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This litany is based primarily in this week’s Lectionary Gospel reading from Luke 6, but I’m also exploring some of the ways God’s reputation has been besmirched and misinterpreted by the global church; and how we might come to the Divine freshly, using the lens of Luke’s beatitudes to get a better picture.

If this particular litany isn’t finding resonance for your Sunday plans, see also (search in Patreon) “Litany for Loving Kinship” from 2019.

I want to offer a reminder: when we pray these prayers aloud together, yes, we are doing congregational liturgy. But we are also doing a form of interactive sacred art. We are embodying a poem with our voices. So read with heart and gusto! We aren’t robots who speak in a monotone - we are artists making the work of the people!

God, we have heard about the goodness you extend to all humanity.
The rumor is: you are Love.
But a lot of what we’ve heard from other humans has been unclear on that,
Instead ascribing human ego to you.
So we are searching for the Real You,
And getting real about ourselves in the process.

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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.

This week’s Gospel reading includes Luke’s account of the Beatitudes. This account is also known as “blessings and woes,” as it differs from Matthew’s Beatitudes significantly. However, the spirit is the same, and they are incidentally not dissimilar to Mary’s Magnificat from a few chapters earlier in Luke. “Woe to you who are rich,” echoes Christ’s Mother’s words from years earlier: “he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty” (1).

I’ve been exploring themes of privilege and connectedness in this Epiphany series, and this week’s “blessings and woes” fit right in. Woe to you who are privileged, for your privilege blinds you. Blessed are you who who understand that we are all connected - by suffering, by need, by humanity… and that we are the very ones we judge to be lowly.

If we let them, this teaching of Jesus has the capacity to awaken us from our deadness, our un-compassion, our judgement, and into acceptance, forgiveness, and love. May it be so, and may we pray with humility and willingness to be transformed.

God, help us to cast aside all judgement,
All fear of Other,
All attachment to privilege,
All lack of compassion;
And to step instead into the glorious abundance of your community…

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Love and Gratitude,

1) Luke 1:5