Litany for Epiphany

Epiphany is the day in the liturgical calendar that the church traditionally celebrates the coming of the Three Kings, the "Wise Men" who paid homage and gave costly gifts to the Christ Child. We also celebrate the manifestation, or revelation, of Christ to non-Jewish people.

Oh God, as the kings of old traveled great distances and expended great effort to acknowledge the coming of Christ the King, so we acknowledge this great epiphany:

Christ has come. Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.

All of our hopes are bound up in the person of Jesus Christ. We could not hope for better news than His gospel.

To Christ we offer our most profound gifts:
talent
effort
time
attention;
In certainty that what we offer will be put to good use, woven into the fabric of Christ’s completed work.

And this is the work Christ has done and is doing: awakening in us and in the earth the Kingdom of God -- that good kingdom, that Promised Land, present and unseen, now and not yet, revealed and mysterious.

May our gifts be as pleasing to you as gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And may we continually renew our understanding and awe of the coming and work of Christ Jesus.

Amen

Litany for New Year’s Day

Faithful God, we look back on the year behind us and appreciate Your presence with us through it. We look ahead at the year before us with hope, and anticipate Your continuing love and the fulfillment of your promises.

In this new year, grant that we may become
more faithful
more committed to your kingdom work
more knowledgeable of your ways
more familiar with your spirit
more pliant to your instruction
more willing to give of ourselves to others

We pray for increase
of love
of storehouses full of good things to share
of relational harmony and peace
of health
of meaningful work
of balance among work, play, and rest
of personal growth and wisdom
of grateful hearts
and most of all, of your presence and power among us.

May we hear your voice more clearly, and heed it.
May we be aware of the limits of our understanding, and work to expand them.
May the words of Christ dwell in us richly.
May we be vigilant for those around us who are in need and tend to them.
May we experience anew the rebirth and resurrection life of Jesus.
May we complete the tasks you set before us, love well those souls you give to our care, and make good use of the time we are given on the earth.

We are grateful for Your love, kindness, and care.
Amen

Litany for Christmas Eve

Creator God, you opened up the heavens and sent part of yourself down in human form.  He was, and is

Immanuel, God-With-Us

You sent your Angel to speak to Mary and Joseph, that she would conceive a miracle child, the Son of God; and that Joseph should take Mary as his wife, and name the child

Immanuel, God-With-Us

This is Jesus Christ, who was born in a stable and laid in a manger, whose life was Spirit-filled and blameless, who healed the sick and opened his arms to sinners, took upon himself the sins of all humankind, was crucified, died, and is risen.  

Blessed be Immanuel, God-With-Us

This Jesus lives, and intercedes for his people at the right hand of the Father-God, and sent his Holy Spirit to remain with us.

Blessed be Holy Spirit, and blessed be Immanuel, God-With-Us

We celebrate and give thanks for Christ’s birth, life, death, and resurrection, and we anticipate his return.  

May your power be perfected in us, may we be a testament to your Great Love, and may our lives reflect your coming Kingdom, Immanuel, God-With-Us.

Amen

Litany for Advent Week 4: Love

Creator God, we have celebrated the hope, peace, and joy that come from You.  And now we celebrate Love, which is from You, and is Your very nature.

God is Love.

You formed the universe out of the void, and breathed life into your creatures, all because of your great love.

In You, we live and move and have our being. We exist because of Your love.

Humanity rejected You. But because of your love you made a way to restore us to relationship with Yourself.

Love made a way.  That love is Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ, Immanuel, God-With-Us.  Born of a virgin girl in a stable, laid in a manger, Jesus entered the world in humility and compassion.

Jesus lived, was crucified, died, and was resurrected from death, all for love.  Love has conquered death.

It is his example we live by: self-sacrificing love.  And we know that “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs... “

“… Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

May our hearts be illumined with the light of Love....

And may we share Your love wherever we go.

Amen

Litany for Advent Week 3: Joy

God of heaven and earth, you sent your angels as messengers to your servants, bringing news of comfort and joy, of your plan to heal a world gone astray...

...Bringing news of Emmanuel, God-With-Us.

To Mary, you sent a message of your favor.  You chose her to carry and give birth to Jesus, the Son of the Most High.

My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. From now on all generations will call me blessed.

To Joseph the angel gave assurance that Mary’s son was from God, and should be named Jesus…

...Because he would save us from our sins.

To shepherds among their flocks, angels brought good news of great joy that will be for all people.

A Savior has been born to us; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

To Kings from the east, a star rose signifying the birth of Jesus.  When they saw the star they were overjoyed, and they bowed down and worshiped the Christ Child, offering costly gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

We worship the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and lay all our treasures at His feet.

You have brought us joy through Your Son, the Messiah.

A Savior who is Christ the King.

Litany for Advent Week 2: Peace

Oh Great God, we are gathered here, your people, seeking out your face and the peace that is found in your Presence.

Let us dwell always in your presence, and walk in Your peace.

When humanity opened the door to sin, we were plunged into darkness and despair.  But You, Loving God, have made peace with us and restored us to grace.

For Your infinite mercy and lovingkindness, we thank You.

You sent your son Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, into the world as a human to save and heal Your children who were lost.  The light of peace came into the world.

We who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace!

We prepare our hearts now and acknowledge that Christ's work on the cross was the beginning of Your kingdom here on earth.  Your kingdom is a peaceable kingdom, where lion and lamb may lie down together, where there is neither Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free, male nor female. We are all one in the peace of Christ.

May the peace of Christ rule in our hearts, and may we carry the light of peace wherever we go.

Amen.

Litany for Advent Week 1: Hope

We enter into this first Sunday of the Advent season, turning our attention to You, God. We acknowledge the darkness that is within us, and that permeates the world.
Father, forgive us.

We acknowledge the suffering, tragedy, and pain by which humanity is afflicted, which seems at times to overwhelm us.
Draw near to us, Oh God.

We consider the mystery of your ways, that you might choose to send our Savior as an innocent baby and not as a warrior or a king; as one who humbly accepted suffering and humiliation and called it glory.
Our hope is in Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

We choose in this moment to focus our attention on HOPE; the hope of Jesus Christ and all his coming represents for suffering people, the hope for restoration of all that is broken in the world, the hope of new life and resurrection.
Hope is the light we wish to see by.

Grant, Oh God, that when he comes, Christ may find us waiting in expectation, our souls quieted, our hearts soft and open.
We wait in hope for the Lord.

In Christ all things are made new, and we look forward to the day our hope is fulfilled, each heart reconciled, the work of Christ completed in all the earth.
Our hope is in Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

Amen