Ash Wednesday (Year C, 2022): Litany for Reconciling to God

March 1, 2022 Fran Pratt

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See also Litany for Ash Wednesday (2016)

This Ash Wednesday, we find ourselves in the midst of yet another tricky, dangerous global situation. It’s nothing new. There’s always a war somewhere. I began writing litanies in 2013 because I couldn’t find congregational prayers that addressed the war in Syria. I’ve written litanies about wars and tragedies more than just about anything else. Par for the course. I wish I could stop helping people pray about war (not whining, just saying).

But I can’t. It’s here and we need to keep consciously aligning (reconciling) ourselves with God about it. So we keep praying, and I keep writing.

Still, when the Psalmist pleads with God to “Have mercy on me!” we feel that in a different way from the brink of major global conflict, don’t we? Our nearness to dust, to death, is that much more in our awareness.

When St. Paul entreats us to “On behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God!” we can pray that same intention: Russian aggressors, be reconciled to God! Heads of state, be reconciled to God! Military leaders, be reconciled to God! Arms manufacturers, be reconciled to God! And so on.

So this year, we start our Lenten practice with this intention, and we commit to buckling down and praying through the storm of war and bloodshed, and doing as much justice and mercy as we can; and over and over, reconciling ourselves to God within us.

God, on this Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lenten season, we seek to reconcile ourselves to you .
We want the whole earth to be aligned with your goodness,
Such that all violence and war ceases,
All the needy are nourished and cared-for,
All oppression ends,
And every person is filled with joy and gladness ….

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An Interfaith Litany for Trans Day of Remembrance

November 15, 2021 Fran Pratt

The Human Rights Campaign reports that 2021 has been the most deadly year on record so far for our Transgender siblings in the USA. This year 45 Transgender people have been murdered as a result of anti-trans violence. November 13-19 is Trans Awareness week, and November 20 will mark the 22nd annual Transgender Day of Remembrance. Read about Transgender Day of Remembrance here.

I have written this litany for interfaith gatherings happening this week. And my particular hope is that Christians will wake up to the plight of our Trans siblings, made in the image of God, and lend their collective weight to the effort of creating a safe world for them.

Also, I write this prayer to be read aloud among gatherings of people, most of whom I assume will not be trans. Where noted, please us alternative “we/our” pronouns in place of “they/their” if that makes more sense for your group. I could not figure a way to pray for and about my trans siblings without it feeling at least somewhat “othering” toward them - toward you my beloved human family. It is not my intention to other, but to embrace. If I have misstepped in any of the language in this prayer, I sincerely ask for correction.

It is with great joy that we celebrate our transgender siblings (1),
And great grief that we mourn the violence done to them.
We give thanks for each of our trans kindred
Who embody the uncategorizable and boundary-defining nature of the Divine.
Like all of humanity, they* too are made in the Divine image,
Reflecting the Divine imprint.

We remember our trans siblings who have been lost to violence,
Unjustly sacrificed on the altar of society’s hatred and intolerance.
[We confess our society’s indifference and un-love,
And our own complicity in allowing these tragedies to continue.
We ask that forgiveness and justice bear fruit in us.
We are sorry. ] (1)
We honor them and send love to their spirits,
With prayers for their peace and well-being.

We set the intention to do better:
Provide safety and care,
Nourishment and acceptance,
To the most unique and vulnerable among us,
And to normalize their* place in our communities,
Cherishing the ways they* teach us (2) about goodness and love.

We ask for wisdom in going about creating a world
That is safe and welcoming for humans of all kinds,
Knowing that when the world is safe for trans people,
It is safer for all of Earth’s children.

We ask that the minds and hearts of all people on Earth
Will be open to practicing kindness, hospitality, friendship, and love
Toward those among us who bear the Divine image in uncommon or surprising ways;
And that our governments and systems will work for their protection,
Undoing patterns of oppression and violence,
Fostering liberation and joy for every human being.

May our transgender family be safe, healed, provisioned, and happy,
Sharing in the abundance of Earth,
The blessings of nature, joy, community, and freedom,
And the blessing of home.

May it be so.

*Exchange they/their pronouns for we/our pronouns if the group praying the prayer is made up of primarily Trans people.
1) Exchange “our transgender siblings” for “our community” if the group praying the prayer is made up of primarily Trans people.
2)Omit the bracketed section if the group praying the prayer is made up of primarily Trans people.
3) Exchange us for “the world” if the group praying the prayer is made up of primarily Trans people.

Proper 24 (Year B 2021): Litany for Power in Service

October 14, 2021 Fran Pratt

See also “Litany for the Greatness of God” which I wrote for these texts in 2018.

This year my attention is pulled in a different direction by these selections, specifically to Jesus’ words in Mark 10, “"You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all.

It’s a challenging, radical, upside down way to understand and embody power. It’s one of the colest things, in my opinion, that Jesus says. And one of the most defining characteristics of power as he demonstrates and lives it out. His kind of power comes alongside, stands rooted firmly in the ground rather than upon the backs of other people. This power leads by serving, demonstrates care and love by action and example. It is not militaristic, hyperbolic, nor imperial. It’s expansive rather than towering; winsome rather than manipulative; inviting rather than commanding.

And it comes with a healthy dose of ego-emptying.

The way Jesus imagines authority, leadership, and power, and then lives them out in the stories is honestly why I bother thinking about Jesus at all. This way is so compelling and countercultural; and it looks nothing like displays of political, governmental, and organizational power that I see happening in the world. It relieves me to know that such a way exists and finds resonance in so many spiritual traditions.

And it isn’t lost on me that the First Testament texts start off by extolling God - how high, how mighty, how solely responsible for all of creation, how far above. And then Jesus in the Gospel saying how true power comes from below, from servanthood rather than lordship. It’s a pretty stark shift in perspective, inviting us to hold two seemingly paradoxical truths in tension. Pretty juicy.

God, we have ideas about power.
Our culture teaches us that power comes from military might,
From how much wealth and resources we own,
From the number of people whose lives we control,
From what deals we make and how productive we are,
From our big guns and our big egos…

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Litany for a Nation Brutalized by Violence

April 14, 2021 Fran Pratt

I have written this litany as an offering. Finding words for the depth and breadth of what the collective, and in particular the Black and Asian communities, are experiencing (and have for centuries) in terms of violence feels impossible. But I feel our communities need to speak aloud about this to God, together. Not for some hollow "unity." But for sacred lament and consciousness.

I have tried to articulate these far-reaching problems - gun violence, violence against Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian folks, school and mass shootings, and more in this prayer of lament. But the task feels monumental. It is imperfect, but something is better than nothing for putting words and action to this lament. .

It is my hope that we will be drawn in to peace, and toward a non-violent, equitable future, toward Heaven on Earth. All beings safe. All beings provided for. All beings held accountable to love. Amen. Amen. May it be so.

God, we bring to you our lament
And our sorrow.

We are a people undone,
Brutalized by violence:
By gun violence,
By police violence,
By violence against Black and Brown people,
By violence against Indigenous and Asian people.

Our streets are blood-soaked,
And our history tainted by supremacist evil.
We are crying out in lament,
And we know that you weep with us.

We grieve every lost life.
We grieve every orphaned child.
We grieve alongside every mourning family.
We grieve every trauma and tragedy.

We reject every system that makes some of us safe at the expense of the lives of others.
We reject white supremacy and police militarization.
We reject government-sanctioned execution.
We reject systems of mass incarceration.
We reject systems that prioritize whiteness over all other people.
We reject systems of poverty and inequity.

We lament; and we gather our power.
We combine our resources to re-imagine this world,
To abolish inequity.
To create a safe and harmonious reality for every person.
We join with those who have been working for justice tirelessly for decades.
We apply our energy, money, time, and voices to this work.

May the government of this nation be moved to right action,
May the churches of this nation be spurred to work for justice.
May the local and community leaders of this nation create positive change.
May the economic systems of this nation cease to reward evil.
May those who remain asleep or apathetic to injustice become conscious participants for good.
May we as individuals hold our leaders, government, and ourselves accountable to the work.

Let the fire of justice burn in every heart
So that every mother’s child may live in peace and safety.

Amen.

Epiphany 2, Year B 2021: Litany for Truth-Tellers

January 12, 2021 Fran Pratt

Y’all. I can’t make this up. This is the lectionary for this week.

Synopsis of 1 Samuel 3 and the preceding events:

Eli the priest has scoundrels for sons. His sons are, by their lineage, also priests; they are thieving and lying and raping - doing immeasurable damage to the priesthood and the nation - and Eli, though he pleads with them, cannot (will not?) control nor contain them. They are allowed to wreak havoc. A “man of God” gives Eli a message that his sons have doomed their whole family to destruction and penury.

Young Samuel is Eli’s acolyte. God isn’t often heard from, but one night Samuel hears a voice, which he and Eli figure out to be the voice of God. God gives Samuel a message: Eli’s family will be punished for the iniquity of the scoundrel sons - they’ll lose everything, confirming the other, earlier message.

Samuel is hesitant to tell his mentor the bad news - that injustice will and must be held accountable, if not by the priesthood, if not by the society, then by God; that the ones who have lied and thieved and assaulted WILL be held responsible. But he tells Eli the truth of the prophecy God has given him. Eli meets it with acceptance, and Samuel gains a reputation as a Truth-Teller.

Flip to the Gospel reading from John 1….

Jesus is in the process of gathering disciples. He’s got Philip, Andrew, and Peter. And from a distance he sees Nathanael. Jesus immediately identifies Nathanael as “an Israelite in whom there is no deceit,” as a Truth-Teller. Nathanael is a Truth-Teller and Jesus wants him.

Aaaand relate it to today...

Last week we had a mob, incited by the lies of political leaders and conspiracy theories, ransack the US Capitol, killing 5 humans, endangering countless others, and proving that years of lies and deceit are bearing evil fruit and that, like the sons of Eli, those responsible must be contained and held accountable lest they bring the whole country down into their eventual destruction. OK!

I wait to see what will be done. I pray that faith communities will awaken to their duty as Truth-Tellers. And that we, as individuals, will be those “in whom there is no deceit.” Our theology matters, and conflating the message and work of Christ with deceitful narratives of Christian Nationalism, Christo-fascism, White Supremacy, and violence is bad theology that leads to harm.

This litany is inspired by these texts, but I have thrown a lot of other references in.

God, we pray for our faith community,
As a whole and as individuals,
That we will have the courage to hold fast to truth,
Even when truth is inconvenient,
Even when truth convicts us,
Even when truth is difficult,
Even when truth is not what we’d hoped,
Even when truth is hard to tell …

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Proper 19 (Year A): Litany for Reassurance

September 9, 2020 Fran Pratt

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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…

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Proper 18 (Year A): Litany for Conflict Resolution

September 2, 2020 Fran Pratt

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.

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

July 7, 2020 Fran Pratt

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…

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