When violence
Oversteps (always)
Realizing too
Late the
Damage
Cooks
Entering
Neutral
Territory
Ripped
Apart
Lethally
Keep
Inching
Towards
Ceasefire
Help
End the War
Now
When violence
Oversteps (always)
Realizing too
Late the
Damage
Cooks
Entering
Neutral
Territory
Ripped
Apart
Lethally
Keep
Inching
Towards
Ceasefire
Help
End the War
Now
CW: Violent images
When I say,
How many times Lord?
I am not talking about some
nebulous math problem
that I want solved
I am more pointing to the fact
that the human brain
is incapable
of processing more
than a certain amount
of sensory
input
And the battering
of an apartheid
is so True
that my brain
has trouble processing the
Fact of the Matter
I know it, I see it, I say it
But I know
I have not processed it
the images, numbers and facts
the screams, blood and children
lie strewn across my brain
And all I can think is
How many times Lord?
It is a variation
But not the same
prayer I pray
about Gun Violence
The angry tears that clench my jaw
and make me a bleeding heart
That believes this time we will all figure out
how souls will out weigh the capitalism of violence
A rainbow in the sky promises
How Many Times?
Nonbinary Kids
Trans Women on Sports Teams
Trans Men trying to Dance
To Kill a Mockingbird is Banned
A White Woman in a Kitchen calls a Human Being Illegal
And calls for everyone to be scared
How Many Times Lord?
The Math of Getting it,
Doesn’t seem to be getting through
Feel free to use/adapt/share with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta “KatyandtheWord”
Nativity, 2022 (Ukraine) by Irenaeus Yurchuk.
Longest Night Prayer
Jesus,
Sweet Baby Jesus
Born in the midst of a collapsing empire
Hidden in plain sight from everything and everyone official
When different factions of the religion
were all claiming to be the “truer” one
Each saying if you don’t worship our way
You don’t belong to God.
You were born when a Messiah
Seemed to be around every corner
Lamps were left on at night and demagogues and dynamic cult leaders
Were followed at whim, because people needed hope
And the gulf between who was poor and who was rich
The distinction between who was citizen and who was not
The taste in one’s mouth when people called one another
Foreigner, Outsider, or Different was sour and full of hate
Violence was everywhere
Children, the Poor, The Elderly, The Lonely, the Sex Worker
were Ignored or Forgotten
Laws were passed against anyone deemed Unclean in any way (oh my Queer siblings!)
Jesus Christ, you were born in a time
When no one was receiving proper healthcare
So people banged down your door
for a bit of healing
And my heart aches
With the familiarity, you could be born today
Is this why you have to be born into today’s world?
Have we forgotten why we need you?
Sometimes I wonder if you haven’t returned
Because we haven’t learned enough?
Heretic thought I know
But I sit in the hate and terror and worry Jesus
Jesus Christ, we need you. A baby
A sneak king full of healing and mischevious teachings of Grace
Jesus we need someone who will sit in the dirt with the marginal
and embody the Peace so much that we will sit in the dirt with you.
Sweet baby Jesus, though I know we picture angels, shepherds, & magi
I think that a baby born in the war-torn dark
might be the truth
Help us to sit with that, in the shortest day and longest night I pray.
Amen.
Feel free to use/adapt/share with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta
CW: war and violence
Good God who is glorious, generous
full of bounty, food and other good things
I feel too exhausted to pray
about pieces of metal
that explode into
messes of blood
tragedy
and annihlation
As the weeping of babies
across oceans
haunt my dreams at night
and the artwork of Banksy
decorates the walls,
the walls of hate
My words seem like a meager choice
the cry of Peace
while those with nothing are crying
in war
Who will share this burden?
The prophets cry
And the artists will paint
with their tears
Call your Congressperson
I pray
Do not tell the story of the downtrodden:
the Palestinian Christian,
the hungry senior citizen
the beaten Black Lives Matter Activist
the forgotten Trans Teen
the shot kindergartener
Do not tell the story after the tragedy has happened
God
I am so tired of praying
about pieces of metal
empty of bullets
emptying lives
emptying souls
Teach me another prayer
Teach me the prayer of
Peace
Because
Because
I am all too familiar with the vocabulary of hate
it contains words like
animals
revenge
and dehumanization
Reteach me the
languages of love
teach me the
me the lexicon of
humanization
Melt our hearts
our weapons
our souls
into another shape
I pray.
Amen.
Feel Free to use/adapt/share with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta “Katyandtheword”
God,
I’m tired
Of praying
For peace.
God,
I’m tired
Of praying.
God,
I’m tired.
God.
Amen.
Feel free to use/adapt/share with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta
Blessed are the peacemakers
The ones who craft safety and sanctuary,
so that parents can read to children in their own beds at home,
instead of hiding in bunkers.
Blessed are the peacemakers, who stand up to bullies
for they value lives over money–
Flipping tables along the way…
and life over the color of ones skin or religion
knowing that God does not say “only let the white Christian people in”
But instead says “It is your job, always, without fail, to care for refugees, for you were once a refugee people.”
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they do not hide from conflict
but face it, head on, and name the injustices, in voices clear and strong.
God bless the makers of peace–who reach into their pockets
and pull together whatever bits and pieces they have on them,
and commit to make peace with whatever they have on them at the moment.
They are never silent in oppression,
They ask the right questions like “What happened here?” and “Let the one without sin throw the first stone?”
they never worry about inconveniences or being uncomfortable,
but choose to act out of the giving of their very selves–to make peace.
God bless the peace makers,
The rainbow promise keepers, the food-givers, the stranger welcomers, the least of these carers. God bless them, for theirs is the Kingdom.
And while you’re at it, God, help us to pay attention, so we too may be makers of peace we pray.
Amen.
Feel free to use/share/adapt with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta
I want to pray for you and affirm
As the ashes have just been smudged
On your forehead
And we feel a little fragile these days
With war, and pandemic and climate change
And racism
And transphobia and homophobia
And all the Ableism
And all the hate—
So much hate that it’s bitter on our tongues
And it polluted the air we breathe
And we can feel it—
trying to X us out of existence
Because hate hurts all of us;
Even as it tricks the hater into feeling powerful.
But anyway I’m praying that you..
Yes you, know that you
Are created in the image of God
Exactly as you are.
With all of your so called flaw
And imperfections
And differences,
Remember that our God is
Manifold, and that they
Love multiplicity and variety
And invented rainbows
And galaxies
And microbes we can’t even see—
So trust me, and be affirmed
Even in, especially in your fragility
That you are known, created and beloved
By God, exactly as your are
And take their blessings I’m your heart I pray.
Amen.
Feel free to use/share/adapt with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta
Ok God,
You know that sometimes,
Ok let’s be honest,
All too often,
My hands are outstretched!
Not because I’m throwing my hands up in praise
but rather
because they feel WAY too empty.
And I can’t find a way to help–
So I pray.
So here I am Sweet Jesus,
In the middle of a veritable plague,
on the edge of what could be World War 3,
while dictators invade innocent nations,
while families are treatened to be ripped apart
for supporting and loving and affirming
your God imaged trans and lesbian and gay and nonbinary children
and black and brown people are still killed without warrant or warrants
and books are being banned and burned
and gun violence is up everywhere
and home prices are through the roof–
Is this how it felt Jesus, when you were born
in the middle of occupied Jerusalem
Is this how the disciples felt
when they asked you the same questions
over and over (and over) again.
Did you have compassion for them,
because you knew their questions were a form of prayer?
God why is this happening?
How do we stop it?
Why do we fall into these patterns of evil again and again.
Hosanna! Save us! Help us!
God, as we enter this lonely time time of Lent,
Help me to walk with you, I pray.
because, God knows,
You know,
I at least don’t want to walk it alone.
And so here I am,
with an empty handed prayer,
knowing that I’m asking for something to do
and what you ask will not be easy…
but I choose to pray anyway,
Because I don’t want to be empty handed anymore!
Lord hear my prayer,
Amen.
Amen.
Feel free to share/adapt/use with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta
With thanks to @Thomaslhorrocks for the inspirational tweet
I love the word Selah, the untranslatable cry to God. We have guesses, but we don’t know exactly what it means
For me it translates into the prayer that we don’t know how to pray
Selah
Its the cry out on Maundy Thursday when Jesus is worried about something that we cannot yet conceive, Selah
The cry when the first Muslim judge- Sheila Abdus-Salaam-is found dead, the domestic murder of a teacher-Karen Smith-and her student-Jonathan Martinez-registers as almost normal and when an Asian man-Dr. David Dao–is assaulted to give up his airline seat. Selah.
The cry when it is revealed that one of your friends will betray your teacher, Christ. When the fellowship is still intact, but Friday is coming. Selah
The cry when your leader bombs not one but two countries in the same Fortnight. Selah
The cry when Friday is coming, and you wish this cup can be taken from your lips, but you know it can’t be, so you pray at Gethsemane, and Friday still comes. Selah.
Drought in Africa, Dirty water in Flint, Trans Man outed by a Gay Competitor, Black Lives Still Matter, Missing Teens of Color some of these prayers never seem to end. Selah.
The violence that makes up the Cross is present, its real, its stark and needs to be mourned. Selah.
Selah.
Selah.