The bulk of my work can be accessed via Patreon
Patreon helps me make this work sustainable.
Thanks for reading and subscribing.
You can find archived litanies here, and purchase my book here.
Attribution guidelines are here.

(See also: “Litany for the Hard Teachings” - in PATREON - which focuses on the beatitudes of Luke 6)

Upon this reading of the Lectionary passages for this week, I’m bowled over by the word “fret.”

Do not fret because of the wicked (Psalm 37:1)
Do not fret over those who prosper by way of evil. (Psalm 37:7)
Do not fret--it leads only to evil. (Psalm 37:8)
Do not fret about your safety (Psalm 37:40)
Do not fret about your enemies (Luke 6:27).
Do not fret about meanies who hit or steal from you (Luke 6:29)
Do not fret about what others are doing that you don’t like (Luke 6:37).
Do not fret over whether you’ll have enough (Luke 6:38).
Do not fret about that bad thing you did (Genesis 45:5).

I’m thinking about all the fretting I do, which I’m working on unlearning. Wow, I can really fret with the best fretters around.

But I want to learn the Way of No Fretting. The way of trust and gratitude. The way of childlike faith in God’s care. The way of Julian’s “All shall be well.”

And there’s a lot to fret about. More things than we can even take in with our human minds. The fret-fest is overwhelming.

So we ask ourselves: where do we want to live? In world-driven, low consciousness (asleep to God) hamster wheel of fretting about this and that? Or in Spirit? In love? In the freedom from worry and fretting which is salvation, the imperishable? I think we get to choose. Every day we choose.

Easier said than done but we keep practicing.

God, in these days it's easy for us to fret over political divisions,
Over potential wars and conflicts,
Over the possibility of losing our way of life,
Over the future of our planet,
Over an endless array of problems and threats.
This anxiety can immobilize us and render us useless.

get the full litany

Hi! As you may have noticed,
I’ve moved much of my work over to Patreon.
This is part of my effort to make 2019 a #yearofwritingsustainably
So thanks for reading and subscribing.
You can find archived litanies here, and purchase my book here.

This week’s Lectionary is heavy on the lament, both from the two Lamentations passages, the Habakkuk, and the Psalm. Habakkuk reminds us that “there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end, and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay. And the Psalmist says “Be still before the LORD, and wait patiently for him; do not fret over those who prosper in their way, over those who carry out evil devices.”

This is a hard word, especially for those who are in the trenches, working for justice, working toward the Kindom-coming, working to serve the poor, pushing against inequity… to be still and wait. To not fret about “evil-doers.” To not allow our anger to consume us when the waiting for justice seems way too long. So I’ve written this litany in hopes that it will help us hang on, keep working for good, rest in the Love.

God, all day long we see wrong-doing
Our eyes behold trouble.
Destruction and violence are before us;
strife and contention are all around …

Get the Litany