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Inspiration for this litany is drawn from the texts for the 2nd Sunday after Christmas, Year C.
God, we are becoming more mature,
More capacious in our inward hearts,
Able to bear witness to our hardships and sorrow,
But still keep hold of gratitude and joy.
We know that a great deal of inner space and nuance is required,
If we want to be happy and healthy in these times.
Here is the litany for the first Sunday after Christmas, Year C. This year that falls on 12/26/21. In the texts for this day, we witness the young Jesus having completely forgotten his family and responsibilities, he's so caught up in seeking and reveling in wisdom at the temple. May we seek wisdom and connection with the Divine with such single-mindedness.
I hope to have Christmas 2, as well as a New Year's prayer for you all by early next week. Cheers!
God, in this Christmas season we turn our hearts and minds to your great love
Which is demonstrated in the person of Christ:
A powerful force for transformation in the world,
Available and freely given to us all.
This Christmas Eve/ Christmas Day litany is based in Isaiah 9 and Luke 2.
And now…Now the angel has brought us good news of great joy,
Which shall be for all people (1).
Now the incarnation of God has arrived (2),
Sharing in the Divine Image.
Now the grace of God has appeared,
Bringing salvation to all (3).
The lectionary passages for this week present us with two Divine emanations: the Wisdom, or Sophia, of God, “covering the earth like a mist,” portrayed as female; and the Christ, God’s human incarnation, through whom “all things came into being,” who is known in male form among humans. We are on the cusp of Epiphany, the revelation of Jesus as Christ, and here we find ourselves being reminded of Wisdom. I like to think of her as the gift of Consciousness. The creator gives us animus, life, and then consciousness finds a resting place within us as host.
The scriptures say that Wisdom “took root in an honored people” and “entered the soul of a servant of the Lord.” It’s mysterious and I love it. And it’s a perfect theme for a prayer to start the new year.
Wisdom, you came from the mouth of God,
And covered the earth like a mist,
You opened the mouths of the mute,
And made unconscious beings conscious.
You find souls who are willing to hold you
And guide, shelter, and reward them.
I'm in love with this year's Advent litany titles. I dunno, sometimes these details just get me.
I've read Isaiah 11 a hundred times in my life and it still makes me weep with the hope of it. Apex predators napping with baby lambs. Lions munching straw as counter-culturally as you please. A community led by Wisdom, where Justice is a given and not something we have to endlessly fight for ... Will it ever arrive? Will this day ever come? The day no one is hurt or destroyed. The day no babies suffer. The day everyone can let their guard down because the danger has passed.
To me, this is the gospel: this Peaceful Kin-dom waiting in the wings for us to become conscious of it. This Kin-dom that touches every part of creation (male, female, human, plant, animal, ocean, mountain, cosmos) and rights every wrong both here and in the hereafter. And this is the work of Advent: to become conscious of the Peaceable Community. Hallelujah Amen.
God, things are looking hopeless,
As they are, we’re not sure how to go on.
We look around and see death and destruction,
Greed, dishonesty, strife, ego-seduction.