Content warning: Trans* Day of Remembrance: Mentions Abuse, Death, Murder, Abuse, Suicide
God You know that when your very existence is resistance
Then remembrance is more than a story
It is a celebration that Life is complication
And beautiful and every time We remember
Our Trans* siblings We co-create A world
Where mourning and lament are not it
We re-member re-connect re-present reality
Knowing that one way one being even one name is not enough
Complicated mysterious God- THE God of Pronouns The Almighty Multiplicitious* God
It is You who blesses us calls us by our chosen name Blesses our found families understands the mysterious, complicated way hurt, imperfections, love all mix up into life
Perhaps more than anyone else
Help us as we do the hard work of mourning those who have been lost to this world through the tragedy of violence
Trans* individuals who have been killed by intimate partners family strangers or if they lose their life yet another way and died by suicide, We hurt still from all the abuse and death that is ongoing
Protect especially our Queer Siblings of Color
We Celebrate their lives as a testament and Embodiment Of the Diversity in the World Knowing, that their living into themselves Still counted and was important even when it felt incomplete
Protect especially our Queer Siblings of Color Who are particularly vulnerable
Put a shield across them We demand your care for them
Melt the hearts of hate For all who do harm Physical Political Emotional
And may we resist forever Any injustice in the world Fighting for a Place
Where all are Accepted Fed Safe Celebrated Justified Recognize and Known
To be Fiercely and Wondrously made In the Image of our Multiplicitous God Amen
*This is a new word, as of today, pronounce it with confidence
Feel free to use/share/adapt with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta aka “KatyandtheWord”
On National Coming Out Day Stay Safe Find Sanctuary Spaces Find places to be you Find Belovedness Find Cozyness Corners Embrace Mystery Its ok if it doesn’t all make Sense Be Gay/Queer And Do Crime Be a Riot You are Fierce and Awesomely Made
And Forgive all of us who don’t show us In the ways you need us to
In the Name of the God who show Themselves in a Flaming Bush To an Enslaved man with a Speech Impediment to Liberate People (Who you do NOT have to Believe in)
But then I remember that Ozma** was restored to rule and got her happy ending and became a girl*** without any fuss at all
And that stories of Defying Gravity for Different Divergent Witches In not Pink Skins are inspiring Songs everywhere
and that Glinda too realized she needed a castle with women
I remember that Banksy is creating and recreating for Peace
I read all the Science Fiction and Fantasy about acceptance
I remember that people are upset about Woke things Because they sell so well
And I take a deep breath And sing the Magnificat Again
With Mary As We Advent (Wait, Long, etc.) again for Jesus
*Footnote: Link above Mary Poppins Spoonful of sugar was inspired by the oral Polio vaccine which was given with a square of sugar to help the medicine go down. I am very worried about the discrediting of vaccines in this day of age. I am also worried because I have a child with autism, and although vaccines do not cause autism, time and time again people have insisted they basically would rather risk death then have a child with autism. It is a sobering thought.
**Footnote: Read Ozma of Oz, it is one of the first happy endings for LGBTQIA. Also L. Frank Baum wrote many, many women based upon his feminist mother-in-law, some of them funny, some of them strong, all of them amazing. There is a lot of variation in Oz, because it is fantasy. It is amazing, per usual. Wicked also has LGBTQIA acceptance obliquely within it, however L. Frank Baum’s stories are wide open for interpretation as most fantastic stories are.
***Footnote: “became a girl” is not quite right but it’s fantasy and this is poetry I don’t want to ruin for you…so excuse my clumsy wording for the gist of the mystery of the book that you will now have to read.
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”
If you want a document version of this entire series for easy viewing and formatting just email me at Katyandtheword at gmail and title it Narrative Lectionary and I will be happy to send it to you.
If you would like to support my work, please give to my gofundme for my D. Min in Creative Writing or in an exciting new prospect become a Patron for only $3 a month!
Call to Confession: Come let us confess our Hope in God
Confession: God, we confess that sometimes it is hard to hope for rainbows. We do not believe that every storm will run out of rain, we have trouble remembering that you are not a violent God when people who call themselves Christians scream hate. Stop their hate, Protect us, and help us to see the rainbow we pray. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: Nothing Can Separate you from the Love of Christ: Not height nor depth nor floods nor hate. Know the truth and affirm it to one another: In Jesus Christ we are always beloved and always forgiven. Amen.
Prayer of Dedication: God, let us be proud of you as the rainbow God, and stand proud that before we knew, you knew the full meaning of the rainbow. Thank you. Amen.
We are Stardust, Praise be to God, the Creator of Stars!
Call to Confession: Come, let us confess and sparkle to God
Prayer of Confession: God, we confess that we sparkle and glitter, but sometimes it does not feel like we are wonderfully and fiercely made. Help us when we forget. Show us the stars. Remind us that we are beautiful and everything we do counts, just like every star in the sky counts. Amen
Assurance of Pardon: You loved us into being, just as when you created the magnificent heavens, so we know the truth: In Jesus Christ we are always beloved and always forgiven. Amen.
Prayer of Dedication: God, remind us that like stars, our sparkles count. Help us to glitter we pray. Amen.
Call to Worship God you anoint the outside The outcast from their family: the queer, gay, nonbinary, lesbian, ace—you will go with them on their journey to find a home.
God, you promise to be with them, no matter what
God be with us
Imprisoned, Abused, Lied about, False witness, You promise, You will still be our God
God be with us
There are no empty footsteps in the Sand for Joseph, You will still be in our dreams, you promise
God, be with us today.
Call to Confession: God, let us confess and be our full selves with ourselves today.
Confession: God, we confess that it is hard to be our full selves. We are ignored, mocked, sold into slavery, imprisoned and abused. We confess that even though you know what we go through, we feel ashamed, less, alone. Help us when we are broken. Remind us that we do not need to be forgiven for who we are—that Joseph wore women’s clothes and ran away from sex with a woman way before Jesus was even born, and was beloved, by his father, his brother, the King and you. May safe spaces be formed for all people we pray. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: Jesus longs for this to be a safe space of forgiveness for all, though we may not have achieved that yet, know that one thing is always true: In Jesus Christ we are always beloved and always forgiven. Amen.
Prayer of Dedication: Let us go into the world our full selves, proud, loud and beloved children of God. Amen.
Call to Confession: Come let us rest with God today
Prayer of Confession: God, we confess that it is hard to believe that you would part the ocean for me. Don’t I complain too much? Is it not too much work? Are you sure that I am worth it? Yet I look at the complaints of the Hebrews, and am reassured that you want not only to rescue me, but to listen to my worries and complaints. Help me when I am troubled an in trouble I pray. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: God longs whisper the good news to you, so let us whisper it to one another and be reassured of its truth: In Jesus Christ we are always beloved and always forgiven. Amen.
Prayer of Dedication: God extend your protection into the world with us as we go we pray. Amen.
God let us hear your commands as promises of hope, not hammers or laws
Come, let us feel God’s grace
Call to Confession: Let us confess ourselves to the Graciousness of God
Prayer of Confession: God, you know I don’t like rules—they are weapons of hurt instead of tools of justice. We humans cannot be trusted with them. Grace is but a trickle in my life, and I am still looking for that cup overflowing you promised. I confess, the moment you lift me up on Eagle’s Wings will not be too soon. Please help us to lift each other up, and to treat each other with the grace we long for. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: God is full of grace, your forgiveness has already been made complete as soon as you confessed yourself. Now we get the opportunity to practice that grace together and say: In Jesus Christ we are always beloved and always forgiven. Amen.
Prayer of Dedication: God, give us grace as we go. Send it on the wings of your Holy Spirit, touch it to our brows we pray. Amen.
God, you are fully God, today, tomorrow and everyday
Come, let us renew our relationship with God.
Call to Confession: It is good to be with God, come let us be present with God today
Confession: God, we confess that sometimes its a lot to be our full selves. It takes time and work to integrate who we are, with the mystery of who you are. Does anyone ever have a full handle on that? Please help us to do this as a community, so that we might have a fuller and richer perspective of your Godhood we pray. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: God is our God, no matter what, so we know the truth: In Jesus Christ we are always beloved and always forgiven. Amen.
Prayer of Dedication: God please help us to renew our relationship with you and with ourselves as often as we need to so that we might fully know who we are and who you are as we go about the world. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ who was somehow fully God and fully human. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: God longs to wrap you under her wing and assure you that you are safe and forgiven, so know the good news: In Jesus Christ we are always beloved and always forgiven. Amen.
If you want a document version of this entire series for easy viewing and formatting just email me at Katyandtheword at gmail and title it Narrative Lectionary and I will be happy to send it to you.
If you would like to support my work, please give to my GoFundMe for my D. Min in Creative Writing or you can support me via Venmo @Katy-Stenta (last four 7841), Paypal @KatyStenta, Google Pay Katyandtheword at gmail, Cash App $bookkats
O God of Pronouns, We give Praise to the Great One the one who is identifiable as God
“I am, what I am” you say! The great They!
The Incarnate He and She– the God of Trans-Being!
Impregnating Mary, Fathering God, Breastfeeding God of Many Mounds/Breasts* God of Mountains and Might!
You shatter all stereotypes!
Making every single person, male and female, in your image. Exactly in your image! male-and-female, intersex, nonbinary,
Spectrum, rainbow God who put your promise for nonviolence in the symbol for queer love, before humanity knew
Because you knew who had Joseph, who could not sleep with a woman in a beautiful lady’s cloak, perhaps of rainbow colors, before we knew, you knew.
God of pronouns, who said, you can call me he or she or they; whatever makes you feel closest to me.
Invisible and Visible God: on this day where visibility is not enough where celebration, belovedness, affirmation and acceptance is the bare minimum
Remind us that you are the God of Pronouns, so of course you affirm and celebrate them.
God of Saul/Paul, Jacob/Isaac, Mara/Naomi, Abram and Sarai and Abraham and Sarah–
God of Joseph of the Coat of Many Colors, of the Ethiopian Eunuch of the Virgin Mary,
God of all the found families in the Bible.
Remind us that you affirm us in our full identity: Name, Pronoun, Found Family, All of it.
And for this we give you thanks and praise, to the great I am, the great They/Them.
Thank you God!
Amen.
Feel Free to use/adapt/share with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta
*In Hebrew the word we often translate as Almighty means God of many mounds which can mean the God of many mountains (places to worship) or the God of many breasts (places to get nourishment)
To modern day readers, this encounter with the Eunuch may be one of the wackiest texts we encounter. All the reasons that stick out to us as being weird or miraculous were fairly typical of ministry of the day.
Philip is awoken by an angel and told to hit the road and travel on a specific road from Jerusalem to Gaza. Then the Spirit tells Philip to join the chariot, so Philip runs to catch up to a chariot! Then upon baptism the Spirit whisks Philip away, poof, and the Eunuch goes on rejoicing. In the era that this was written, none of these encounters with angels ro the Holy Spirit would be remarked upon as strange.
The parts that are not as strange to us, are the real miracles of the time:
Philip being converted by his mission experience
A Eunuch who can read ancient Hebrew text and is studying it
A river appears in, what is likely to be, the desert road between two cities. It is unusual for water to be in a place that is not a city, and yet it appears at the exact time that the Eunuch seeks baptism. We do not think hard about water in the desert, but we can be sure the ancient Hebrews and Greeks and Ethiopians did as they traveled.
In modern times, we have learned a lot. We know that those who go on missions go to convert themselves not others, and think hard about the nature of toxic charity and heroism. We think that reading the texts is normal, or should be and encourage as many people as we can to study them. And we absolutely hope that all people are accepted into the faith.
So what we consider miracles were considered normal and vice versa. Except for the fact that the Eunuch is queer individual, and we still aren’t sure what the answer to their question “what should prevent me from being baptized?”
Whether swept up in the suddenness of the moment or not having a good answer, Philip does not answer the question, and that itself becomes the answer.
There is no objection to the baptism, so the moment passes.
The Ethiopian is so excited to be baptized, that Philip cannot in any circumstances say no.
No doubt the flashing neon signs fo the angel and Spirit served to help too. Yes that EXACT chariot, that’s the place we mean. No need to wonder if this is the right person, and the fact that they are reading Ancient Hebrew on a scroll is incredible. Here is this person, probably not even allowed in the temple, who takes their faith seriously enough to journey to Jerusalem and is educated enough to read, and not only to read, but to read a different language then that which is spoken in Ethiopia.
How? Is this Eunuch a descendent of the Hebrews who journeyed and stayed in Egypt? The borders of such countries are unclear, but this individual is clearly a different gender, country and culture than Philip. They even garner such great power as to be the treasurer for the queen. They are riding rich, in a chariot. Did Philip feel overwhelmed by all of these differentials? Did he wonder if he was the right person for the job? Did he rejoice that God gave him such a challenge?
It is important, as anti-trans legislation rips through the US and the UK, as anti-queer policy rips apart the Methodist and Reformed traditions, as the Pope proclaims that gays cannot get married in the Catholic church, it is important to look at this precedent.
“What is to prevent me from becoming baptized”
In John, Jesus says: I am the vine and you are branches, abide in my and I in you, so that we might bear fruit. We are once again, reminded that our fates, our health, our prosperity, our faith is intertwined with one another. We must acknowledge one another, work with one another and grow with one another, so that we might all bear fruit. When we put barriers up, when we say we cannot welcome one another, we die on the vine. This is so very true in churches, where people want only people like them to attend.
Philip knows what it is to be an outcast and is by no means the least of the disciples, no doubt some part of him sympathized with the Eunuch. After all Philip was almost stoned to death. Philip knows what he is doing.
So imagine after this incredible journey, after he is swept back to the disciples, after he has baptized this individual, the story he tells–the precedent he sets, is the a eunuch: A queer gender non conforming individual is part of who should be baptized!
“Go and baptize all people” in Matthew 28:17-20 could be glossed as “I really mean it.”
I am the vine and your are the branches could be glossed as: we are not meant to discriminate
And Psalm 22 definitely emphasizes that God is for all people and that God promises to be for all generations, even those “Dang Kids” future generations who no doubt will do things differently in the future.
Hopefully this passage can inspire us to pursue baptism more inclusively and more joyfully.
And if not, hopefully God sends an angel, the Holy Spirit and a river to help us along the way.
katyandtheword 