Litany for Solitude

As I read this week's Lectionary passages, a couple of moments jumped out into my awareness:

This:

He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. (1 Kings 19:11-12)

and this:

And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. (Matthew 14:23-25)
 

God was in the "sheer silence." And Jesus was alone before he walked on water. Take those for what you will, but I think they are pretty deep.

Beloved,
Oneness of All Things.
We know we must withdraw
Into silence
Into solitude
And yet we resist…

Because if no one is around then there is no one to validate us;
No one to reassure us that we are acceptable.
No one to reflect our fears back to us.
No one to ask for an opinion.
No one to distract us from our shadows.
No one but you and sheer silence (1).

It is only in solitude, which is to say, oneness with you
That we learn that we can walk on water (2).
Or heal sick people.
Or feed multitudes.
Or be raised from death.
Or bring heaven to earth.
In solitude we learn who we are.
In oneness with you we learn to be with others.

Help us to resist the pull of other things:
Responsibilities and possessions,
Noise and distractions,
Achievements and reputations,
Entertainments and addictions -
Things that lie to us, telling us they are more important.

Help us to draw ever deeper
Into the Center of All Things,
Into the Peace that Passes Understanding,(3)
Into the Love That Knows No Bounds.

Amen
 

(1) 1 Kings 19:12
(2) Matthew 14:23-25
(3) Philippians 4:7
 

Litany for Jacob’s Ladder

The account of Jacob's dream of a ladder to heaven with angels ascending and descending it, and the words of God to Jacob, is part of the Lectionary for July 23.

God, in our dreams we see you;
Even in our sleep you speak to us.
Oh, that we would be so conscious in our waking,
So aware of you in our daily lives!

We dream of angels.
We dream of heaven.
We dream of ascending.
We dream of your kingdom coming down.

You were always with us,
Even when we didn’t realize.
The house of God is here,
The gate of heaven is here (1).

Let the blessing that began with Jacob (2).
Continue in us:
That you are with us, and will keep us wherever we go,
Always bringing us home to you;
That promises of your goodness
Will be fulfilled in us;
And that we will bless the world
By our presence in it (2).

1) Gen 28:17
2) Gen 28:14

Litany for Wheat and Weeds

This week's litany comes from the Parable of the Weeds in Matthew 13, part of the Lectionary readings for July 23.

Here we are, God,
Waiting among weeds;
Trying our best to bear fruit,
Though many forces seek to choke us out.

Send your angels to us
To help and guide us.
Give us your protection
And let us rest in your goodness.

When all is said and done
We’ll be even closer to you:
Our wounds healed
Our hearts made whole;
Our trials will finally make sense,
Our lessons will reap a harvest of wisdom.

For you have sown good seed
Even though we’ve been confused sometimes.
Your goodness has stretched out long over your creation,
And you’ve patiently spared us time and again.
We’ll shine like the sun
Reflecting your light.

Amen

Litany for Jacob and Esau

The story of Jacob and Esau is part of this week's Lectionary reading. The heartbreaking story of brothers who opposed one another and competed from the beginning, who only made peace after a lifetime of heartache and pain.

Before we were born, we were poised to be enemies;
We were taught to hate.
Before we were born we fought and tussled;
We were expected to compete.
Before we were born there was already bad blood between us
We were initiated into heirarchy.

We come from a long history of war-mongers,
Peace-breakers,
Persecuters and persecuted,
Slaveholders and slaves.
We never expected another way but to rule or be ruled.
We have never known anything different.

This way continued for a long time:
We perpetuated it because we couldn't imagine anything else
Until the Christ came
And blew our minds open with a new gospel.

He gave us a new paradigm for living:
To love our enemies
To bless those who persecute us
To turn our cheeks to violence
To lead by serving
To share from abundant hearts
To make love the greatest virtue
To forgive and be forgiven
To care for the weakest among us
To regard God, not as enemy, but as friend.

It has taken many centuries for these ideas to sink into our consciousness
But, hallelujah! We are progressing
Christ has reinvented living,
The old ways are passing away.
And may the power of the new idea, the good news, the new paradigm of Christ
Give us hope for the future.

Amen

Litany for Self-Love

This litany was originally written to accompany a sermon I preached at Peace of Christ church. You can find the sermon here. The sermon uses this week's Lectionary reading from Romans 7.
 

Loving Creator, we confess that, in general, we are bad at loving ourselves.
Help us, oh God.
Many of us have been criticized mercilessly and have simply accepted the habit of it.
Help us, oh God.

Help us to regard ourselves with the same kindness and patience
With which you regard us.
Help us to lay down our judgements of ourselves and others
And to leave the judging to you.
Help us to see ourselves and everyone around us in the light of love,
Which is your own light.
Help us to feed, nourish, care for, and live into our True Self,
Which is your love in us.

We acknowledge that we live among tensions and paradoxes that are not always easy to parse out:
    Good and evil
    Light and darkness
    Flesh and spirit
We acknowledge that our enemies are mostly unseen,
And sometimes hidden within ourselves.
We acknowledge that we must both accept ourselves as we are
And work toward transformation.
We acknowledge that you have given us authority and power over evil,
And we take hold of them in the name of Christ.

Hallelujah! For you have looked upon us with eyes full of grace
Grace is air we breathe.
Grace is the ocean we swim in.
Grace is our resting place.

Amen.

Litany for Hagar

This week's Old Testament Lectionary passage is the story of Hagar, whom Abraham cast out into the desert along with her son. But God sneakily rescued her; even though she was a slave and a woman, the lowliest of the low, God valued her and protected her.

Creator, Protector of the Lowly
Defender of the Weak:
You do not despise the needy;
You do not cast out those without status.
Your eye is always on the underdog,
And you care for those on the margins.

You rescued the lowly servant girl Hagar
Who had no power, no authority to choose a life for herself.
She served Abraham to the utmost, even bearing him a child.
Abraham cast her out; but you, God, rescued her.
You gave her water in the desert and preserved her life.
Her child grew into a father of nations. (1)

Your ways are not our ways:
     Social Status
     Breeding or family line
     Material wealth
     Race
     Gender
The world categorizes and assigns value to people according to these things,
But you, God, see beyond, to the inner person.

(All:) Hallelujah!

Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me,
For I am poor and needy.
Preserve my life,
For I am devoted to you;
Save your servant who trusts in you.
You are my God. (2)

Amen

(1) Genesis 21:8-21
(2) Psalm 86:1,2

Pentecost 3 (Year A): Litany for Wonders

The Old Testament text for this third week of Pentecost is Genesis 18, the account of messengers coming to Abraham and Sarah and informing them that Sarah will give birth to a child in her old age. When Sarah hears this, she sees the irony and humor of it - Now? After I’m old and gray and spent my youth hoping and praying for a child? Now? I imagine she laughed for joy and irony and disbelief and the ignorance of men. I imagine if she’d been texting her sister in that moment she’d be like IDK IF THESE OLD DUDES KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT WOMEN. WE ARE NOT ETERNALLY FERTILE. LOL!

But the Lord responds: Is anything too wonderful for me?

And so, old Sarah gets knocked up, gives birth, and names her kid “Laughter.” Wonders never cease.

 

Is anything too wonderful for the Lord? (1)
Nothing is too wonderful for you.
You make wonders bloom from your hands,
And from your imagination spring amazing things.

Your wonders will never cease.
Your wonders will never cease.

Old women bear children. (2)
Trees bear fruit out of season.
Rocks give forth springs of water. (3)
Seas part. (4)
Storms are stilled. (5)
Sickness and disease are cured. (6)
Whole nations are brought out of bondage. (7)
Crowds are fed from your hand. (8)
Dry bones are enlivened. (9)
The dead are raised to life. (10)

Your wonders will never cease.
Your wonders will never cease.

We enter your presence with thanksgiving,
And your courts with praise.
We give thanks to you,
We bless your name.
For you are good; your steadfast love endures forever,
and your faithfulness to all generations. (11)

Amen

(1) Genesis 18:14
(2) Genesis 21:2
(3) Numbers 20:11
(4) Exodus 14:21
(5) Matthew 8, Mark 4
(6) Matthew 10:8
(7) Exodus 20
(8) Matthew 14, 15, John 6, Mark 8
(9) Ezekiel 37
(10) John 11, Mark 5, Luke 8, 1 Kings 17, 2 Kings 4, and many more
(11) Psalm 100:4,5

Litany for The Journey

Holy Spirit, Lover of our souls:
You have set us in this world
Each with intention, destiny, and purpose,
And given us opportunities to know you
To connect with you,
And to become our best selves.

You have given us freedom of choice on this journey.
In love you have allowed us to choose
Whether we will listen and pay attention to you;
Whether we will love you.

We choose you, our Friend and Redeemer.
Make our lives a testament to your love.
We don’t want to settle for surface level
Or for a spirituality that never changes us.

Help us to be patient with the process of growth,
     To even enjoy it;
     To be present with the journey of life, spirit, soul
     To dig deep and uncover whatever is hidden
     And bring it to light (Matthew 10:26).
     To encounter our inner darkness without fear
     To look for beauty, and do its work;
We set our intentions toward life and light.

We know that we are our best selves
When we most aware of your grace towards us.
Walk with us on this journey of life
Now and forever.

Amen

Trinity Sunday (Year A): Litany for Holy Trinities

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
The love of Yahweh,
And the communion of the Holy Spirit
Surround us. (1)

On all sides we are surrounded
By a trinity of grace, mercy and love.
Just as Creator, Son, and Spirit
Live in harmony together.
So do Truth, Beauty, and Righteousness
Live in harmony together.

Things we never thought could come together
Have joined in communion.
    Body and Blood have allied with Healing.
    Pain and Brokenness have become Teachers.
    Love and Mercy have fulfilled Justice.
    Servanthood and Kindness have completed Authority.
    Last and First have re-imagined Heirarchy.
    Questions and Freedom have informed Certainty.
    Dirt and Spit have alchemized Life.
    Body and Mind have been enlivened by Spirit.
    Light and Darkness have given shape to Vision.
    Resurrection and Ascension have made way for Presence.
   
Seemingly unrelated, incomplete ideas have been made whole
Holy Trinities abound on this earth, doing good work:
    Bad made good
    Last made first,
    Servant made ruler
    Poor made rich.
    Ordinary made sacred;
In the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Thanks be to God
For the Gift of the Spirit
Which completes and gives life to all things:
Thanks be to God.

Amen

(1) 2 Corinthians 13:!3

 

Litany for Spiritual Growth

After writing Litany for Spiritual Power, and Litany for Spiritual Gifts, I felt like they needed at least one more companion prayer, perhaps more. Here's one for ya.

Creator, when we walk with you,
Connected to you,
Plugged in to your love and your life
    Our hearts expand
    Our consciousness expands
    Our perspective expands
    Our reality expands
    Our capacity for love expands.

We admit that we tend to become complacent
And stagnant in our imaginations.
We succumb to inertia
And allow our dreams to wither.

Awaken us now to what is inside us;
Awaken us to the authority you’ve given us;
Awaken us to the potential inside our situations;
Awaken us to the power we can access.

Thank you for the gifts you give us:
The talents, guidance, and purposes,
The grace, freedom, forgiveness, and mercy,
And our unique combinations of strengths and weakness.

Your love is better than life.
Your love is life.
Your highest good is beyond what we can imagine.
Help us to grow into our highest good.

Amen
 

Pentecost: Litany for Spiritual Gifts

Pentecost is the day on the liturgical calendar in which we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit, as recorded in Acts 2, and predicted earlier by Jesus. I've drawn from the Lectionary texts for this week, specifically Acts 2 and John 7, for this piece.

Divine Being,
From whom every miracle has come,
Every artifact and invention of creation,
Every living thing from your imagination:

Pour out your Spirit upon us
That we may dream dreams
See visions
And speak with prophetic imagination*. (1)

Pour out your Spirit upon us,
That we may have the gift of faith,
Rivers of living water
Flowing from our hearts. (2)

Pour out your Spirit upon us
That we may bring your ways here to Earth
Live out the compassion of Christ,
And embody your kingdom.

Pour out your Spirit upon us,
That we may speak to all in ways they can understand
Of your lovingkindness --
The great lengths to which you’ve gone to draw us close.

Pour out your Spirit upon us,
That the world in which we live might be changed
That heaven might be found here
And that hope and life may be realized by all people.

Amen

(1) Acts 2:17
(2) John 7:38

*Prophetic Imagination is Brueggemann’s term, not mine.

Easter 6 (Year A): Litany for Abiding Love

The Lectionary passages for the sixth Sunday of Easter (Year A) include Acts 17, John 14, and Psalm 66. I've been contemplating what it might mean to be powered by love, as if divine love were a battery that fuels us. Or as if, when we take the bread and the cup of Eucharist, we ingest love, it becomes part of us, and fuels our activity in the world. How might we train ourselves to run on love rather than on ego? How can we learn to operate on a new system? What spiritual practices might form that pathway in us?

Eternal Divine Love,
Creator and Parent of all,
Ruler of Heaven and Earth
We are your children, your offspring. (1)

You give to all mortals life and breath
And all things.
You allot the times of our existence
And the boundaries of our places. (2)

We confess our blindness to your presence.
Make us aware of you.
We confess the smallness of our concept of you.
Enlarge our knowing.
We confess our ego-driven tendencies.
Power us instead with Love.

We have searched and groped for you
Though you are not far from each one of us. (3)
We cried aloud to you
And you have heard our prayer. (4)
We bless you,
For you have not rejected us nor removed your steadfast Love from us. (5)

Help us to keep your commandments (6)
And to abide in your Love .(7)

Amen

(1) Acts 17:28
(2) Acts 17:25,26
(3) Acts 17:27
(4) Psalm 66:17,19
(5) Psalm 66:20
(6) John 14:15
(7) John 14:21

Litany for the Divine Feminine

I considered writing a litany for Mother's Day. But then I realized that I am frustrated because Mother's Day tends to be the only day of the year that your average Jesus-y church talks AT ALL about the feminine. So I've written this prayer to hopefully inspire us to a larger perception of the Divine, and to lift up my sisters who have been told by their religion or faith-culture that they are Less-Than or Other because of their gender.

God, we know that you made us, male and female
All in your image.
You are above all, throughout all
And in all.

Your image can be found in fathers,
And your image can be found in mothers.
In brothers and sisters, in servants and rulers,
In shepherds and sheep, in adults and children;
In men and in women
The truth of the divine is reflected.

Human society has relegated that image of you that is feminine
To the Less-Than and the Other.
We have worshipped the male
And maligned the female.
We have worshipped the warrior,
And overlooked the nurturer.
We have worshipped the fact,
And ignored the question.

Forgive us for only assigning value to a part of you
And making an idol of it;
All the while closing our perception off
From a broader picture of your goodness.
Restore to us an understanding of you
That encompasses the sacred feminine,
And that helps in turn lift up all of us
Whose identities reflect your feminine image.

Our desire is to know you
Fully and well,
And to see you in the vastness
Of your beauty and majesty.

Amen

Litany for Knowing God, Even in Suffering

Here is this week's Lectionary-based litany, containing elements from Psalm 23, John 10, and 1 Peter 2. I threw in the Hosea cause I felt like it worked.

God, you are the Shepherd and Guardian of our souls (1)
We want to become more aware of you (2)

We hold as our example the Christ, who suffered
But did not threaten;
The Christ, who endured abuse,
But did not return abuse; (3)
The Christ, who bore pain -
By his wounds we are healed!... (4)

Because Christ revealed the heart of God.
You desire mercy not sacrifice (5).
Because Christ has shamed the principalities and powers.
You desire the knowledge of God, not offerings (5).
Because Christ has torn the veil and made way to the Holy of Holies (6)
You desire rich relationship with us, your creations.

Come, let us press on to know the Lord
His appearing is as sure as the dawn (7).
We hear your voice -
You call to us and lead us out (8).
Wherever we go, you are with us,
Comforting, loving, restoring, guiding (9).

Be near to us, Lord, in whatever darkness or suffering we must encounter in this life,
Help us to see every pain redeemed in the light of Christ’s love.

Amen
 

(1)1 Pet 2:25
(2) 1Pet 2:19
(3) 1 Pet 2:23
(4) 1 Pet 2:24
(5) Hosea 6:6
(6) Matthew 27:51
(7) Hosea 6:3
(8) John 10:3
(9) Psalm 23:4


 

Litany for 45

I was at an event recently in which someone asked the speaker, who happened to be Michael Wear, this question: What we should pray for 45?  I thought what a good question it was, and resolved to try to answer it.

For my friends who love Trump, this will perhaps be easy for you to pray, and a good reminder to do so. But for my friends for whom Mr. Trump presents a fair degree of stress and difficulty, I hear that, and I'll say this: you don’t have to like him to pray this prayer.

In fact, praying this prayer (or one like it) is in itself an act of hopeful resistance. It is for some of us a tangible living-out of Jesus command in the Sermon on the Mount "love your enemies; pray for those who persecute you." It is a step toward embodying Jesus' best and most subversive ideas. It is moving in the direction of flooding the world with forgiveness.

Extra bonus points for praying this alongside someone with whom you disagree.

It may feel like sandpaper on your skin or sound like nails on a chalkboard at first. Sometimes the Good News does that. But I think it's a path to peace.



God, as you have made yourself known to men and women, over countless generations all over the world
So, make yourself known to Donald Trump.
As you have inspired good works, loving actions, peacemaking, and depth of feeling and thought in the hearts of humans,
So inspire Mr. Trump.

We ask for your merciful guidance on the 45th President of the United States.
Be to him a light.
Set his feet on the path of peace,
And his mind on selfless love.
Give to him a wide perspective and listening ears,
That he may seek the good of all whom he governs.

Instill in him a strong desire to do justly,
A love for mercy,
Humility,
Discernment,
Curiosity,
Willingness to learn,
Strength of character,
And wisdom from heaven.

Surround him even now with wise women and men of depth, character, experience,
And above all, of unflinching honesty and integrity.
Strengthen him even now with energy and zeal for doing good, robust heart,
And willingness to endure sacrifice for others.
Let the leader of this nation abound in compassion and integrity,
And all the people of the nation prosper under just government.

Where he is weak
Make your power apparent.
Where he is needy,
Provide for him.
Where he is vulnerable,
Protect him.
In the depths of his soul,
May he be filled with your love.

Amen


 

Litany for Meditation

Meditation has become in the last couple of years the single most spiritually enriching practice I do. Many Christian traditions refer to it as Centering Prayer. It takes patience to learn, but pays for itself many-fold. I don't intend for this litany to be a stand-alone meditation. I mean for it be a preamble to silent meditation/prayer. You can obviously do what you will with it, but this is what I envision.

We are beings, existing in the Universe,
Beholding God.

We can see you in the design of Nature,
     The cosmos,
     The creatures,
     Each other,
     Ourselves.

Let us go to our inmost being
And be as we are:
     Deeply spiritual
     Deeply human
     Temporally minded
     Eternally conscious

Let us connect with the spark of you that is there
Waiting to be rediscovered
Waiting to be fanned into flame.

Set us aright
In our connection to you, loving Life-giver, Instigator of Goodness;
Plug us in to the circuitry of your Spirit.

Set us aright
As conscious souls in the midst of a conscious universe
Created by a Great Intelligence: You, the Force of Love.

Set us aright:
Among creation, among ecosystems, climates, and cultures,
As participants, care-givers, co-creators.

Set us aright:
As spiritual beings inside corporeal bodies, dust and breath.
Give to us health and connectedness, wholeness, and joy in existing.

Set us aright:
As a human family,
Making peace and learning to love another despite earthly differences.

Set us aright:
As members of the Body of Christ on Earth;
As a productive, cohesive unit, desiring love and wisdom for all.

Set us aright:
As reflectors of you;
As God-bearers, God-perceivers, and God-receivers.

Set us aright:
Here in our inmost beings,
Still and quiet before you --
Opening to your light.

Easter 3 (Year A): Litany for the Road to Emmaus

The Lectionary texts for the third week of Easter (Year A) include the account in Luke of Jesus walking with some disciples on the road to Emmaus. Shortly after Jesus' resurrection, they were walking along discussing all the things that had happened. Jesus joins them, but they don't recognize them, even though the "disappearance" of his body is what they're discussing. With a great deal of patience, Jesus walks along with them and expounds the whole story of how he got to be there, starting with Moses. But the disciples don't realize its him until dinnertime, after they've invited him in to eat, when he takes bread and breaks it and serves it to them - only then do they understand that it was him all along, explaining everything.

God, you are always being kind to us,
Always loving us toward yourself;
Just as Christ showed his wounds to doubting Thomas
With grace and kindness;
Just as Christ shared his story to the men walking the road to Emmaus
With patience and generosity.

It is this deep grace,
     This boundless giving,
     This patient character,
     This kind regard for all;
That inspires our hearts,
And by which we recognize you.

Relentlessly, you give of yourself
So that we might know and understand you.
Over and over again, you kindly explain the story
In words we can take in.
We know you instantly, the moment you break bread with us --
We can see you in your glorious reality.

Make our hearts ready for more:
     More understanding
     More responsibility
     More of your kingdom;
And graciously work with us where we are confused
So that we may see you in your full beauty.

Amen

Litany for Song

This litany was written by special request, specifically for an event put on by friends in Kentucky. It may be my favorite litany I've ever written.

God, it was your voice, the vibration of your words, that set the first molecules into formation and motion.
You sang the universe into being.
Your breath first nudged planets and atmospheres into existence, by the rasp and melody of your speaking.
You sang the world into being.
Like the cascade of waterfalls, the rumble of thunder, the whir of wind, and the soft breath of infants - so is the beauty and power of the voice of our God.
You sang creation to life.
You moved air through lungs of dust and called us Beautiful, named us Beloved, and shared with us your energy and your art.
You sang humanity to life.

When we say that we live and move and have our being in you, God, we mean that from wave to particle to atom to molecule to cell to organ to body - you are within and throughout.
Your voice makes us.
You are love, and Love set the earth spinning and the stars shining and our hearts beating.
Your voice makes us.
Love that sings and vibrates, dances and gyrates; Love that never stops being and becoming.
Your voice makes us.
Love that energizes and ennervates, uplifts and invigorates; Love that multiplies and amplifies.
Your voice makes us.

In Christ, Love put on a human face; took on vocal cord, consonant, resonance, and sustain.
Hallelujah!
In Christ, Love decided that dying was dancing and resurrecting was to be expected.
Hallelujah!
In Christ, Love said that loss is gain and death is life and power is weakness and dissonance is harmony, and then proved it.
Hallelujah!
In Christ, Love is re-making every broken thing; every off-key note and accidental, every counterpoint, coda, and hum is arranged to beauty.
Hallelujah!
In Christ, Love is singing again, and still singing: a song of redemption, invitation, and new creation.
Hallelujah!

Amen

Litany for the Children and Families of Syria

How Long, Lord, will you look on?
Rescue [them] from their ravages,
[Their] precious li[ves] from these lions...
Awake and rise to [their]defense!
Contend for [them], [our] God and Lord!
 - from Psalm 35

"Omran, Angels are Here" painting by Judith Mehr. (via)

God, we weep with you over the war in Syria.
Our brothers and sisters are in despair.
This war is without end:
The unending unthinkable.

We weep with the mothers
Who have lost their babies in deadly chemical attacks.
We weep with the fathers
Who cannot keep their families safe from harm.
We weep with the orphaned children
Whose parents have been separated from them.
We weep with these families
Who are our family.

Let your angels surround them in their distress.
Let your mercy come to them.
Let your peace be a miracle among them.
Let your life be a victory over death.

Rescue them, Lord God.
Move mountains to save them.

Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

Amen

Litany for Greed

Someone asked me a few months back to write a litany about greed. My first inner response was something like "ugh i don't want to think about that." But I realized I really need this litany too. And I think we can't talk about greed without talking about why we are greedy. Which is often to cover up insecurity, a feeling of lack, of not having or being enough, or a sense of inner failure. We can't talk about greed without talking about the lies and illusions we create to avoid encountering deeper wounds in our hearts. Psalm 51 feels particularly right for this topic.

God, we confess our need for transformation
We are often greedy and self-absorbed.
We get caught up in our culture’s idea of success:
Seeking wealth, position, regard.
We forget that we are spiritual beings
In need of spiritual sustenance.

For idolizing money
Forgive us, Oh God.
For our preoccupation with worldly success,
Forgive us, Oh God.
For posing ourselves to impress other people,
Forgive us, Oh God.
For the lies we tell to make people like us,
Forgive us, Oh God.
For the illusions we create to avoid facing pain,
Forgive us, Oh God.
For seeking personal gain above Kingdom Good,
Forgive us, Oh God.

Help us to set our minds on things above
Things unseen. (1)
Help us to bravely uncover our insecurities and wounds,
And work toward truth in our innermost being. (2)
Help us to trust that we are enough, we have enough;
Your grace is sufficient. (3)
Help us to follow the way of Christ,
To seek first your Kingdom. (4)

(1) Colossians 3:2
(2) Psalm 51:6
(3) 2 Corinthians 12:9
(4) Matthew 6:33