Tag: prayer

Another Psalm

I am tired
of starving children in wars
That we can help
in cutting aid
in efficiencies that cost
humanity

I am angry
at blatant misuse
abuses
of power
lies and misleadings
with little follow up
or repercussions
finger wagging
and learning from these
politicians for what

I am bitter from
throwing people
under the bus
the Trans
the Disabled
the Women
the Poor

I am working
to
do what I can
when I can
To remember
that it all counts

Probably not
int he ways I want
Or can see

Dang it

If God
could move
Things
in percievable
concrete
and faster
ways
we would
Appreciate it
quick

And quicker
If you please
Our minds
and hearts
and souls
are fainting for it

So we wait
Impatiently

Together

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


God, help us to recognize Superman

God,
I just saw
Superman

And I pray for
the day
when
movies
don’t hit
home
So hard

And the brown
children
in the midst of
war
waving a flag
Don’t break your
heart

And the world
Splitting in two
of a “Natural
Disaster”
doesn’t
make
your jaw clench

And God
I pray that
when people
cry because
the Lex Luthers
of the world
Make them
feel bad
And the immigrants
are the Superheroes

That the Holy Spirit
Keeps
Tapping them
On the shoulder
nipping
Them
in the
Ear
And
touching
them on their
heart

Because
Maybe art
Isn’t the one
Way through

But I’ll take
Blood,
Sweat,
Tears,
Votes

And
your favorite
Pop
Character

Because
At this point
Anything
To Welcome
people

to there revelation

God help us
Walk until
everyone
can see
the Superpuppy
as cute

and all earthlings
as Beloved

We pray.
Amen.



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

with thanks to my middle child Westley who loves all movies, and honors remakes and sequels, etc and more of the thing he loves and teaches a deep appreciation of all art–it’s good remember to take joy in all things (This movie was really good, but it is truly fun to walk in to everything with the attitude of, this will be fun)

God Amidst the Floodzones

God of rainbows
Amidst the floods
When we look for lost girls
and RVs
When we mourn dead camp directors
And family members

When camps
and houses
and belongings
are swept away
With powerfully swept away

Remind us
That you sit with us
amidst

And when we cry out
God where are you

You cry too

And that you
Disarmed
Your very self
Hanging Your weapon
Permanently
in the sky

A proclamation
that you are a God
of Covenants
Promises
Peace
and Love

not punishments

So that when we cry out
“What have we done to deserve this?”
You sweep us up
In your love
and care
Snuggling us
to sleep
murmuring
“Nothing, absolutely nothing”

and you help the
absolutely best search doggies
And you wipe the brows of
the the emergency workers
and volunteers
and you sit and sigh
with the wearied

And God
You give us
Patience
and silence
amidst us
in unexpected
encouragement

Because you are
The God
of Spaciousness
Letting us
Be our full selves

And so
Be with
us in our
Grief
our waiting
and Our
Empathy
Be with
us in our Love

For many waters
cannot quench Love
Nor can the
Floods
Drown it

Be the Love
Amidst us
That outlasts
This flood
We pray
Amen

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

Magnificat Now

God
See to your humans
For they are conceited

But I will Praise God
Who is Merciful to those who need
Good News 
Tear the mighty off their supremacy courts
Lift up the oppressed
Free the kidnapped 

Help us to magnify 
Your Power
and Glory
So that your Grace 
Overshadows
all of this evil
Feeding the hunger
Sending the Rich 
Techbros
Comfortable Politicians
White Supremacists
Away with Nothing
For their promises are Empty

But you God Remember
That your Promises
are Made of Empathy
and Mercy
And endure
Forever
And so we stand with You
God
The God of Immigrants
Chosen Names
and Found Families
Now and Forever
Amen.

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

Prayer for Not so Happy Summer

God
For parents
And kids
For whom
This week
Is not a
Celebration
But a struggle

A sigh
A moment
Of girding their loins
Because it means
Transitioning to summer
Or a move
Or not knowing what comes next

For all who dread
“What are you doing this summer”
For families whose meals
Childcare or work become more difficult
For young adults
That are in difficult places or spaces
For whatever reason

This so a prayer
For hard summer
May this transition time
Be smoothed
May you find connection
And companionship

Moments of
Stillness
Sanctuary
And peace
Be found in the in-between
Amen

Praying for Each Other


God
I know
That you said
Pray for our enemies

And I know
that you know
That you meant
When it’s confusing
And you can’t tell who
your enemy is

Pray for them

When the nuance is lost
and you fear for your children
and their children
and all the children (again, and again)
Pray

And I know
that you know
That you meant
The kind of Prayer that Meant
Cry
Sigh
Rest

And then get
Back to
Doing all you can
to be a Peacemaker

Whether that is
Vote
Call
Protest
Talk to People
Humanize

Because Sweet
Beautiful
Dusty
Footed Jesus
Who
Walked the Walk
I know
That you Know

That Prayer
Is the conversation
That we have

with ourselves
others
and you

To remind one another
That
we are
all human
In the end

So here I am
Praying
for
Peace

Praying
For my enemy
Because what is
an enemy
in this
World where
Everyone (pretty much)
Wants the same things

But someone
We all think
The ways to them
are opposite

And God
If you can help us
Stop
All the bombs
Everywhere

Please
I would be Grateful

Praying
In the Name of
The Prince of
Peace
Amen

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

God of Chosen Names

God of Chosen Names
Jesus
Yesu
El Shaddai
God of Many Breasts;
Y/Know the God of Many Mountains-Able to be Worshiped anywhere
Otherwise translated as Almighty
Abundant God
Merciful God
Purveyor of Peace
Everlasting Guardian
King of Kings
Ruler of All
Kin-dom Creator

God of Chosen Fam
Sibling Maker
Creator of Heirs
The One who makes us all Heirs
of Love

Creator of Peace
the one who faces
Trauma
Hard Family Dynamics
Gossip
Rocky Friendships
And walks with people
With dirt between your toes
and washes our feet
dries our tears
Sits with us

In silence
Waits
And calls us
By our Chosen name

God of Compassion
Empathy
God of the in-between
God of Grays
Twilights
Sunrises
Sunsets
Dragonflies
Amphibians
Marsupials
Fungi
Duck-Billed Platypi

God of the Blackholes
Stardust
God the quarks and leptons
You are inst and amongst the rainbows
Encouraging personification of self
Co-creation, Naming
You celebrate our being
the Imago Dei
and the DEI
Diversity
Equity
and Inclusion

You are proud of all of your children
You oo and ahh and shout with joy
Proclaiming the fullness of
your Trans*
Queer
Lesbian
Gay
Ace
Nonbinary
Intersex
and Pansexual Children

You send angels
before them
(canonically nonbinary
themselves)
Proclaiming
That they are
Fierce
And Wonderfully Made
Saying
Make way
for them
For they
are Children of God

May the world
Have ears to Hear
And Hearts to Understand
The beauty of your Creation
Amen
Amen!

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

Maundy Thursday

Jesus Christ
I think about how
Bread is shared
the Crusty Full flat breads
That are more easily shared with
a quick tearing among friends for
Tapas

I think of how
Sharing is entrenched
In Christ’s ministry
of how Jesus spent
his last moments
Sharing food
and Prayer

The gentle
voices of how
to survive
this moment
come across
this very moment
and people say
Volunteer

Find a friend
a community
in Need

And I think
Of how
When You Return
Ever Knee
Shall Bow
Because
You will return
As you Left
Serving
On Your

Knees
Gardening
Washing Feet
Healing
Greeting Children
Praying
So we will all Kneel
To Serve
Beside you

The Mandate
Command–is not necessary
In stark contrast to law and order

The reign of Christ will come
through mercy
and Love

Love and mercy you
Say
and you will feed us
And we will
throw our doors
Open wide

Maybe it’s Agape Thursday
Or Hesed Thursday
But sure
Maundy Thursday
For Now
Holy Spirit
Come!

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

Thy Kin-Dom Come

I don’t want to live
in a world
Where we live out
imprisoning
and killing
immigrants
innocent
and guilty
side by side
Why they cry out
for water

I don’t want to live
in a world
where
the loneliness
of those in power
manifests
in intimidation
betrayal
and
empty promises

I don’t
want the Palm Sundays
of Protest
to End in the
Fridays
of Violence
where
we think

Sacrifice is
the only answer

I don’t
Want us
to Cry out
“my
God
MY GOD
why…

Why have
You abandoned
Me?”
Feeling the
Hell of
Divine
absence

I don’t
want to
live out
empty
Saturdays
Of Mourning
Where there
is absolutely
no right
word of
comfort to Say

But I do
Want
the resurrection
of community
Where
White people
Learn
Listening
and Community
And Solidarity
for Real this time

I do want the
Apostle-ship
Of the Women
To be
whispered

At Dawn
And for the
Empires
To topple
at the truth

And I do
want the
Church
To be
Alive
and well

Not in pews
Or choirs
But in

Shared Meals
and understandings
Beyond denominations
And accountability
Liberation
And Mission
in the Neighborhood and Beyond

I want to
meet Jesus
And God
in the gardens
And for
the Divine to remind us
That all the
Seeds that we are
Planting Count

(Even the ones that don’t bloom)
And that
God is tending
some to produce
Resurrection
Harvests
Beyond
All Imaginings

And I
Want to
Remember

That Chuffing
Off
the Offal
Is Ok
And that
Jesus
will Rise
Again

And he
Will Kneel
in the Garden
To Plant
And so
Of course

We will kneel
Next to him

In solidarity

And so
With
the Holy Spirit
Whispering
Encouragement
In My
Heart
I walk
Towards
a Kin-Dom
Now.

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

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.