@Kim@tech.lgbt in Norway, ‘up and not crying is a not uncommon response to “how’s it going” type questions, and I fell like that’s a very reasonable standard to hold oneself to especially nowadays
I have experienced so many longest nights… the scary longest night of childhood– too scared to cry out for help in the dark too scared not to The sheer powerlessness of not knowing what to do
The longest night of giving birth the pain, the trying to breath, trying to talk everyone trying to help, feeling like no one is trying to help I’ve not been Mary, but Good God the pressure I have experienced that longest night
I have experienced the length of ten millions hours Of the bedside wait for a beloved one to die imminent, and yet too long the wondering if staying is the best thing to do or not, the talking without response– the simultaneous hope that they know you are present but that they don’t, because then they aren’t feeling any pain
I know the powerlessness of longest night moments of parenthood Of sitting on the couch laughing so you don’t cry Because you don’t know what to do next, as your child is anguished and alone– And you Cry right in front of them “I am here” As they are crying about how alone they feel
I have felt the chilliness of the Longest Night of being alone– how cold it feels to have no friends what it means to be laughed at every time you speak shunned, and ostracized The awkwardness of being your neurodivergent self And realizing there is no other way to be
And then again during the isolation of Covid where we all, kept each other safe briefly
Before all the wars resumed
I have not experienced every longest night, but I have had to pick what bill not to pay I have stand in the grocery line with WIC Praying that all of my credit cards do not bounce I have had long payment plans with the IRS, And preached to help the poor knowing that I am actually being self-referential
When I think of the Darkest night of the Soul and Jesus, with his guts spilled out on the cross I feel like I understand a little more when I had to relearn how to walk how to eat how to defecate after surgery–and feel the worst pain ever to recover (And it makes me wonder about If Jesus walked to Emmaus because he had to relearn it, And if he didn’t eat, because he couldn’t yet)
The longer I live The more I understand the Longest Nights and I think, we need time to sit in silence grief loneliness charity
with one another Because humans experience Longest nights And I believe God sits with us and cradles us and sings us lullabies until the dawn arrives again.
Happy Solstice The Shortest Day of the Longest Fucking Year of Our Lives
Please feel free to use/share/adapt with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta “KatyandtheWord”
Dr. Wil Gafney “Christmas is not Canceled. Festive Christmas celebration and public displays are. But the Feast of the Incarnation will continue to be observed. There will be church services for the local residents. Tourism is strongly discouraged.” Layla Darwish: Most average Americans doesn’t even know Christmas is cancelled in Bethlehem.
Christ Incarnates Christ always comes that is the promise
That is what I said when I took my ordination question I said that I believe that Christ will come and every knee shall bow
And someone stood and asked me How?
Aren’t you worried about Universalism (Worried that Jesus might save everyone?? HA!)
And I said I don’t know It is not my job to understand it
Just to believe it and to declare the good news
That even in the midst of war and rubble and horrific devastation where humans dehumanize one another Christ will keep his promise
I believe that somehow Christ is still with us and will be incarnate for everyone
Because the Bible says Good News for All People All people will stream Every Knee shall bow
I did not see any asterisks or footnotes
I did not see any guns or calls for coercion or force
Last I saw Jesus said to kneel to one another And wash each other’s feet
(I have suspicions about this is why we will be kneeling to be besides the Christ who is already kneeling to serve us)
But right now I am just hanging on to the faith that Jesus is here And Coming
Because it’s not my job to bring Jesus
Or to bring anyone to him God has already done all of that work
Jesus is coming Hear the Good News Alleluia, Amen.
Feel free to use/share/adapt with credit to Katy Stenta “KatyandtheWord”
Here’s a Prayer for the Pastors All the Pastors The ones who feel heard and the ones who don’t
The ones who are ready to quit and the ones who left years ago…quietly…without any recognition Or maybe without apologies or healing God knows your work and calls it good
Here’s a prayer for the pastors who were told suck it up buttercup and the ones who are faithfully, quietly serving–without any fanfare or anything close to a living wage May justice flood down like water
Here’s a prayer for the bivocational pastors The stretched thin sandwich generation or parental parents the disabled or otherwise doing too much pastors the am-I-worthy-because-I’m working four things but none-of-them-technially-count-as-a-call pastors May God bless all the kinds of your work
Here’s a prayer for the pastors–who know every situation is different who won’t speak their hurt in public, because it crosses too many boundaries But it’s there
And for the pastors–for whom, its less specific It is just the quiet knowledge–that the profession is fading and that if there was a will, things might be sustainable ..but everyone seems to instead wring their hands, and talk about the beloved buildings…and Sunday Schools that can no longer exist and sports on Sunday May God hold you in the palm of God’s hand
Here’s a prayer for the pastors who are trying to set boundaries trying not to be caught up in all the things they could be doing and trying to figure out what they should and shouldn’t be doing Here’s a prayer for the juggling pastors Jesus calls you to do what you can and also give you room to rest
Here’s a prayer for the pastor Who is not Jesus, but is trying to serve the faithful pastor who is trying to see both the church as it is..and as it is forming to be God bless you pastor and God bless your people May you have a good ministry And may you stop when you need to Here’s a prayer for all the unique pastors Whoever you are, wherever you are
May you know that your ministry matters Traditional, Nontraditional, Parish or Beyond It all counts, I believe you are called by God, By Name And it all counts, and I am praying for you.
Amen.
Feel free to use/share/adapt with Credit to Pastor Katy Stenta at Katyandtheword
I’m so sorry for your Loss …………………………(silence)…………………… They are in a better place This really sucks God needed another angel …………………………(silence)…………………… Call me if you need anything ::Sitting and crying together:: They were too good to live …………………………(silence)…………………… You did everything you could Oh God You can always have another child/You have other children …………………………(silence)…………………… They had a good life …………………………(silence)…………………… …………………………(silence)…………………… …………………………(silence)…………………… …………………………(silence)……………………
Feel free to share/adapt/use with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta
Stone Cave Tomb, Stone in front of it, black background, made on Canva, free to use
Here’s a Prayer to the traumatized Savior Who no one, Not one disciple understood
Here’s a prayer to the mysterious Jesus Who was beyond ken who told stories and parables and riddles and answered questions with questions and ministered to the hurt behind the questions and only maybe, maybe answered 5 or 6
Because Jesus knew that ministry is not about answers But walking with people in their hurt and listening to their stories and sitting by the well waiting
Here’s a Prayer for the Jesus who saw people really saw them, and called them, each by their chosen name, and did not care if it was different than their birth name, what miracle
This is a prayer for Jesus who felt more at home with Lazarus Mary and Martha (or maybe there was just Mary and we conflated one woman into two?) and believed in found families and who had to retreat there when the crowds became overwhelming.
A prayer for the Savior who had to nap and escape to the middle of lakes and the tops of mountains. A prayer for the Savior who cursed fig trees and flipped tables and yelled at the hypocrites and screamed SHUT UP, when the waves got too scary. Here’s a prayer for Jesus, survivor of trauma, even before Even before they went on that hill to the cross And called misfits and the marginal to do the work with them: tax collectors, widows, outcasts and those with foot in mouth syndrome
Here’s a Prayer to Jesus–who said, look for me in the most unlikely places the immigrant, look for me on the edges of society. Do not worry about me getting you, Look for me among the lost sheep, the prodigal the poor, the hungry look for me among the imprisoned those who speak gibberish the sick those without power those without citizenship the queer ones the naked the children the lonely
This is a prayer for Jesus–who does not care about branding or power, or how many people are Christian, how many Christians we produce Christianity is not a product
Here’s a prayer for Jesus, Who is sitting with all of us after a worldwide pandemic from which we all hold grief and trauma and from which, I still haven’t shaped the right prayer So I’m sitting with Jesus–who knows what trauma is and is making the prayer with me.
Feel free to use/share/adapt with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta
This is a prayer For all those in the middle Of canceling Christmas
Because everyone is sick Or the storm is raging-Mr. Freeze Miser or Elsa is Raging Or the Hell has frozen over, and the weather is downright Disrespectful
This is a prayer, for the pastors boards and and councils who have to figure out If they are videoing, scrounging or just calling the whole thing off After years of hoping to finally be in the warmth of one another’s company again
We thought it would be Hallelujah chorus again And we were looking forward to lighting the Christ candle again And were happily scrapping and squabbling about service on Christmas day When…it came to this…!
And even though, Pastoral Leadership Promises That Christ will come anyway (every time) This year is bitterly Hard So I will not say these words to you
So I’m going to pray And validate every curse word Every Sigh Every Grunt Every Frustration Every Headache And remind you that Yelling at God is an Option
And the the “wise men” got lost Joseph had no idea what he was doing Elizabeth and Zechariah were clueless The Shepherds were fairly uninvited and pretty much no one knew what was going on but Mary
Prayers friends…I hope you get some support this Christmas Some affirmation And some kind of God moment in the mess Because, truly is what Christmas is all about, Amen
Feel free to share/adapt/use these words as they are helpful. Please give credit to Pastor Katy Stenta
Care for the widows and the Least of these- Lord Hear our Prayer as I walk towards the booth, wary of those who are in line with me
Care for the Stranger and Immigrant, for you may care for Angels Unawares echoes in my brain, as I trace the bubbles with smudgy pen
Woman, I hear you, I picture Jesus saying as I see the name of the candidates who disregard the healthcare of pregnant people and victims of abuse
Put not your trust in any human power–but my hope is in the Lord who gives justice to those that suffer wrong and bread to all those who hungers
God keeps promises better than any human or politician.
This is why good administration is ministry This is why voting and crying is ministry This is why we do our best to care.
This is what I carry to the ballot box That God will open the eyes that need to be opened and lift up those who are bowed down and free those who are bound–
Turn the wicked UpsideDown God. I’ll help where I can. And watch you work miracles. Amen.
Feel free to use/adapt/share with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta
God, is there any prayer like going into surgery? Closing your eyes to the world– Holding your beloveds close to you.
Somehow you try to remind yourself to breathe
Is that how it felt Christ, when you healed?
Did you hold their beloveds close to them? And remind them to breathe?
Bless those undergoing surgery their beloved the doctors, nurses, and all the technicians, custodians, secretaries and support staff who we work too hard along the way
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.
Sunday November 20th 4pm-6pm (Eastern) $40 Thursday Dec 1st 12pm-2pm (Eastern) $40
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, 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 currently pursuing her D. Min. in Creative Writing as a Public Theologian at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. She also writes personal prayers regularly at katyandtheword.com.
katyandtheword 
