Pharaoh thought
the plagues
were the problem
He wouldn’t love those at risk
Plagues resurged
He’d yell & scream about the plagues
Until his own son died
But really God
You knew
The hardened-heart of the matter
Selah
Melt our hearts
So we can end the plagues
We pray
Amen
God,
I want to write a great prayer
in memory of the Black excellence of Desmond Tutu and bell hooks.
Something that shows their fierce dedication to freedom and compassion.
But all I can picture is Desmond laughing in heaven,
overjoyed by every person he meets
And bell hooks, finding new womanist, queer, feminist aspects we didn’t know yet!
The Rosa Parks and Toni Morrisons who didn’t make the history books
making notes and translating it to us in a language we can feel in our souls!
God, I keep reflecting on how much of Tutu and hooks’ theology
is part and parcel of my everyday theology
“find why the babies are in the river”
“Love is an action never silly a feeling”
“if you are neutral in situations of injustice you have chosen the side of the oppressor”
“queer is the self which is constantly at odds with everything else”
I am fluent in the love of bell hooks and Desmond Tutu, without ever having met either one of them, or even having heard them speak.
It was mostly informal–through osmosis, their love broke through!
Here I am– standing in the shadow of Black beauty and knowledge
Thanks to them.
Thank you for the gift of their lives God. Thank you for their work, their bravery,
their love,
their imperfections, their power
and most of all their willingness to teach us all.
Thank you God.
Amen.
Feel free to use/adapt/share with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta
Images From: https://assets.vogue.com/photos/61ba2fdf8dfa948c34e8914c/4:3/w_4159,h_3119,c_limit/GettyImages-1178375349.jpg
and
Ok God,
I don’t know when you have ever,
ever
Asked for our resume,
or our qualifications
(In fact you call us no matter what)
Nor do you ask us to make an accounting
of our year’s end accomplishments and goals
**
Instead I picture you.
Sitting down with us, at the end of the year–
Like a good friend does at the end of the day.
Allowing us to reflect
on the good and the bad and the ugly.
***
And you don’t mind if the language is crass , or the tears start to flow,
**
…Or sometimes we feel like we have nothing at all worth saying.
***
We humans like to mark time, because that’s how we are made.
And you like to sit and mark it with us, because you God, understand.
Our obsessions with days and weeks and hours and cups of coffee.
***
So God, when I start counting,
You remind me that I can’t count the stars,
and our blessings outnumber those–
and you remind us that every single person,
is beloved and no one is forgotten.
**
Neither is our small joys and accomplishments.
**
Everything Counts,
And we don’t need to.
Only you God, can make both true.
Thank you God,
for keeping track of the important stuff,
and letting the other stuff Go
And sitting with me, as I take stock.
Amen.
Please feel free to use/adapt/share with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta
If you like my prayers, consider adding your email to the list and/or contributing to my 2nd year in Doctoral work in Creative Writing for Ministry https://gofund.me/70a114f9 I am funding 1/3rd of it through fund-raising. Every contribution from $5-$200 helps. I successfully funded my first year this way, and truly appreciate your support!
Blessings for a Gentle Holiday
May you have a gentle Holiday
Full of kindness, and understanding
and moments of warmth and coziness.
May you have a holiday with enough space and time
to be alone or together
to weep or sigh
to remember…
***
May your holiday give you the kind of rest you need
with reading or physical activity or doing nothing
or to do the crafting or peopling or not peopling
or sleeping or creating or not knowing
or caring…
whatever it is that you need to do,
or not!
***
May you have a gentle holiday
with the permission you need to not have to be “Merry”
but to be your full authentic self,
and to be kind to yourself, your boundaries, and those you love.
This is both my blessing and my prayer for you this season.
Amen.
I write a prayer foe a gentle holiday over at RevGals and I think it turned out rather nice: Prayer
I’m so tapped out of prayers.
I’ve been writing them for almost two years…
words have been ripped from my soul.
I’ve learned and yearned and earned
and still I find myself turning to God.
Anguished.
I think in my heart of hearts
that if I say the right words
everything will be fixed.
When instead, God….
you know.
You know God,
The right prayers do the opposite.
Cutting open the wounds,
Allowing myself to emotionally
throw up for the entire world to see…
and ironically
that helps
So here I am.
Stubbornly
Being Sick on the Page one more time.
Saying WHY GOD
WHY THE HELL WON’T WE DO THE THINGS WE NEED TO DO
to Bring a PANDEMIC to AN END.
Never in my life will I EVER use the expression
“Avoid it like the Plague”
Never will I take supply chains for granted.
And I look forward to being
a weird old lady
with tales of school from home,
when the church FINALLY got tech
after me a young-in pleaded for years with it,
Shutdowns, BLM, masks, baking
and that time when
we all learned to appreciate
science and vaccinations
(and hopefully redesigned how we
allocated ALL the national budget)
So here we are God,
just you
and me
and the world,
and a prayer
Trying to fix things.
I’m not going to stop.
Let’s go.
Amen.
Feel free to use/adapt/share with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta
Please consider supporting my 2nd year of Doctorate of Ministry in Creative Writing at https://gofund.me/aaeb4910
God I approach this Christmas season
with some trepidation,
and a lot of fear and trembling.
Because I don’t know if I really
understood before,
what was really sacred,
before now.
All the pomp and circumstance of Christmas
lies by the wayside now, like crumpled wrapping paper.
After all, we are not here to impress anybody.
What is left, is the Christ Candle,
burning the conviction into our hearts,
that life is sacred,
precisely because it is all so
unique and beautiful and brief.
The fact that a young girl, a shepherd and a magi
could each magnify God
in their own,
and yet important way
makes me want to cry
silent tears
at the magnitude of the meaning of Christmas
So here we are…
Fill us up,
with what Christmas
means for each of this year
Reminding us
that God sent a baby
in a manger
for each and every one of us
and God values us–
enough to send
babies and angels
and teachers and doctors and nurses
and vaccines and masks
and phone calls and cards
and candles and stars
and every other symbol that we need to remind us
That we are beloved.
And that we are here to fill the world with love
any way we can,
because that is the Christmas miracle
turning emptiness into something else.
Let us Go, and be comforted by the Love of God.
May God Bless you
and Keep you
in Belovedness–
wrapped in the miracle
that God is here.
Amen.
Always, forever,
God is even now. Here.
Alleluia.
Amen.
Feel free to use/share/adapt with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta
More Advent/Christmas Resource
We don’t know how we are going to get through this season,
They sat through my office and said,
And their pain sat visceral in the room.
And I nodded along and prayed that they could find places
where their grief could be invited along with them and given a place at the table.
God, this is a prayer that Christmas can be more of a season of comfort
for those who need it.
I sat in the cards shop the other day,
and could not find one card
that expressed the comfort that I wanted to say during this season
of pandemic-Christmas tide. And I think, God
of what it exactly it was that the shepherds,
and the (actually unnumbered) Magi
and John the Baptist and Mary were looking for on that dark night.
The tidings were Good News of Great Joy yes,
but also, I think, it was comfort that they hungered for
Wasn’t that the fulfillment proclaimed in the Magnificat?
Wasn’t that the first title given to Jesus in Isaiah?
Not mighty* or everlasting father! No!
The first thing named for the Savior to come Counselor! Comforter, and a Wonderful one at that.
Because Lord knows this advent we are black with mourning and grief.
There is no comfort candle on the advent wreath (at least not traditionally)
But that’s who you are, Holy Spirit, Comforter.
And Lord knows we need comfort!
God, may we let this season be one not just of Joy or Hope–
if we aren’t feeling those things, let that be ok.
Help us to make this, for those who need it,
be a season of Comfort.
Help us to create a Season of Comfort, for the lonely, the lost, the grieving, I pray.
Comfort your people. Please God, because you know, we sure do need it.
And maybe next year, we will add a comfort candle to the wreath–
Til then, comfort your people we pray.
Amen.
Feel Free to use/adapt/share with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta
Thanks to @byAndriaIrwin for the inspirational tweet
*note that the Hebrew word for this actually translates as God of many mounds, which means God of many worships spots (powerful/accessible) and God of many breasts/nourishing places. We have later shorthanded it as mighty.
Here’s a Prayer
for anyone who is going into Advent Tired
Weary of almost two years of
pandemicking
Two years of pastoring or preaching or caring or writing prayers for people
who are ill, or caretaking,
or trying to find a bed in the hospital, or a spot for surgery.
Here’s a prayer for a timeframe where the hard things have been harder
and the loneliness has felt excruciating,
and the reassessing has hit like a hammer
and the promised whisper of the baby Jesus
is hard to hear over the to do lists,
and the worrying
and apocalyptic understanding of health/political/biogotted infrastructures and economies
of this time and space.
And Lord,
It makes us wonder if this is some of what Mary felt in tumultuous and occupied Jerusalem
when she faced the angel,
overwhelmed by it all
We too feel her determination
As she opened her mouth and
found that the words that tumbled out were
It doesn’t have to be this way!
It doesn’t have to be this way!
Magnify the Lord!
Bring down the Mighty
Fill the Hungry with Good Things.
So as we enter this Advent, tired and hungry and lonely God.
Remind us that,Advent is a good time for these feelings, Lord.
Advent is about preparation,
and understanding that we are ready for Jesus!
Lord,
I think we need Christ right now,
And that’s ok,
Remind us that it’s ok,
It’s ok to really, truly need Jesus!
and traditional to be world weary at Advent.
And help us to sit with that a bit I pray.
Amen.
Here’s a Prayer
for anyone who is going into Advent Tired
Weary of almost two years of
pandemicking
Two years of pastoring or preaching or caring or writing prayers for people
who are ill, or caretaking,
or trying to find a bed in the hospital, or a spot for surgery.
Here’s a prayer for a timeframe where the hard things have been harder
and the loneliness has felt excruciating,
and the reassessing has hit like a hammer
and the promised whisper of the baby Jesus
is hard to hear over the to do lists,
and the worrying
and apocalyptic understanding of health/political/biogotted infrastructures and economies
of this time and space.
And Lord,
It makes us wonder if this is some of what Mary felt in tumultuous and occupied Jerusalem
when she faced the angel,
overwhelmed by it all
We too feel her determination
As she opened her mouth and
found that the words that tumbled out were
It doesn’t have to be this way!
It doesn’t have to be this way!
Magnify the Lord!
Bring down the Mighty
Fill the Hungry with Good Things.
So as we enter this Advent, tired and hungry and lonely God.
Remind us that,Advent is a good time for these feelings, Lord.
Advent is about preparation,
and understanding that we are ready for Jesus!
Lord,
I think we need Christ right now,
And that’s ok,
Remind us that it’s ok,
It’s ok to really, truly need Jesus!
and traditional to be world weary at Advent.
And help us to sit with that a bit I pray.
Amen.
Complete List of Pandemic Prayers and Resources
With Thanks to April Fiet, Andre Henry, David Hogg and Kevin Miguel Garcia for the Inspirational Tweets
Originally Published at RevGalBlogPals https://revgalblogpals.org/2021/12/03/an-advent-prayer-for-the-world-weary/
If you enjoy my prayers please consider giving to my Doctorate in Creative Writing. I write extensive prayers and resources for free and usually have over 100 views a day. If everyone gave $10 I’d be done in two weeks! https://gofund.me/70a114f9
Please feel free to share/adapt/use with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta
Hey Friends!
I am trying to get donors for my next year of Doctoral work in Creative Writing! This is a working theologian’s degree at Pittsburgh Seminary where I continue to work 32+ hrs a week (less in the summer) and try to put my degree to immediate use!
The way we are funding is 1/3rd from my family, 1/3rd from continuing Ed funds, and 1/3rd fundraised. As you know I offer prayers, liturgies and more all for free here at WordPress. My next class is in January in Fantasy and Christianity which is my area of specialty and I can’t wait! We are centering on C S Lewis and comparing him to other authors.
I’ve had 107 views today (Giving Tues Nov 30 2021) on katyandtheword.com. If everyone gave $25 today I’d be done https://gofund.me/aaeb4910 I have 3000 views a month which means if everyone gives – couple of bucks say $2-$5 over the next month I’ll def be done in 2 weeks. Please consider giving what you can. As you can see any amount would help!!
Katy at Katyandtheword
Thanks! For your support and thanks for Praying with me!
katyandtheword 
