannot be trusted with them. Grace is but a trickle in my life, and I am still looking for that cup overflowing you promised. I confess, the moment you lift me up on Eagle’s Wings will not be too soon. Please help us to lift each other up, and to treat each other with the grace we long for. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: God is full of grace, your forgiveness has already been made complete as soon as you confessed yourself. Now we get the opportunity to practice that grace together and say: In Jesus Christ we are always beloved and always forgiven. Amen.
Prayer of Dedication: God, give us grace as we go. Send it on the wings of your Holy Spirit, touch it to our brows we pray. Amen.
God, you are fully God, today, tomorrow and everyday
Come, let us renew our relationship with God.
Call to Confession: It is good to be with God, come let us be present with God today
Confession: God, we confess that sometimes its a lot to be our full selves. It takes time and work to integrate who we are, with the mystery of who you are. Does anyone ever have a full handle on that? Please help us to do this as a community, so that we might have a fuller and richer perspective of your Godhood we pray. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: God is our God, no matter what, so we know the truth: In Jesus Christ we are always beloved and always forgiven. Amen.
Prayer of Dedication: God please help us to renew our relationship with you and with ourselves as often as we need to so that we might fully know who we are and who you are as we go about the world. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ who was somehow fully God and fully human. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: God longs to wrap you under her wing and assure you that you are safe and forgiven, so know the good news: In Jesus Christ we are always beloved and always forgiven. Amen.
If you want a document version of this entire series for easy viewing and formatting just email me at Katyandtheword at gmail and title it Narrative Lectionary and I will be happy to send it to you.
If you would like to support my work, please give to my GoFundMe for my D. Min in Creative Writing or you can support me via Venmo @Katy-Stenta (last four 7841), Paypal @KatyStenta, Google Pay Katyandtheword at gmail, Cash App $bookkats
Here’s to those who help us to understand aspects of God,
That we never understood before,
male and female Both in the image of God.
Mother and Father God.
God of many breasts, God almighty, God of many mounds.
Here is to the enbys, whose sense of fashion is superior,
and yet we still don’t know how to market to them
(silly commercial straight/cis, whatever people)
Here is the the nonbinary people,
beautiful, perfect, made in God’s image.
God bless you.
Thank you.
I hope you are affirmed and blessed,
today and everyday.
Amen.
*(If you need to research to start understanding being nonbinary, please start researching being nonbinary and use queer and nonbinary resources so here is a place to start)
Feel free to use/adapt/share with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta
Any & All errors on this prayer are my own and I take full responsibility for them as an ally who is still learning.
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All the violence and the ongoing bombing across the nations
that is so commonplace, we don’t even report it anymore.
I reject all Violence,
What I’m saying is…
Peace of Prince; you need to deal with this.
And as for the ongoing fires, floods, tornados and hurricanes of the earth
Whew…Lord. I don’t know, because we have just done so little,
(so I’m sneaking in a prayer about that too)
I also deny the evil that prevents
Trans girls from playing soccer
Trans Families from taking care of their children
Trans Individuals from accessing healthcare
I call God’s judgement on you–because Lord Knows its above my pay grade.
I call God down upon those govern and who want to
force pregnancy and birth on all people, risking their lives, livelihood, liberty and happiness
but cannot keep enough baby formula on the shelves, free school lunches or childcares open
May God have mercy upon you, in the sweet and loving way that God because I do not even know what to do with this information.
God I am calling you–who gave your very body and blood as the sacrifice for peace–you who always set the table overflowing so every single person could eat,
You who never ask someone their immigration, sexuality or gender status before you heap their plates with food, and extras and leftovers to take home with the communion feast–
I ask you to come down here and talk to these people.
Because I am done with your Children today.
Amen.
Feel free to use/adapt/Share with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta
O God of Pronouns, We give Praise to the Great One the one who is identifiable as God
“I am, what I am” you say! The great They!
The Incarnate He and She– the God of Trans-Being!
Impregnating Mary, Fathering God, Breastfeeding God of Many Mounds/Breasts* God of Mountains and Might!
You shatter all stereotypes!
Making every single person, male and female, in your image. Exactly in your image! male-and-female, intersex, nonbinary,
Spectrum, rainbow God who put your promise for nonviolence in the symbol for queer love, before humanity knew
Because you knew who had Joseph, who could not sleep with a woman in a beautiful lady’s cloak, perhaps of rainbow colors, before we knew, you knew.
God of pronouns, who said, you can call me he or she or they; whatever makes you feel closest to me.
Invisible and Visible God: on this day where visibility is not enough where celebration, belovedness, affirmation and acceptance is the bare minimum
Remind us that you are the God of Pronouns, so of course you affirm and celebrate them.
God of Saul/Paul, Jacob/Isaac, Mara/Naomi, Abram and Sarai and Abraham and Sarah–
God of Joseph of the Coat of Many Colors, of the Ethiopian Eunuch of the Virgin Mary,
God of all the found families in the Bible.
Remind us that you affirm us in our full identity: Name, Pronoun, Found Family, All of it.
And for this we give you thanks and praise, to the great I am, the great They/Them.
Thank you God!
Amen.
Feel Free to use/adapt/share with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta
*In Hebrew the word we often translate as Almighty means God of many mounds which can mean the God of many mountains (places to worship) or the God of many breasts (places to get nourishment)
God of Trans 🏳️⚧️ Kids Change every politicians mind For I do not understand their hearts of stone
I still do not understand the state sanctioned and sponsored violence that takes children
From first Disabled kids, Then Native American families, then Black and Brown families,
And now Trans Kids from their families
But Jesus descendant of and Rahab,
Prophet chased out of Egypt like Moses, Child of the lineage of Jesse like Esther.
You know & You know, how important family is..Both blood family and found family.
Lord God you know that government cannot define your name or your family and when you are asked these things so often you reply:
What do you say?
Because you know the truth, and God knows the truth of your identity and no one can take that away from you.
But that doesn’t mean that the jeers and stones do not hurt
when they are thrown at you—”Let those without sin throw the first stone.”
Lord I’m a little bit lost at what to pray for right now (bc I’m so ANGRY) except to pray for my trans brothers & sisters and non-binary siblings
Because you God are trans! Making male and female, all of the varieties in between, each in your image. And proclaiming each and every individual GOOD! exactly as they are.
Protect those who are trans* and gender no conforming, help their families and defeat our enemies as only you can I pray. Amen.
Feel free to share/adapt/use with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta
Faith is opening oneself up to interpretation. Laying your whole being and existence of the line in order to interpret
the who of oneself
the why of existence
the where to now of being
These interpretations are done, usually, using a text, speaking from the Presbyterian perspective that text is the Bible, followed by the Confessions of faith and the Book of Order (our rules/discipline/consistituational documents)
But opening ourselves up to interpretation means being open to the interpretations varying, and interpretations themselves to change, because GOD is not a static being.
Consistent and faithful–God can be counted on.
Generally most people think God does not change, altho this does little for the times in scripture when God changes God’s mind (go figure).
But I say, if God can change God’s mind so can we.
If God is not static, neither should our faith.
If something is not growing, its not alive, we want a lively faith, we need to be growing in our interpretation and our understanding.
I have learned so much, by listening closely to all those people whose faith is especially different than mine. To my one best friend who never was churched but has a strong sense of God and Jesus. To my other best friend who was raised more Pagan than anything else and has a strong sense of the Greek & Roman Mythos of the world.
To my siblings all of whom are millennials, none of whom attend church regularly.
To all the fellow-clergy on twitter & Facebook who are feeling our way through social justice issues and the state of the world.
To my LGBTQUIA community who can interpret scripture in ways that are beyond my ken as a hegemonic individual.
To my brown sibs and and black sibs who are empowered, loving and honest in ways that need to be heard.
Here I am, open to interpretation, and my faith informs that, and the scriptures equally are being interpreted and re-interpreted.
And I read the Bible, and that is Canon, but I read the other texts too, Langston Hughes and Madeline L’engle, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Malala Yousafzai, Elias Chacour, and so much more.
If you are asking a questions of faith, be sure to be open to interpretation, hard as it is.
For you know, that’s the kind of faith that will change you.
katyandtheword 
