Litany for Land and Sea

This week's litany is inspired by the Lectionary texts for Proper 12 of Ordinary Time, Year B; including the account of Christ multiplying the loaves and fishes and, shortly after, crossing the sea on foot in John 6. Plus Psalm 145 and Ephesians 3.


God, who created all things and all people,
Every soul has its origins in you (1).
On planet and galaxy,
On land and sea,
You are the First.
Your stamp is on us all.

All our eyes look to you;
You feed us by your hand (2).
You divide fish and loaf,
Multiplying resources,
Hungry bellies are no match for your abundance. (3)
We rest in your care.

You cross impossible distances to reach us,
Even into the dark,
Even into the deep,
Even into the storm (4).

And somehow, miraculously, you make us like you -
Filled with the fullness of God;
Understanding the height and length and breadth and depth,
And the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge (5);
Strong in inner being and spirit.
Rooted and grounded in love (6).

Your universe is love.
Your language is love.
Your consciousness is love.
Your attitude is love.
Though we are but a speck of your knowing,
Among lands and seas,
Among planets and galaxies,
Your love is supreme. Amen

1. Ephesians 3:15

2. Psalm 145:15,16

3. John 6:11,12

4. John 6:19

5. Ephesians 3:18,19

6. Ephesians 3:16,17
   
    

Litany for Compassion Fatigue (Proper 11, Year B)

In this week's Gospel reading, we see a tired Christ surrounded by tired disciples, looking for some rest and respite from their work. But they can't find it, even when they get on a boat and sail away to an empty place. Crowds of the sick and needy still find them there. And Christ sees the crowd and Mark's gospel says "he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd."

If you are suffering from compassion fatigue in these times, you're not alone. Maybe this litany will be helpful to you.

God, we bear witness to Christ:
In scripture,
In spirit,
And in our own experience.

We see the times when he and his disciples were exhausted
By the constant cries of distressed people,
By exerting themselves in service
By crowds and noise and need.

We have felt those same feelings,
And needed similar rest.

Help us not to grow irritable or resistant
To the needs of human beings;
But to have compassion for your people,
The sheep of your pasture.
For we are among them,
Hungry and in need of healing;
Hoping to touch the fringe of Christ’s cloak (Mark 6:56),
Hoping for miracles.

Help us to find respite from noise and distraction
And find connection with you,
Life with you,
Nourishment with you,
Peace with you,
Rest with you.

As as we daily enter the quiet place of restoration,
May we find you there.
And when we must go a little farther, pour out a little more,
May we receive our strength from you.
Amen

Litany for Dancing (Year B, Proper 10)

This prayer is connected to the Lectionary passages for Proper 10, the 8th Sunday after Pentecost, Year B; specifically to the account in 2 Samuel where David accompanies the ark of the LORD into Jerusalem with dancing, music, and rejoicing.

God, we know that where your presence is
There is joy.
Where your glory dwells
There is joy.

As your servant David danced with all his might in the presence of the Ark (1),
So we embrace joy in the nearness of God;
You have not removed yourself from us,
Nor made yourself unavailable us.
We are your own people, whom you have blessed with every spiritual blessing (2)
Whom you love.

For surely you will speak peace to your people
When we turn to you in our hearts. (3)
Where you are, steadfast love and faithfulness meet;
righteousness and peace kiss each other. (4)

Oh God, grant that we may be so connected to your goodness,
And so aware of your presence,
That even when circumstances around us appear grim
We can have joy;
That even though we have all the facts (5),
We can rejoice;
That even though our dignity is suspect,
We can dance.

We carry your presence like arks within us,
Dancing as we go.
Amen

1. 2 Samuel 6:14

2) Ephesians 1:3

3) Psalm 85:8

4) Psalm 85:10

5) From Wendell Berry’s poem “Mad Farmer Liberation Front”: “Be joyful though you have considered all the facts.”

Litany for the Prophets (Year B, Proper 9)

This litany is inspired by a reading of this week's Lectionary passages from Mark 6 and Ezekiel 2.

God, we give thanks for the prophets of the world:
Those who speak the Good News into being,
Those who live out the mercy of Christ in a dog-eat-dog world,
Those who forsake honor and reputation,
Those who speak truth to power,
Those who leave their comfort behind.

For the poets, preachers, and saints,
We give thanks.
For the artists, peaceful protesters, marchers, healers, and humble warriors,
We give thanks.
For those who call out injustice and bring in grace,
We give thanks.
For those whose bodies, whose very lives, reproach the powers,
We give thanks.
For those who bind wounds, create space for lament, and listen deeply,
We give thanks.

We know that, most often, the ones who prophesy to us
Are the ones we ignore.
Most often, the prophets are the marginalized, the scorned, the killed -
Those who follow Christ’s footsteps.

May we be mindful of the prophets.
Soften our hearts, oh God.
May we heed their warnings.
Open our ears, oh God.
May their blood not cry out in vain.
Open our eyes, oh God.
May the bodies of the faithful speak beyond words.
Enlighten our minds, oh God.
May the wakeful awaken us.
Amen.

Litany for What Ails Us

This litany follows along with the week's Lectionary passages from Mark 4, Psalms 30 & 130, and Lamentations 3.

God, thank you for showing us over and over, in myriad ways,
That you care for us.

Even as Christ walked the earth in human form,
He healed ailments (1),
Brought life where death seemed imminent (2),
Cured diseases,
Welcomed little children,
Offered food for body and soul.

We are afflicted by so many sorrows and discomforts,
But you know them all.
We are brought low by various circumstances and particulars,
But you care about them all.

We suffer most when we distance ourselves from you.
We suffer most when we forget you.
Out of the depths we cry to you, God. (3)
Nothing about us goes unnoticed by you.

The steadfast love of God never ceases,
Your mercies never come to an end;
They are new every morning;
Great is your faithfulness. (4)

You have taken off our sackcloth and clothed us with joy;
You have turned our mourning into dancing,
So that our souls may praise you and not be silent.
O LORD our God, we will give thanks to you forever. (5)

Amen

1. Mark 5:29,30

2. Mark 5:41

3. Psalm 130:1

4. Lamentations 3:22,23

5. Psalm 30:11,12

Ordinary Time (Year B): Litany for the Desperate

This week's Lectionary passages contain such amazing stories and David and Goliath and Christ stilling the sea, but also a deep sense of God's care for the afflicted and desperate.

God, it’s mostly by our own collective blindness
That we have the poor among us.
This is the pit we have made and fallen into;
This is the net that has caught us (1):
We favored the rich
And disregarded the needy.

But, by your mercy, the needy won’t always be forgotten;
Nor the hope of the poor perish (2).

Over and over in the scriptures, we read stories of people who miraculously overcome great obstacles:
     Boys who slay giants with stones (3),
     Women who defeat armies with tent pegs (4),
     Full jars of oil and grain despite famine (5),
     Desperate fathers whose daughters rise from deathbeds (6),
     Locked prison doors flying open (7),
     Dangerous seas calmed at a word (8),
     Crucified Christ resurrected (9).
From these stories, and many more
We take hope.

For in our deepest desperation,
You meet us.
In our poverty of spirit,
You meet us.
In our blindness and apathy,
You meet us.

Things don’t always turn out the way we want them to in this life,
But your eye is always on the afflicted.
Come to us now, Holy One, in our desperation and need;
Still our storms;
Bring us all to a place of rest,
And make us glad in the quiet. (10) Amen.*

*I recommend including a pause for silence here.

1. Psalm 9:15

2. Psalm 9:18

3. 1 Samuel 17:49

4. Judges 4:21

5. 2 Kings 4:1-7

6. Mark 5:23

7. Acts 16:26

8. Mark 4:39

9. Mark 16:6

10. Psalm 107:30

Ordinary Time (Year B): Litany for The Seed

This week's Lectionary text includes the passage in Mark 4 where Jesus likens the Kingdom of God to a seed.
 

God, we know that your kingdom, your kin-dom, the Community of Heaven
Is like a seed -
It’s potential unknowable;
The smallness of the seed
Defying the magnitude of its becoming:
Bursting with life.

We don’t always know the end result
Just by looking at the seed.
Infinitesimal, full of potential, the seed is the start,
The prime of possibility.

The smallest of seeds
Can become the tallest of trees
Bearing fruit and shade,
Nourishing creatures,
Fractalizing, reproducing, and expanding,
Continuing out infinitely.

How should we understand big things?
By looking closely at small things.
How should we understand God’s Community?
By looking at its seeds among us.

This is what we want to be part of:
This ever-growing
     Ever-including
     Ever-sharing
     Ever-nourishing
     Ever-creative
     Ever-expanding, ever-life-giving communion.

May the seed find good soil in us. Amen

Ordinary Time (Year B): Litany for Crazy ol' Jesus

The Lectionary passages for Proper 5 (Year B) contain the story of the time Jesus' family thought he had gone crazy. His ideas and practices were so far outside of their comfort zone that they thought he'd gone nuts. The text says: “When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, "He has gone out of his mind" (Mark 3:21).

This is what I love about him. Unexpected, unconventional, challenger of expectations and assumption; dumping old paradigms for what's sane and respectable and inventing new ones made out of entirely different stuff.

Christ, you arrived on earth with a lot of harebrained ideas.
People thought you were crazy
For your unconventional brand of kindness,
For breaking rules,
For making unexplainable miracles happen,
For re-interpreting scripture,
For rejecting violent means ,
For consorting with sinners,
For re-defining family (1);
For giving unexpected advice:
     Like, love your enemies
     Be humble
     Pray for those who persecute you
     Don’t judge
     Consider the poor
     Make peace.

You baffled everybody you met, from the time you were a child.
You’re still astounding us now.

It’s this same unpredictable grace,
This dazzling mercy,
This lively Love
This upside-down agenda,
That captures our imaginations many years after you last walked the earth in flesh.
We are captivated by you.

Look, here are our hearts:
Put your own heart in us.
Look, here are our minds:
Awaken them.
Look, here are our hands:
Show us the work to do.
Look, here are our voices:
Teach us to speak mercy.

You, crazy old Jesus! You ineffable Force of Love:
You’re the one we want to follow.

Amen
 

1) Mark 3:35

Litany for Sheep

This Sunday is Reign of Christ Sunday, also known as the Feast of Christ the King. It is the last Sunday of the liturgical year and the last of Ordinary Time. Next week we will begin a new church year, which opens with the Advent season.

This week’s Lectionary passages talk a lot about the metaphor of God as Shepherd (Ezekiel 34), and of Christ as the King who separates the sheep from the goats in Matthew 25. In the Matthew 25 passage, Jesus gives the trademark activities of those who will inherit his commonwealth:

“I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,
I was a stranger and you welcomed me,
I was naked and you gave me clothing,
I was sick and you took care of me,
I was in prison and you visited me.”

God, we thank you for revealing yourself to us in the Person of Christ
Before him, we were confused about your nature.
We thought you might be ruthless, unquenchably angry
We thought we had to get on your good side.
But Christ cleared up our confusion, and showed us:
That all your sides are good;
That the good news is good for all;
That we can trust in your justice, and in your mercy.

We thought you were a tyrant king
But you are really a Good Shepherd. (1)
You care for us.
We are your sheep.
You instruct us in your ways:
The way of mercy,
The way of generosity,
The way of compassion,
The way of friendship,
The way of peace. (2)

And so, Good Shepherd, lead us
Toward green pastures
Alongside still waters
Lead us, and restore our souls. (3)

And may we offer the same goodness to others:
To feed the hungry
To welcome the stranger
To clothe the naked
To care for the sick
To befriend the prisoner. (2)

Then everyone will know that we are your people
The sheep of your pasture (4);
That you are our ruler
And your law is love. (5)

Amen

1) Ezekiel 34:11
2) Matthew 25: 35, 36
3) Psalm 23
4) Psalm 100:3
5) Matthew 22:40, Galatians 5:14, Romans 13:10

Litany for Deborahs

This week’s Lectionary reading includes an excerpt from Judges 4, in which we meet Deborah the judge, who leads her people to victory and freedom from oppression. This one is for the Prophets, the Preachers, the Unconventional Leaders, the Unexpected Authorities; the ones not subsidized by major organizations, who are doing their work despite difficulty, and caring for difficult people; the ones who are re-imagining the world.
 

God, these times are sifting wheat from chaff; separating sheep from goats; and differentiating true leaders from corrupt imposters.
The foundations of society rumble beneath our feet.
We lift to you those who can envision a future of justice and peace,
And will humbly lead in its direction.

For those who judge justly in these times
We pray to the Lord.
For those who keep faith alive when everyone else is locked in fear
We pray to the Lord.
For those who hold the hands of their people and stay with them as they fight
We pray to the Lord.
For those who know the enemy is already vanquished
We pray to the Lord.
For those who remain calm and steadfast in danger
We pray to the Lord.
For those who move boldly forward while other leaders linger in the past
We pray to the Lord.
For those whose leadership has come at great cost
We pray to the Lord.
For those who have had to defy convention to live out their calling
We pray to the Lord.
For those whom society disqualifies, but have risen up anyway
We pray to the Lord.
For those to whom resources come scantily or not at all, and must rely upon the hand of God
We pray to the Lord.
For those whose authority is constantly questioned and tested
We pray to the Lord.
For those who have known abuse and subjugation, and the depth of our need for justice
We pray to the Lord.
For those working day after day, quietly and without fanfare
We pray to the Lord.
For those whom the margins tried to edge out
We pray to the Lord.
For those who choose not to cast stones, but shine lights
We pray to the Lord.
For those who are imagining and embodying New Creation
We pray to the Lord.

May the Spirit of God be present with the prophets of our time.
May they have the Mind of Christ.

Amen

Litany for Dark Days

The prophet Amos says the  “Day of the Lord is darkness, not light, and gloom with no brightness in it.” This week's Lectionary reading includes that passage from Amos 5, as well as others referenced in this prayer.



God, we are weary, weary.
The days are dark.
All day long we contend with evildoers.
We wake to discover more death.

We know that when the days seem dark
We must persevere;
That discipleship is costly,
And the risks of faith are great.

We may be outcast.*
We may be silenced.
We may be slandered.
We may be killed unmercifully. *
But we know that, despite the shame and chaos of the hour,
You are still our help and deliverer (1).

Help us, as we go along, to keep our lamps filled and trimmed (2)
That we may wait with hope
In a circle of light -
Awake and ready for action (3).
We are poor and needy,
Yet still in your care (1).

These are days of darkness and change,
The Day of the Lord, unfolding; (4)
So. Let justice roll down like waters,
And righteousness like an everflowing stream (5).

Amen

1)Psalm 70:5
2)Matthew 25:4-7
3)Matthew 25:13
4)Amos 5:20
5)Amos 5:24

*as the pastor and prophet Jonathan Martin was last week cast out of Liberty University for speaking against the actions of its administration and calling for a prayer vigil
*as were the 26 people (plus 20 more injured) mowed down with an assault rifle as they gathered for worship this past Sunday. And the 58 (plus 489 wounded) the month prior in Las Vegas.

Litany for Hatred

This week's Lectionary...

You shall not render an unjust judgment;
you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great:
with justice you shall judge your neighbor.
You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people,
and you shall not profit by the blood of your neighbor:
I am the LORD.
You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin;
you shall reprove your neighbor, or you will incur guilt yourself.
You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people,
but you shall love your neighbor as yourself:
I am the LORD. (Leviticus 19:15-18)

"Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' (Matthew 22:36-39)

God, we acknowledge that, at some point in our lives, we all harbor hatred in our hearts.
Forgive us, oh God.
We all, at some point, render unjust judgements on others.
Forgive us, oh God.
Instead of loving our enemies, we have hated them.
Forgive us, oh God.
Instead of welcoming the stranger, we have shunned them.
Forgive us, oh God.
Instead of listening to the voices of those who are different from us, we have silenced them.
Forgive us, oh God.

We have sat silently by while others gave way to hatred.
We have hated and been hated.
We have forgotten that all humanity is our kin.
We have not loved our neighbor as ourselves.

We have hated those who’ve hurt us
Those with whom we disagree politically or theologically
Those whose color, ethnicity, appearance, gender or orientation is different from ours.
Those whose sins are different from ours.
Those whose customs are different from ours.
Those whom we perceive as dangerous.

Scour our hearts free of hatred
Fill us full of love instead -
Lovingkindness from your heart.
Let no injustice remain among us.
Rescue us from the walls that divide us,
And bring us back to Holy Communion.
Amen

 

Litany for Opening Up to God

This prayer is taken from this week's Lectionary selections (Proper 24, Year A): Exodus 33, Isaiah 45 and Matthew 22.

God, your goodness is always parading past us.
We have only to look out for it. (1)
You are always being gracious to us.
We have only to realize it.
You are always being merciful to us.
We have only to internalize it.

You cover us with your hands and show us your glory - as much as we can handle,
If we only attune ourselves to you.

We don’t direct the flow of your grace and mercy.
You do.
We don’t decide who gets what.
You do.
You show no deference to anyone
You do not regard people with partiality.  (2)

Though we don’t know you,
You call us by name. (3)
Though we don’t know you,
There’s no one else but you. (4)

We set our minds toward knowing you.
We open the spaces of our hearts to you.
We set our bodies in stillness, that we might hear from you.
We open our spirits to meeting with you.

You are always gracious to appear,
Surprising us with your beauty.

Amen

1) Exodus 33:19
2) Matthew 22:16
3) Isaiah 45:4
4) Isaiah 45:5

 

Litany for Scarcity

As I contemplated this week’s Lectionary readings, I noticed the themes of scarcity and provision. In the Exodus 16, the Israelites are sure they are going to starve, complaining about their empty bellies, and God rains down meat and bread from heaven. In the passage from Jonah, Jonah grumbles because he doesn’t like God’s idea of retribution, which is that God gives mercy. He also grumbles because God grows a miraculous bush to shade him, and it only lasts a day. In the Matthew passage, some farm workers agree to work for a daily wage, then are angry when others receive the same wage despite working fewer hours.

I can identify with that feeling of desperate craving and need; or with that frustration when I feel that fairness hasn’t been dealt; or that someone else has received more than me. Someone else has perhaps worked less and received greater notoriety. That jealousy. That feeling that I had a good thing and it was taken away and I want it back and now I want to die (Jonah says this in 4:9 - he is angry enough about the bush to die).

If we’re being honest, God’s generosity often makes us mad. God gives to people we don’t think deserve it. God is merciful toward those we believe should be punished. God is way nicer than we think God should be. We want God to adopt our ideas of fairness and equality. Because we think there isn’t enough to go around. We think the goodness of God is a limited commodity.

God, we admit that we spend a lot of time resisting your generosity,
Especially when it’s toward other people and we feel left out.
We bemoan the loss of things we did nothing to create (1).
We cry over the end of comforts (2).
We concern ourselves with equal distribution and retribution.
We complain about fair and unfair.

Who are we to decide the fate of a worker or a nation (3)?
Who are we to tell you what justice is?

When the sun shines on both the evil and the good
Is that fair?
When the rain falls on the just and the unjust (4),
Is that just?
When a worker who works an hour is paid the same as one who works ten (5),
Is that righteous?
When a wicked nation is saved from ruin by the mercy of God (6)
Is that goodness?

This abundance,
This generosity,
This nonjudgmental giving,
These endless means,
Are things we can’t wrap our minds around.
We are conditioned for scarcity.
It is a great lie
We’ve all believed it.

The world says: give equally
You say: give generously.
The world says: give just enough
You say: give as if goodness will never run out.

Because it won’t:
Your goodness will never run out.
Help us to live as if love and mercy and provision are unlimited.
Help us to live in the abundance of God.

Amen

(1) Jonah 4:10
(2) Jonah 4:8
(3) Matthew 20:16, Jonah 4:11
(4) Matthew 5:45
(5) Matthew 20:12
(6) Jonah 3:10
 

Litany for Fools

This litany addresses the Lectionary text for the Feast of the Cross, focusing on the Corinthians passage.

God, where most people only see chaos and destruction
We see the helpers. (1)
Where most people only see wrath and anger,
We see unending love and patience.
Where most people only see torture on a cross,
We see a story of kindness lived out.
Where most people only see humanity destroying itself
We see the Kingdom near.

We admit it:
We are utter fools (2) --
Seeing beyond seeing,
Believing beyond seeing,
Imagining beyond believing,
Hoping beyond imagining.

Though the earth may give way
And the mountains fall into the sea,
We will not fear. (3)
We will not stop hoping in your love.

We are fools to believe in peace
Where peace seems impossible.
We are fools to believe in love
Where love seems implausible.
We are fools to hope in an eternal story behind the time-bound one,
When hope seems ridiculous.

But we are happy fools,
Alive in your life,
Alive in the foolishness of the cross of Christ,
Ready to offer hope to the wise. (4)
 

(1) Quote from Fred Rogers: ““When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”
(2) 1 Corinthians 1:18
(3) Psalm 46:2
(4) 1 Corinthians 1:21

Litany for Burning Bushes

The Old Testament passage for this week's Lectionary reading is the account of Moses encountering the burning bush, from which God speaks to him, delivering a surprising and scary task he must fulfill. The task exposes Moses' deepest insecurities, dark tendencies, and frailties, even while making him one of scripture's most epic characters. I resonate so deeply with Moses' first response to God's presentation of the task, which is to immediately list out all the reasons why he thinks he can't do it.
 

For those of us who are having Burning Bush Moments
Lord hear our prayer.
For those whom it is taking every ounce of faith to believe that it’s actually You speaking to us,
Lord hear our prayer.
For those who receive callings that will require courage and sacrifice
Lord hear our prayer.
For those who will lose friends, family or reputation as a cost of obedience
Lord hear our prayer.
For those for whom silence would be a great sin,
Lord hear our prayer.
For those whose feet burn from standing on holy ground.
Lord hear our prayer.
For those who, like Moses, think our insecurities our inadequacies disqualify us from your call,
Lord hear our prayer.
For those who think God might have called the wrong number,
Lord hear our prayer.
For those who have been doing one thing one way for so long that we can’t imagine doing another,
Lord hear our prayer.
For those whose callings will expose every hidden thing inside our hearts,
Lord hear our prayer.
For those who might fail,
Lord hear our prayer.
For those who are willing, however reluctantly, to go to the wilderness,
Lord hear our prayer.
For those to whom You must prove your faithfulness and love over and over and over again,
Lord hear our prayer.
For those whose shame and fear keeps us from the Promised Land.
Lord hear our prayer.
For those who are so angry and frustrated with the way things are that we can hardly contain it.
Lord hear our prayer.
For those to whom you speak face to face, as to a friend,
Lord hear our prayer.

Amen

Litany for Meekness

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Matt 5:5
The meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity. Ps 37:11

I looked up the definition of meekness in Strong’s concordance. Mildness, gentleness, with strength. The word in English lacks the depth of the Greek word, which implies strength and humility toward God and others, not merely weakness or submissiveness. Seems to me that meekness is the right remedy for our collective defensiveness.



God, we are often so wrapped up in the ways we are righteous,
In defending every assault on our character.
We are preoccupied with our schedules and responsibilities,
With everything we are striving to do right,
With stands we are taking
And arguments we are making.

Let us remember, as we navigate difficult times
And engage in difficult conversations
The meekness of Christ;
Whose meekness listens quietly
     Is not defensive
     Asks questions
     Humbly accepts correction
     Does not fight back
     Gently endures pressure
     Responds with love.

Meekness is not concerned with self-righteousness.
Meekness lets pride fall away.
Meekness courageously embraces alert quietness.
Meekness does not need to defend itself.

Blessed are the meek.
Blessed is Christ our example,
     Who is lowly, gentle, and humble of heart,
     Who did not exalt himself
     Who allowed the blame of all to be put upon him
     And did not protest.

Change our hearts, Oh God,
Toward meekness
Toward the deep strength of lovingkindness
And the confidence of your regard.

Amen

Litany for the Midwives

This week’s Lectionary contains the story of Shiphrah and Puah, the two Hebrew midwives who creatively and subversively thwarted the pharaoh’s plans to kill all the boy babies of the enslaved Hebrew nation. It’s an exciting tale of how two valiant midwives changed the course of their people’s history.

Having given birth a couple times in the company of midwives, I feel qualified to point out a thing or two about them: they know the value of patience, and they know when a situation is untenable and must have intervention. They know when to apply a walk and a snack, and when to apply forceps (or for that matter, a trip to the ER). They wait and watch and care. They pay attention.

God, You have saved us by many creative means
Over the years of humanity’s existence.

You’ve saved your people by means of trumpets and shouts,
    by means of manna from heaven,
    by means of water from rocks,
    by means of the miraculous and the mundane.

And you’ve saved your people by means of valiant midwives.
Those women entrusted to usher the future into the world
In the midst of pain and travail,
With wisdom, experience, and alertness.

May we all be like the midwives,
Working in quiet devotion
Or in subversive creativity --
Those who care for those who carry,
Those who comfort and calm,
Those who shift breaches and unblock exits,
Those who urge us to PUSH when the time is right,
Those who know when to wait and when to cut,
Those who catch slippery bundles of goodness as they emerge,
Those who bind up wounds of effort.

May we have the vision of the midwives
Who could imagine a future beyond what they could see,
And were willing to risk their lives and reputations
To give it a chance to arrive.

We thank you for the Midwives,
For those who are as shrewd as serpents,
As innocent as doves (1),
Protecting the future as it is born.

Amen

(1) Matthew 10:16

 

Litany for Unity

This week's Lectionary litany draws on the passages from Genesis 45, as well as Psalm 133 and Isaiah 56.

God, sometimes your commands are baffling! You seem to expect absurd things from us,
Things which go against our grain:
To love our enemies,
To forgive our betrayers,
To provide for our oppressors,
To eat at a table with sinners,
To support sick and poor people,
To renounce violence,
To welcome foreigners
To embrace outcasts (1).

Your paradigm is so different from ours --
Your sacrificial love. Our self-absorbed defense --
We can hardly wrap our minds around it,
And yet it is the most compelling thing we’ve ever heard.

When Joseph saw his brothers after so many years
Who had sold him into slavery and ruined his life,
He wept
And welcomed them.

How very good and pleasant it is
For kindred to live together in unity! (2)

Help us to remember in the midst of conflict and dispute:
We are one.
We are the betrayer,
And we are the betrayed.
We are the poor,
And we are the oppressor.
We are the sinner,
And we are the sinned against.
We are the weepers,
And we are the wept upon. (3)

You, God, have welcomed all to your table; every human being, your own child.
Let us dwell together in unity.

Amen

(1) Isaiah 56:8
(2) Psalm 133:1
(3) Gen 45:14, 15
 

Litany for Solitude

As I read this week's Lectionary passages, a couple of moments jumped out into my awareness:

This:

He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. (1 Kings 19:11-12)

and this:

And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. (Matthew 14:23-25)
 

God was in the "sheer silence." And Jesus was alone before he walked on water. Take those for what you will, but I think they are pretty deep.

Beloved,
Oneness of All Things.
We know we must withdraw
Into silence
Into solitude
And yet we resist…

Because if no one is around then there is no one to validate us;
No one to reassure us that we are acceptable.
No one to reflect our fears back to us.
No one to ask for an opinion.
No one to distract us from our shadows.
No one but you and sheer silence (1).

It is only in solitude, which is to say, oneness with you
That we learn that we can walk on water (2).
Or heal sick people.
Or feed multitudes.
Or be raised from death.
Or bring heaven to earth.
In solitude we learn who we are.
In oneness with you we learn to be with others.

Help us to resist the pull of other things:
Responsibilities and possessions,
Noise and distractions,
Achievements and reputations,
Entertainments and addictions -
Things that lie to us, telling us they are more important.

Help us to draw ever deeper
Into the Center of All Things,
Into the Peace that Passes Understanding,(3)
Into the Love That Knows No Bounds.

Amen
 

(1) 1 Kings 19:12
(2) Matthew 14:23-25
(3) Philippians 4:7