Proper 25 (Year A, 2020): Litany for Love Your Neighbor

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(Litany for Hatred is also for Proper 25 of Year A)

This litany is based in the teachings of Christ in Matthew 22. "'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.'”


God we ask for help in loving our neighbors (1) -
Those who are different from us,
Those whose ethnicity or nation of origin is different from ours,
Those whose race is different from ours,
Those whose political affiliation is different from ours,
Those whose religious practices are different from ours…




Proper 24 (Year A): Litany for the Imprint of God

Hi! In 2019 I moved much of my work over to Patreon
as part of my effort to make this work sustainable.
So thanks for reading and subscribing.
You can find archived litanies here, and purchase my book here.

(Note: here is an alternative litany for Proper 24 of Year A)

In Matthew 22, Jesus demonstrates a startling lesson to any of us who might be confused about the separation of church and state. The Pharisee are trying to entrap him into some treasonous statement for which they might turn him in and be rid of his unsettling influence on the people and his undermining of their religious power. First they try to butter him up with flattery: “we know you don’t show partiality…” (It’s true. He doesn’t.) And then they hit him with a tax question (tricky in any age).

And he says: whose face is on this coin? Caesar’s? Then it must be a thing born out of a Cesarous imagination… (Matthew 22:20).

Whose face is on your DNA? Whose image are you made in? Whose image is the natural world made in? Whose image do you bear? Then to whom do you belong, and to what Kin-dom Community? And to whom will you give what you are, your gifts?


God, show us your ways (1),
So that we might know The One Whose Image We Bear (2),
The one whose stamp is on us,
Whose imagination brought us the natural world
Whose creativity begot the beauties of nature and humanity
Whose invites us into alignment with Love….






Proper 23 (Year A, 2020): Litany for the Banquet

This week's litany centers around the text from Matthew 22, the story of the banquet, and Psalm 23 - two invitations into "green pastures and still waters," and into celebration of life amidst all the turmoil. 

(Here is the litany for the same lectionary selections from Year A which I wrote in 2017: Litany for Rescue. )

God, let your peace find every crack possible (1)
Through which to seep into our hearts;
Let it have the persistence of water
To soften every hardened place within us. 

Proper 22 (Year A): Litany for Vineyards

Here is a link to a previous litany I wrote for Proper 22, Year A: Litany for Laws 

This week’s Lectionary readings circle around a central agricultural metaphor - of vineyards: what goes on in them, what grows in them, what happens when people misuse them. Three of the texts for this week, Isaiah 5, Psalm 80, and Matthew 21, all utilize this theme. This litany is an exploration of the vineyard, and the lessons we receive from these texts. 

God, we know that you created the world,
And it was good. It is good.
Humankind has, in many ways, misused and mistreated it,
And each other. 

Lament for Breonna

This lament is in response to the murder of Breonna Taylor by police officers in Louisville, KY on March 13, 2020. As of Wednesday, September 23, the officers who killed her have received no indictments for her wrongful death, nor any repercussions at all. Another in a long line of Black bodies killed by the state.

God, this is not the world we want to live in:
Where murderers go free,
Where the state kills innocents,
Where the political system justifies lynching,
Where the system protects the powerful and leaves the innocent to their fate. 
Where justice is not done. 

This injustice is not new. No. 
It is an old, old pattern: 
Of racism, 
Of white supremacy, 
Of power-hoarding, 
Of greed,
Of theft, 
Of ego. 

We cry out for the abolishment of unjust systems. 
We cry out for an end to police abuse of power. 
We cry out for an end to the state-sanctioned murder of innocents. 
We cry out for an end to the abuse and murder of Black lives.
We cry out for an end to political stalemate that does not legislate protections. 
We cry out for Breonna’s family and loved ones. 

We lament Breonna’s lost future here on earth. 
We lament her life cut short. 
We lament the trauma of her death. 
We lament the corrupt officers who got off without consequence. 
We lament the pain and grief of all who mourn her. 
We lament the long line of martyrs Breonna joins. 

Give us strength, oh God, to continue the work. 
Strength to be struck down but not destroyed, 
To be persecuted but not forsaken,
To be mystified but not despairing (1). 

Give ear to our voices, God, 
Hear the pleas of the righteous. 
Cast down the mighty from their thrones.
Lift up the lowly (2). 

  1. 2 Corinthians 4:8,9

  2. Luke 1:52

Lament for Climate Change

God, we find ourselves in a grievous position:
On a warming planet, 
Wildfires burning,
Icecaps melting,
Soil degrading,
Waters poisoning.  

Consumerist capitalism has so dazed and bound our society
That we cannot perceive a way forward;
We cannot get ourselves out of the trouble we are in.
We have waited long and late.
We are reaping the rewards of our inaction,
Our efforts frustrated by corporate greed.

We are sorrowful
For the ways we have harmed our earth-home
With our societal excesses and apathies,
Our hunger for more, more, more,
Our neglect of the needs of the poorest and least powerful,
Our disregard for ecosystems.

We lament the corporate greed that drives environmental destruction. 
We lament the industrial farming practices that harm the soil and waterways. 
We lament the industrial extraction of natural resources that destroys ecosystems. 
We lament the pollution with chemicals that harm humans, animal, waterways, and soil organisms.

Help us now to do what we must
To mitigate further harm.
Help us to sacrifice convenience for the greater good - 
The good of future generations,
The good of all humanity - not just a privileged few, 
The good of all of Earth’s inhabitants. 

We know this work won’t be easy:
It will require a revolution of consciousness. 
We know it won’t be quick;
It will take decades of effort. 
We know it won’t be popular;
It will mean people have to make sacrifices.

But, oh God, give us fortitude to do it anyway, 
To come back into alignment with Nature as you created it, 
And with your Spirit, who teaches us
And inspires us to the good work of wholeness and justice. 

Amen

Lament for the 200,000

On Tuesday September 22, 2020 the United States passed the milestone of 200,000 deaths due to Covid-19. This is a lament for those we’ve lost.

God, we hold up to you these lives:
These 200,000 lost to us.
We know they are not lost - 
You hold them in your mercy and love. 

We commend to you their care. 
Heal them there,
Close to your inimitable light
And your unfailing Love. 

We grieve alongside their families and loved ones. 
They have departed, but will not be forgotten. 
For we know that death is not an end to their story, 
Only of this human chapter. 

We lament the failed leadership that did not keep them safe. 
We lament the state of a government willing to let people die needlessly. 
We lament the political system that makes it expedient to sacrifice human lives. 
We lament the lack of regard for vulnerable people. 
We lament the lack of regard for human life. 
We lament the inaction and apathy of people in political power. 

We know, despite everything, that death is always a risk,
That safety from death is an illusion;
And also, we know that we are safe in your care every moment. 
You catch us as we fall. 

Bring us now into the necessary awareness
To make change,
To create a more just world,
To care for the least powerful,
To prevent further suffering and loss of life,
To endure this season of grief,
To heal the trauma we have collectively sustained,
To comfort those overwhelmed by suffering.  

Hear the voice of our pain, oh God.
Amen

Proper 20 (Year A): Litany for Bread

First off, please check out Litany for Scarcity, which also explores themes from this week's Lectionary passages for Year A. 

This week’s litany is based in the Lectionary texts from Exodus 16, Psalm 145, and Matthew 20. 

God we know that what we have in this world is temporary.
All things pass away:
Our possessions,
Our bodies.We need bread for today,
For we don’t know what the future holds. 

Proper 19 (Year A): Litany for Reassurance

Hi! In 2019 I moved much of my work over to Patreon
as part of my effort to make this work sustainable.
So thanks for reading and subscribing.
You can find archived litanies here, and purchase my book here.

The times are chaotic, and I hope this litany, referencing Psalm 103, Romans 14, and Matthew 18, can make way for the Divine to offer some reassurance to your community this week. 


God, we come to this day in need of reassurance.
We know we have been at fault.
We know we have been complicit in various ways.
We become discouraged and hopeless.
We become cynical and apathetic.
We need assurance of your unfailing love…



Proper 18 (Year A): Litany for Conflict Resolution

Hi! In 2019 I moved much of my work over to Patreon
as part of my effort to make this work sustainable.
So thanks for reading and subscribing.
You can find archived litanies here, and purchase my book here.

This litany is inspired by Christ’s teaching on conflict resolution and unity as recorded in Matthew 18, the Lectionary Gospel text for this week.

God, we want to live in good conscience.
We want our actions to match our words.We want our relationships to reflect our love.
We want our lives to reflect the beauty of Christ. 

Proper 17 (Year A): Litany for Suffering

(Note: this litany goes along with the First Testament reading for this week. )

In Matthew 16, this week’s Lectionary Gospel reading, Jesus is clear with his followers about what’s ahead: great suffering. Peter can’t stand the thought. He thinks everything must be wrong if suffering is involved. Jesus rebukes him strongly for this. 

Because he knows and points out that suffering is part of this journey here. Just because there’s suffering doesn’t mean he’s on the wrong path. He won’t be exempt from the human condition, from an experience of suffering, loss, death, betrayal, pain. He doesn’t seek it out, but he knows it will find him. 

I never want to glorify suffering, nor insist upon it. I never want to cause or sanctify it. Rather I want to acknowledge it when it comes, and work to remedy it. I want a world in which suffering is no more. 

God, we are suffering. Our siblings are suffering.
Suffering from the effects of systemic injustice,
Brutality and violence,
Racism and inequity,
Political polarization and environmental abuse,
Greed and oppression.

Proper 16 (Year A): Litany for Renewing the Mind

This litany follows the Lectionary texts for Proper 16 of Ordinary time in Year A. I added references to 1 Corinthians 2 and, as ever, Luke 1.  I would also like to call attention to the story of the Hebrew Midwives in Exodus 1, which is also part of this week's readings, and for which I have an accompanying litany - it happens to be one of my favorite I've ever written: Litany for the Midwives. 

God, we are in a time of upheaval:
Political,
Spiritual,
Religious,
Cultural,
Ecological.
Many suffer for lack of stability and resources
Support, care, and services…




Proper 15 (Year A): Litany for What Comes Out

n 2017, the litany I wrote for Proper 15 in Year A covered some of the First Testament texts for the week. This year I’m focusing on the gospel passage, Matthew 15. 

God we know that out of the mouth
The heart speaks.
It’s not how put-together we are on the outside that defines us -
Not how attractive or fancy or impressive we are -It’s the state of our hearts
And what proceeds from them.

Proper 14 (Year A): Litany for the Impossible



Hi! In 2019 I moved much of my work over to Patreon
as part of my effort to make this work sustainable.
So thanks for reading and subscribing.
You can find archived litanies here, and purchase my book here.

This week’s Gospel reading is Matthew’s account of Jesus doing the impossible: walking on water. Peter asks to join him on the water, and when he looks down, sinks, Jesus says incredulously, “you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

(see also: Litany for Solitude)

Western civilization has overcivilized our imaginations. We are so stuck in our economic and political status quo that we consider - have been conditioned by powers that benefit from it to consider -  a better world to be impossible. Our apathy and lack of imagination are well on display in this current moment. 

Will we revise our expectations? Will we do the impossible? Will we bring the Commonwealth of Heaven, to which Jesus so often referred and on which he staked his reputation and actions, here to earth, following in his imaginative footsteps? 



God, we know that we are programmed and conditioned -
By society and culture,
By religion and expectation - 
To distinguish the possible from the impossible.

Spanish Litany: Letanía Para Persistencia

Hello, I'm very pleased today to share with you a translation of my "Litany for Persistence", translated by Rosa Cándida Ramírez, Worship Pastor at La Fuente Ministries in Pasadena. Find the English version here.


Dios de los cielos y de la tierra,
Te exaltamos.

Algunos de nosotros nos hemos cansado de pedir
Por paz y por reconciliación.
Algunos de nosotros nos hemos cansado de escuchar malas noticias
De maldad y dolor.

Sin embargo, nos anímas
A seguir preguntando,
A seguir buscando,
A seguir tocando puertas.

En una noche larga y oscura, llena de maldad,
Estamos tocando a tu puerta,
Pedimos nuevamente que venga tu reino;
Pedimos nuevamente la paz.

Escucha las oraciones de tu pueblo,
Dale pan a todos,
Consuela a los que lloran,
Deja que los cansados descansen,
Alienta a los desalentados,
Muéstranos el camino hacia la paz.

Que no nos cansemos de hacer el bien,
y de seguir orando audazmente.
Que nuestra fe crezca,
y la paz reine en nuestros corazones,
Aún en la noche más oscura. Amén

Proper 11 (Year A): Litany for Not Getting it Right

Hello friends, 

Quick housekeeping reminder: See this post for the correct way to attribute my work. I'm one human being striving to create solid liturgy for these times, and I appreciate your care in this matter. My hope is that I can keep doing this for the long run in a sustainable way, and the Patreon platform gets me closer to that goal. Thank you. 

Here is my Litany for Jacob's Ladder from 2017. Plus this year's offering based on the Psalms for this week, Proper 11. 


God, you have searched and known us,
You are acquainted with all our ways .
You know how often we misunderstand,
How prone we are to mistakes,
How limited our perspective,
How frequently we misjudge…

Proper 10 (Year A): Litany for the Word of Love

I'd like to call your attention to this litany from Year A in 2016, "Litany for Wheat and Weeds", that also follows this week's Lectionary selections.

Here is this year's offering, taken from Psalm 65, Psalm 119, and Isaiah 55.


God, your word is a lamp to our feet
And a light to our path.
Everywhere we look, the world is obscured
By the shadow of Not-love…



Proper 9 (Year A): Litany for Welcoming the Prophets

The Lectionary gospel for this week is from the end of Matthew 10. “Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward...”

The prophet is never a comfortable guest. The prophet is the one who disturbs, stirs, unsettles, disarranges the accepted narrative. The prophet is the one we often want to ignore.

The prophet, with her anger and passion, her drive for change, her vehemence, her intolerance of equivocation, her blazing eyes, her piercing voice; is often unwelcome in polite society. Her behavior doesn’t suit the proper standards. She disrupts the norms. Her insistence grates our nerves. Her power threatens our egos... 

Or. Her silence condemns us. Her sullenness discomforts us. Her lack of agency convicts us. Her vulnerability repels us.... or some combination that causes us to not want to hear.

I notice prophets all around these days. Speaking to us of the snags in the fabric of our society, the holes in our safety nets, the injustice of our laws, the abuse of our leaders, the power-mongering of our enforcers, the idolatry of our obsessions, the disorder of our priorities...

Specifically, I’ve been thinking of various people groups who are prophets speaking to me in this time, such as:
Those murdered by police
The poor and uninsured,
The Indigenous/First Nations peoples
The 14% of the US population that is Black/African-American
The LGBTQIA+
The immigrants
The Dreamers
The houseless
The veterans of war
The victims of abuse and/or trauma
The planet herself
The imprisoned
The minimum wage workers
Those children orphaned or in foster care
Those children who are survivors of school shootings
… and more.

Are you listening? Who are the prophets you notice and what are they saying? Are you amplifying or stifling their voices?

God, we perceive the words of Christ:
Whoever welcomes us, welcomes Christ.
Whoever welcomes Christ, welcomes God.
In this, we embrace our Oneness with Christ, and with you. …

Juneteenth: Some Links and Prayers

Hello friends, readers, and fellow prayer-pray-ers. In honor of Juneteenth today, I’d like to call your attention to a few items of interest and invite you into ongoing solidarity, work, and prayer for Black people’s liberation.

Happy Juneteenth. May we work and pray for the freedom and thriving of all humans, especially Black, Brown, and Indigenous humans; and understand our Oneness and the ways our collective liberation is bound up with one another’s.
-f