Tag: prayer

Throw Jesus Off the Cliff

Some days
God
I feel like
we are throwing
Jesus
off a cliff


I feel like
we hear the words of prophecy
that say
Make things easier
help those in need

It is amongst the cacophony
of “Masculinity” “Capitalism”
and “Christian Nationalism”


Do you hear it under the cries for
Nazareth First?

Jesus says: I am here for the immigrant widow,
the strangers,
the broken,
the disabled,
the weird,
the LGBTQIA,
and the strange

I feel like
when we hear the echo
of Jesus’s voice
Calling us
to do the hard work
of the gospel

that when Jesus walks with us
and says
you are correct
Christianity
is not
about success

We have to sit down
and say
what is life about then

and many people
throw Christianity
leadership
Jesus
or whatever out

Why do we do this worship
thing
If it isn’t about that anyway?

Sometimes I want to put out posters
Come to church
We do brokenness
really well

Come to worship
We are bad at community

Join us Sunday
We have had to practice
for 2,000 years and are
still getting power dynamics
wrong

Put your faith not in
princes
power
and principalities

But the dandelion
still bloomed
A perfect
Weed
spreading
Wishies
for children
to blow
in the yard

I treasure God
calling me
a dandelion
full of
seeds
and
Wishes

Image: A child, in a red coat, you happily cannot tell their gender, drawing butterfly and heart) out of a giant dandelion (like making a wish). Image sourced from https://img.freepik.com/premium-photo/child-blowing-dandelion-with-heart-star-sketch_587981-17165.jpg


Practice focusing on God
practice community
practice honesty
exercise everyday–not
because you will win any races
But because walking together
is the journey

And some days
I too want to throw Jesus off the cliff
Because it’s clear
I still don’t get it

And then Jesus floats back
and hugs me
Because
it never was about
perfection
in the first place

But the moments of
beauty
community
laughter
still count

Thank God
for that

Amen

Feel free to use/share Adapt with Credit to Pastor Katy Stenta aka KatyandtheWord

When the World Continues to Burn

God,
the world continues to burn
and people continue to give
dare I say
hot takes
while people flee
breathe in smoke
or wait, bags packed, for the evacuation order

And we can feel the insurance structure
heavily burdened
crumble even more

And God,
for the rest of us
we feel climate change
breathing
on the back of our necks

As we still have to plan dinner
again
a solitary action in our
household units
in what used to be
a village action

The mundane things
of going to work
or school seem so trite
in comparison to what is going on in world
Is this how we respond to tragedy God?
Jesus Christ how do we go about our lives
in the midst of all of this?
(This is a serious question–as my teen would say)

And we look at the snow
in the South
the Fire in the West
the bare mountains
the mounting costs
of insurance

And yet, Divine one
You remind as the World Turns
That there is other news too
We see films of the heliocopters
making the exact water shots
to put out the fires
Of people waiting hours in line
to pay their respects
to Jimmy Carter–
Of all of the living Presidents
sitting together at the funeral
speaking of good seeds sown
that are recognized years later…


We see the pictures of
of the Mexican
and Canadian Firefighters
who come to help
and we hear the voices
of the undocumented Californians
who could not sleep safely
in their own homes
So instead
who journey to the fireline
to fight for their unknown neighbors

The Good News does not fix the Bad News
But it reminds us to be the Mr. Rogers Helpers
God may we be the Helpers
May we find substantive ways
To listen closely to the need for help

So that we me do just
love mercy
and walk humbly with God
i.e. not for show, but because
We have this ache to make the world
a place to dwell
that is are prayer today.
Amen

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

Here is a blog post from my colleague and friend “about where to donate ““We are still fine.

-Winds changed last night, and new evacuations were called in the Palisades fire. Bel Air Pres building is under mandatory evac as are many people’s homes. Teams are fighting their hardest to keep it from spreading any further.

-Air quality in Culver City is still not great. The winds have calmed down here, but there is still ash falling from the sky.

-We live across from the street from the fire station, and we’ve just heard siren after siren. God bless them, and all the reinforcements that have come from far and wide.

In the midst of everything, I put away our Christmas decorations last night. I couldn’t help but look at every ornament and think what it would be like to lose them all and have to start again.

Here’s a short blog I wrote last night. Please pray for these fires to end.”

Please give to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance – all funds go to help victims and will be shared with communities affected by the Eaton fire as well

https://pcusa.org/donate/dr000165-us-wildfires

https://almostnamedgrace.substack.com/p/when-everything-changes?r=25qkxh&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&fbclid=IwY2xjawHvsMhleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHSk1hcvm0mTlQmSeKcfXk-Q2t1LyMB4FtLVfxHrLHniA9jND2yBWnAFkaQ_aem_gS5ggy-a82_Z7OIo3OzG0A&triedRedirect=true

A Prayer for a World on Fire

Prayers for those evacuating
and for those for whom it feels impossible

Prayers for those whose homes, works and worship spaces are gone
and those who are caught in the space of not knowing

Prayers for those who has ash rain on them from the sky
Who think all the thoughts of thankfulness to Firefighters
worry for those working in the emergency services
Anger that we could not prevent this

Prayers for all of us
who sit in the midst of a world on fire
and think
This isn’t fine
actually
It isn’t fine at all

As we reach out
with communications
money
(hopefully not with unneeded clothing, etc. that clogs the system)
shelter
medical care
emergency items
and hope

So that we can put out
this fire
and prevent
the next one

Prayers for California
Prayers for all those
whose lives have been changed
May we all walk together
So that all the fires may be put out
Amen

Pic of Dog on Fire Meme using a fire hydrant to put it out—”It’s not fine, and you have a responsibility to act” (This meme would be more perfect if the dog had help, because I’m sure part of the point is that the dog felt alone in their work) Image found https://mastodon.sdf.org/@HunterZ/112714963002922245 and was credited to @spocko

"This is fine" dog spraying a fire extinguisher at a burning table, with caption "it's *not* fine, and you have a responsibility to act."

12 Days of Christmas: A Season

Christmas is 12 days
Because it is supposed to be an entire season
Enough time
to rest
refresh
reflect
It was never supposed to be all stuffed into one day
There was supposed to be
enough time
for journeys
getting lost
finding our way again
and then
eventually
room for
an epiphany

Christmas is
a space
a season

a journey
a wandering
a pondering

—-so if your haven’t done all of the Christmas things
Or if everything didn’t go perfectly

Remember you are in good
wizardly
some would even say
wise
company

Eyvind Earle 3 Magi (The artist for Disney’s Sleeping Beauty)

3 Crowned Men with black beards—identical, holding gifts frankincense, gold and myrrh, with black and Bluegreen cloaks trimmed in golden plants.

Offering the gifts to Mary with a baby (both with black hair) at her breast with a moon/golden plant trimmed halo around them. Mary is dressed in gold trimmed purple.

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

Narrative Lectionary, Advent 3

Tidings of Comfort and Joy Advent 

Feel free to use/share/adapt with attribution to Pastor Katy Stenta aka “KatyandtheWord”
For a doc version for easy formatting email Katyandtheword at Gmail and title the email “Advent”

Included: Breath Prayers, Call to Worship (either of which could can be used for Candle Liturgy), Candles, Two Song verse options for Candle Lighting, Prayer of Confession and Assurance of Pardon
Additional Psalm Option


Hope: When the Lions Come at Night
Daniel 6:6-27
Luke 23:1-5
Psalm 57 all or v. 4-10 

Breath Prayer

Breathe in: Holy Spirit we need you
Breathe out: comfort us

Call to Worship (Based on Psalm 57)
In God my soul takes refuge my soul takes refuge and comfort, God is my hope.
God will send forth steadfast love and faithfulness.
Even if I lie down among lions, with teeth as sharp as spears, and tongues like sharp spears, my heart is steadfast and I will sing and make melody.
I know I will awake at God.
My hope is in God, for your steadfast love is high as the heavens, and your faithfulness extends to the clouds
Come let awaken our souls to God in song.

Advent Candle: Hope
Hope of the World, we light this candle because we feel like we are surrounded by Lions
Hope of the World Comfort us
Hope of the World, we light this candle, because we are an apocalyptic people, overwhelmed with too many uncovering of knowledge
Hope of the World Comfort us
Hope of the World, we light this candle, because we await the moment that Justice reigns, and your truth is magnified
Hope of the World, Comfort us

Prayer of Confession: God we confess that we do not always understand hope. Is its meant to inspire us? Or to comfort us? Awaken us to the condition of the world? Too often we feel too surrounded by Lions to hope in these apocalyptic times. Teach us how to understand hope as promise that you give balanced against our responsibility to act, and give us the tools we need to walk with Jesus along the way we pray. Amen

Assurance of Pardon: Hear the Good news, Jesus is our Hope, so we do not have to hope alone. So know the Good news and proclaim it to one another: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.

God Rest ye Merry Gentlemen

(Verse 1) God rest you merry, gentlemen/folk
Let nothing you dismay
Remember, Christ, our Saviour
Was born on Christmas day
To save us all from Satan’s power
When we were gone astray
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

Another Optional Hymn verse 1 O Come, O Come Emmanuel Magnificat (less political, substitutionary atonement version) https://katyandtheword.com/2023/11/08/o-come-o-come-emmanuel-magnificat-version/

Peace: Binding up the Brokenhearted
Joel 2:12-13, 28-29
Luke 11:(9-12) 13
Psalm 147:1-6 (7-11)

Breath Prayer
Breathe in: God you are peace
Breathe out: Bind our brokenhearted

Call to Worship (based on Psalm 147)
God you are Good, you build us up as community
God binds up our wounds: caring for us, healing our brokenhearts
Great is our God, powerful, because God sows peace and mercy
We recognize our God, because our God is the one lifting up the downtrodden, and knowing everything by name from the farthest star, to every person from the mighty to the meek.
Let us sing to the Divine who grants Peace
Come let us sing to God’s steadfast love

Advent Candle: Peace
Purveyor of Peace, we pray for the day that we shall learn war no more
We are seeing visions and dream dreams of peace together
We feel in our bones, that we need peace. We light this candle because we are hungering for it.
God, we will envision peace together
Purveyor of Peace, we light this candle because we know peace is your way, and you will bind our brokenhearts to make it possible.
God, we will envision peace together

Prayer of Confession: Divine One, at times it feels like the world is full of war and brokenness. Peace seems impossible. Comfort us, teach us to be peacemakers, so that we can catch glimpses of your kin(g)dom, we pray. And remind us that we are not doing this work alone. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon. Hear the good news, the Prince of Peace is coming. It is promised. Let us proclaim the the truth in our hearts: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven. Amen.

O Come, O Come Emmanuel, Magnificat Version V. 3 or V. 7 (or Both)  https://katyandtheword.com/2023/11/08/o-come-o-come-emmanuel-magnificat-version/

(Verse 7) Now to the Lord sing praises,
All you within this place,
And with true love and brotherhood/siblinghood/Kindomhood 
Each other now embrace;
This holy tide of Christmas
All other doth deface.
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

Joy: Comfort and Joy
Isaiah 61:1-11
Luke 4:16-21 
Alt. Isaiah 40:1-8 
Psalm 27: 13-14 

Breath Prayer
Breathe in: Comfort your people
Breathe Out: God teach us Comfort and Joy

Call to Worship (based on Psalm 27)
God is our stronghold
With God as our comfort and salvation, who shall we fear?
God who comes out of the holy creative darkness
You come and show us the way, so we are not afraid
You shelter us under your wings, and comfort us
Come, let us rejoice with God that Jesus is coming.

Advent Candle: Joy
Holy Comforter, speak tenderly to us, so that we have the seeds of joy planted in us.
Holy Comforter, Send your Spirit of Joy to us.
We light this candle so that you can teach us joy
Holy Comforter, Send Your Spirit of joy to us
Send your Spirit to us, Prepare the way for us, light the candle with us.

Holy Comforter, Send Your Spirit of joy to us

Prayer of Confession: God, I confess it is hard to feel joyful when I feel afraid. I sometimes feel like I want to hide under the covers, or turn off the news, or quit. Please send us your Holy Spirit, Shelter us under your wings, and teach us where to find joy, so that we can remember that you are walking with us. Give us threads of joy even in the long waiting season of Advent we pray. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon: God is with us, even as we wait, understanding us, loving us and comforting us. Thus we know the Good News: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven. Amen.

(Verse 3) God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

From God our Heavenly Father
A blessed Angel came;
And unto certain Shepherds
Brought tidings of the same:
How that in Bethlehem was born
The Son of God by Name.
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

Another Optional Hymn O Come, O Come Emmanuel Magnificat Version verse 5 https://katyandtheword.com/2023/11/08/o-come-o-come-emmanuel-magnificat-version/

Week 4 Love: Love: Fear Not, Love’s comfort and empowering work

Luke 1:26-45 [46-56]
Psalm 113 
Psalm 27:1-4

Call to Worship
Give Thanks to the Lord
God’s Love endures Forever
God is Divine always
They have made a Covenant with all the World
They have made the sun, the moon the stars, and all the earth
God’s steadfast Love endures forever
We can tell stories of God’s love, and who God is, and still not fully understand God’s love
Come Let us sing of God’s love together.

Advent Candle: Love
God shows God’s love and favor by being with us
Divine Love, Be with us now
We light this candle remembering God’s promise to be with us, Sending Jesus as that promise.
Divine Love, Be with us now
Beloved God, we long to magnify your promises, for they are full of love, so we light a candle of love together.

Divine Love, Be with us now

Prayer of Confession: God we confess that Love is a struggle. It takes work to love humans. It is not an easy thing to practice. Help us to lean into our own belovedness, when I struggle imperfections—my own or others. God we desperately need to remember that you are love. Help us with that we pray.

Assurance of Pardon: Hear the Good News, God loves us. We can sink into God’s love, and thus we can say with confidence the echo of God’s promise to us: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven. Amen

(Verse 4) God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

“Fear not then,” said the Angel,
“Let nothing you affright,
This day is born a Saviour
Of a pure Virgin bright,
To free all those who trust in Him
From Satan’s power and might.”
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

Another Optional Hymn verse 4 or 6 (or Both) O Come, O Come Emmanuel Magnificat Version https://katyandtheword.com/2023/11/08/o-come-o-come-emmanuel-magnificat-version/

Full Directory of Advent and Christmas Resources Here

Feel free to use/share/adapt with attribution to Pastor Katy Stenta aka “KatyandtheWord”
For a doc version for easy formatting email Katyandtheword at Gmail and title the email “Advent”

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Prayer for when you don’t know what you Need*

God,
I don’t know what I need
I don’t know what we need
The world
is not as it should be

My soul hurts
I am hurt
scared

overwhelmed with emotions
and I don’t know what I need

Because
there is no way
to fix this

Trust has been
broken
again

More
has been
uncovered
apocalyptically

And at this moment
the work
seems to be
too much

And so
I make time
to hug by beloveds

To
Breathe In: I Exist
Breathe Out: That is enough

To remind myself
That the very existence
of difference
joy
grace
love
solidarity
Is an act of resistance

So definitely,
today
That is enough
Breathe in: I exist
Breathe out: That is enough

Tomorrow
or Sometime Soon
I will build more community
Maybe figure out more
what it is
we need
Today
I will breathe

I exist
That is enough

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

*With thanks to Rev. Tawnya Denise Anderson who first posted these words

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”