Proper 11 (Year B): Litany for Catching a Break

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My family and I have been in the process of moving houses this summer - not once, but twice. First to a temporary house, then to a permanent one later. Moving can be relentless, exhausting, ungrounding. You sometimes feel like you can’t catch a break: there is always more to do, more problems to solve, more children to comfort (in my case), more lost things to find. For me it’s the capstone to a relentless and exhausting season that started with Covid in March of 2020. So I’m late with the litany this week. Sorry.

And I’m taking some comfort in this week’s Gospel reading. Jesus notices the exhaustion felt by himself and the apostles. “He said to them, "Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.” So they all sail away in a boat to try to catch a break. And even then, they can’t. People - beloved people with real and profound needs both spiritual and physical - follow them (Mark 6: 55,56).

“[W]herever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.” If Jesus needs a break, in his humanity and therefore limited physical energy, he has to WORK for it - carve it out, prioritize it, make it happen. At least, as I imagine. I’m so grateful for the solidarity here in this text. For the exhausted and run-down. The weary and overdrawn. The ones who are trying to pour from the dregs of a cup. For me and you. Jesus meets us here, where we’re just trying to catch a break.

God, the pace of our lives is sometimes faster than we can keep;
The needs of those around us are sometimes more than we can handle;
The work before us sometimes seems unending;
And the chaos around us is sometimes overwhelming.
We long to pause, to rest.
We thirst for renewal….

Litany for Rest and Balance

Because I am a thirty-something mom whose main daily job is to take care of two small people, I end up talking to a lot of other thirty-something moms in a similar grind. The refrain I hear over and over again is: "I need rest. I need balance." We are all trying to figure out how to balance our responsibilities to our families, our household responsibilities, our relationship needs and responsibilities, our community responsibilities, our career responsibilities, and still find time for some self-actualization, soul care, and body care in the midst of it. It's tricky. I realize it's not just moms who are preoccupied with this problem either, nor is it just parents. I predict that this won't be the last prayer I write about rest and balance, but here it is, the first.
 

God, we hear your invitation to us:
“Come to me, you who are weary and heavy burdened. I will give you rest.”

We acknowledge our souls’ need for rest and quiet nourishment.
We lay down our burdens.
We acknowledge our souls’ need of connection with You.
We turn our intentions toward You now.

We confess our tendency to overlook rest as a necessary part of soul and self care.
We confess our pride in thinking that our work is so important that we may not set it down.
We confess our readiness to believe that what we do determines our worth.
We confess our obsession with productivity, results, measurable progress.
We confess our neglect of the good soil of our souls.
We confess our tendency to forget that it is in You that we live and move and have our being
   and that Your love is better than life.

We ask now for body, mind, spirit, whole-person nourishment.
  For rest and resurrection,
  For new life,
  For healing and consolation of our souls.
We ask for help managing our time and activities so that our
  In-fillings
  Keep up with our
  out-pourings.

Where we have overspent ourselves
Refresh us.
Where we have misplaced our priorities
Re-arrange us.
Where we have said yes when we should have said no
Remind us.

We thank You for meaningful work; for blessings and burdens.
We thank You for rest.
May we become present to our great need for
Daily bread: the presence of Christ in our lives.

Amen

 

Litany for Retreat

*This litany was originally written for a retreat for gathered worship leaders in the Vineyard movement, of which I am a part. The congregational refrain is the simple "hallelujah." I think this lends itself to various types of retreats for both leaders and lay-folk.

Oh God, we are reminded that You are the Author of work, rest, and play.
Hallelujah
We recognize our being made in Your image, having need of all three.
Hallelujah
With consciousness and intention, we now set aside our daily tasks and make space for relaxation, revival, and enjoyment.
Hallelujah
We breathe deeply of Your presence, and drink deeply of Your delight.
Hallelujah
We pray for open ears and soft hearts, that we might hear Your renewed calling on our lives and be willing to accept it.
Hallelujah
We soak in the freedom and joy of being among people who share in our passions.
Hallelujah
May we emerge from our respite with clean hands, pure hearts, and steadfast spirits.
Hallelujah
At the end of our rest, may we re-enter our ministries with refreshed balance, purpose, energy, and clarity.
Hallelujah

Amen