Silent Night, Holy Night
Womb of Love
Creative Might
Holy Darkness the Spirit indwells
Giving Hope to the marginal
Midwife of Harmony,
Midwife of Harmony
Tag: prayer
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”
Thanks for reading KatyandtheWord! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
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
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
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-8721273The 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”
Rainbow Prayer
A Rainbow Prayer for the Methodists
After all the rain
A promise written in the sky
that violence will cease
Love will be covenanted
kept
and celebrated
A rainbow prayer for the world
that the world will call you
by your chosen name
that your chosen family
will be found
nestled
in sanctuaries
you can escape to
when needed
A rainbow prayer
for all the children
who cradle the wonders
of the wonder
when they look at the rainbows
and see
Dreams
Wonder
and Beauty
Rainbow Prayers
Breathing in the Alleluias
Even as tears stream down
reflecting tiny rainbows
of the world
as it will be
When we all realize
the Fierce and
and Wonderfully Made
Beauty of the Rainbow
Amen
Feel free to use/share/adapt with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta “KatyandtheWord”
Gratitude
As my Graduation approaches on May 31st 2024, I wanted to thank you again for your support. Your generosity has not only allowed me to study, explore my theology and write my thesis “Let’s Yell at God” but also to write a number of Sermon Series, contextual Psalms and Prayers and Liturgies for people to reflect on, pray and share. It is my hope someday to publish if the way be clear (a phrase that means if the right pieces somehow come together and God helps along the way). However, I am aware that this was truly a community effort. The donations to my work have numbered over 300. The views of my work has been 100 a day and 30,000 a year. This is not the degree of just one person—but truly the work of Public Theology, as it will say in May.
I often think about how this theology is one in the legacy of Mr. Rogers, who’s alma mater I am attending. This is supposed to be about putting theology in the public sphere in new ways. Sometimes prayer writing seems ordinary and pedestrian, and others, it feels like the tool that needs to to spark what needs to happen, the way to give permission for people to wrestle with those things in their lives that just seem to be impossible.
As someone who is always talking—it’s just that sometimes that dialogue happens to be out loud, prayer has been a lovely outlet for me to continue process what it means to be
This thing we call
Human
Thank you for being part of the journey
And helping me to fund a degree that would not have happened without the community.
Katy
https://substack.com/profile/105115900-katyandtheword?utm_source=profile-page
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
katyandtheword 