New Year’s Day (2022): Litany for Fresh Purpose

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Hello friends! This is the last litany I'll write in 2021! I'm sharing it now in case it might assist you in your plans for the next couple of weeks. I'll be going dark and resting from writing for a bit.

I have made this particular prayer public, so feel free to send it along to friends and colleagues. I also have available:

Litany for a New Year (from 2018)

Litany for New Year's Day (from 2016)

Thank you to all who have followed along this year, shared my prayers, jumped on my Patreon, and prayed along with me.

And to all you who are there in the everyday trenches of spiritual work and ministry, doing care and practicing presence: may you be blessed with wisdom, fresh energy and compassion, rest, and purpose. May every wound your soul sustained this past year be soothed and healed, and your confidence in the Commonwealth of Heaven strengthened.


God as we close another calendar year 
And look toward a new one,
We remember that every day is a new day;
Not just New Year’s Day. 

Every day we can choose fresh purpose (1), 
Access fresh wisdom, 
Practice gratitude for our gifts, blessings, and experiences, 
Practice mercy and love toward ourselves and others (2). 

Every day we can take an honest look at ourselves, 
Assess our unhelpful habits and patterns, 
Create new ones,
Ask for help. 

Everyday we can shut out voices that tear us down, 
And practice listening to the truth about ourselves:
We are beloved, accepted, encased in Divine Love. 
We have access to everything we need (3). 

We ask for strength in the coming year:
To continue growing in wisdom,
To continue our healing journey,
To continue our creative work,
To continue our self-care,
To continue awakening to truth and oneness,
To continue in generosity and serving our neighbors (4), 
To continue the work of bringing heaven to earth. 

Whatever happens this year, we know you are alive within us, 
Your light is shared and burning in our hearts. 
We know that life can be enjoyed (5), 
And rest can be found.
We know each time our eyes open, 
The mercies are new and the goodness is flowing (6).

Amen


  1. Revelation 21:5

  2. Ecclesiastes 3:13

  3. Psalm 8:6

  4. Matthew 25:36

  5. Ecclesiastes 3:12

  6. Psalm 8:1





Eastertide 6 (Year C): Litany for Resurrection Glory

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.

Now here’s a Christian-ese word: glory. Ok. If you are off-put by this word because it has lost its meaning for you, let me tell you how I think of it: Beauty and Light. That’s all. The intense beauty and light that emanates from the Source of all that is.  

God, the light of your glory shines on all humanity
And on all creation.
The beauty and light that you generate
Lights our path,
Shines on our faces,
Glows from within us…

Eastertide 5 (Year C): Litany for Resurrection Belonging

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.

I’m being bowled over newly by this week’s Lectionary selection. In part because I’m also simultaneously reading Richard Rohr’s newest book _The Universal Christ_, so I’m already riding Saint Peter’s wave in Acts 11. Peter has a dream that God tells him to eat food (animals, in this case) that his Jewish faith considers unclean or taboo, and subsequently gets a lesson in the universality of God’s love and presence. No race or people group is outside the scope of the Creator’s love and image. 

And then the Psalm for the week (149) reinforces the message, lumping in the heavenly bodies, the weather phenomena, landscapes, animals and creepy crawly things; with people of all descriptions, ages, and power-levels - in short EVERYTHING - together as things that reflect the divine image. Things that “praise” God. 

Stones sing God’s song. Animals and earth sing God’s song. People sing God’s song. Black people. Brown people. White people. Male people. Female people. Non-binary people. Industrialized people. Nomadic people. Indigenous people. And on and on. Every unique characteristic is glory. Everything belongs inside resurrection. 


God, we know that the Christ was already here,
Even before Jesus came along (1).
And now that Christ was revealed in human form,
We know he’s in us….