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”
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”
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”
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”
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.
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
Because Dirt is beautiful nurturing, rich, Smelling of life
Because God took dust Formed humanity and breathed, pneuma, life into it
Ashes
Because, God walks with us from the mountaintops to the sand on the beaches
God kneels with us in dirt, helping to ease the load and when we look at our hands and feet, worried about how dirty we are God sits with us in the grime
And then God kneels, and washes between our toes counting the grains of sand, the remnants of our work and days reminding us of the Abrahamic promise
Ashes, because we are mortal And nothing is forever, and it is good to remember Our time is limited
But enough
Created from dust–to dust we will return Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust, Amen
Feel free to use/adapt/share with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta “KatyandtheWord”
To Support me as a Working Public Theologian Donate via Venmo @Katy-Stenta (last four 7841), Paypal @KatyStenta, Google Pay Katyandtheword at gmail, Cash App $bookkats GoFundMe to send me a check email KatyandthWord at gmail receipts available upon request
Selah, God We confess We confess that we do not know what to say or to do in Light (get it) of the Transfiguration We would rather just sit and bask in it Or build a monument to it Or somehow or another Find a way to stay.
But then the cloud comes And gifts us with the relief the contrast the much needed less mind shattering shadows of shade Because when God is too much for us–God shades, Godself from us. Selah.
And reminds us that sometimes all we have to do Is sit still And be present And listen
And we think Maybe Perhaps We can go down the mountain after all (Especially if we aren’t doing it alone)
So here we go God Down the mountain Changed From human to human Shaded from God, by God Still not knowing what Selah means But feeling it in our very souls as we inhale the Holy Spirit and exhale the Holy Spirit Selah!
Feel free to use/share/adapt with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta “KatyandtheWord”
Do you want to learn how to write prayers and liturgy? Psalms and Calls to Worship? Confessions and Personal Prayers? This Zoom Workshop is designed for all levels and experiences for people to engage in prayer writing–using the scripture as your guide. This will be an instructional, small group (limit 10) and experiential workshop.
Led by Katy Stenta, Pastor, Writer and Educator
For more information to sign up, email Katyandtheword at gmail.com. Titled “Liturgy”
Katy Stenta is a regular contributor to Sermonsuite, (formerly) RevGalBlogPals, and is published in Enfleshed, Presbyterian’s Today and Outlook. She received her undergraduate in English and History and Minor on Philosophy at Oberlin, her M. Div. and MA in Christian Formation at Princeton Theological Seminary. She is all but dissertation for her D. Min. in Creative Writing as a Public Theologian at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. She also writes personal prayers regularly at katyandtheword.com.
Themes: Disciples want to get close to Jesus, Jesus continually points the disciples to look outward Kneeling with Christ :When Jesus Comes Every Knee will bow, Because Christ will return as he came, Kneeling to Serve And we will Kneel to be Beside him The Promise of a New Kin-dom A World Beyond Capitalism, Breaking Capitalism
Breath Prayer Inhale: Resurrected Lord Exhale: Resurrect us Lord
Inhale: Christ is Risen Exhale: Christ is Risen Indeed
Call to Worship God has already rolled the stone away Come let us celebrate Christ is risen Christ is Risen indeed! Come let us praise the Resurrected Lord!
Call to Worship This is the day that the Lord has made The news feels overwhelming Come let us worship and serve the Lord! Come let us worship and serve the Lord!
Call to Confession: There is nothing too big for God, come let us confess ourselves to the Divine.
Prayer of Confession: God we confess that there is too much to take in. We confess that at times feel alarmed, and like we cannot find Jesus. Help us when we are overwhelmed with the news. Allow us time to take it in we pray. (Silent Prayer) Amen.
Prayer of Confession: God, we confess that we are not alway able to hear the news of resurrection and be your people. Help us to make the changes we need to be an Easter people we pray (Silent Prayer) Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: Hear the news, the stone has already been rolled away, the resurrection has already occurred, so we know the Good News, In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Prayer of the Day/Dedication: Jesus Christ, we are your people, loved, forgiven, redeemed. May we remember and hold it in our hearts no matter where we go. May we be your Easter people we pray. Amen.
Hymn Suggestions: Blessed Assurance Jesus is Mine, Live Into Hope.
Taize Option: Bless the Lord, Laudate Omens Gentes,
Children’s Activity: Play Hide and Seek Remind the Children they are always found by God (If the room is small play where’s Waldo with small Jesus figures)
Children’s Book: God is Like by Rachel Held Evans or Jesus the Word by Mark Francisco Bozzuti-Jones, A very Abridged Velveteen Rabbit is always a good option as well.
Feel free to Email KatyandtheWord at Gmail for Text version for easy Copy/Paste Formatting Suggested Donation for Entire Liturgy $75 (you can decide what is fair for portions) Receipt Available upon request Please give credit to Pastor Katy Stenta “KatyandtheWord”
Venmo @Katy-Stenta (last four 7841), Paypal @KatyStenta, Google Pay Katyandtheword at gmail.com, Cash App $bookkats GoFundMe
katyandtheword 