A Litany in the Midst of Smoke, Fire, and Ashes

The original Litany was posted by Bishop James Mathes on May 14, 2014 for the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego. It has been adapted here and our heartfelt prayer encompasses all who are hurt, harmed, or displaced by wildfires and those who have come to their aid.

God the Father.
Have mercy on us.

God the Son.
Have mercy on us.

God the Holy Spirit.
Have mercy on us.

That your church may be a community of hospitality, care and welcome to all who seek refuge,
We entreat you, O Lord

That those who are the weakest and the least empowered may not be forgotten,
We entreat you, O Lord.

That those who govern and order our communities may master the crisis before them, remembering that they are called to be servants,
We entreat you, O Lord.

For all Christ-followers as they offer the hope of new life in Jesus as a healing balm upon our scorched souls,
We entreat you, O Lord.

That we might be neighbors to those whom we meet upon weary roads and that we might allow others to care for us in our own distress,
We entreat you, O Lord.

For those who have been our heroes: the volunteers, police officers, sheriffs deputies, fire fighters, doctors, nurses, and all who rush into harm’s way to assist in evacuation and property protection,
We entreat you, O Lord.

For those who have been injured, those who breathe with difficulty, the suffering and the sick,
We entreat you, O Lord.

For those who have died, especially the victims of the fires,
We entreat you, O Lord.

Remembering the heart of God is a heart of compassion, let us pray for our own needs and those of others.

Silence. The people may add their own petitions.

Almighty God, we give thanks that you are able to raise new life out of the ashes of destruction. Gently guide us to be builders of a new creation in the midst of smoke, fire, and ashes. For, it is out of the cross that we are shown the way of life, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The prayer used at the beginning of this post used intercessory language contained in the following prayer from the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church.

A Prayer For those in the Armed Forces of our Country

Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and keeping all the men and women of our armed forces at home and abroad. Defend them day by day with your heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Book of Common Prayer, 823

An Additional Resource from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
Worship Resources in the face of Wildfires

A Litany for healing in the time of the coronavirus

Join your prayer, your light, with others as you intercede for love of God and neighbor

[This Litany is adapted from ‘A Coronavirus Prayer’ by Kerry Webber https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2020/03/02/coronavirus-prayer]

After each petition, the prayer leader will say, “Let us pray to the Lord.” The people’s response is “Lord, hear our prayer.”

Jesus Christ, you traveled through towns and villages “curing every disease and illness.” At your command, the sick were made well. Come to our aid now, in the midst of the global pandemic of the coronavirus, that we may experience your healing love.

Heal those who are sick with the virus.  May they regain their strength and health through quality medical care. Let us pray to the Lord:

Lord, hear our prayer.

Heal us from our fear, which prevents nations from working together and neighbors from helping one another. Let us pray to the Lord:

Lord, hear our prayer.

Heal us from our pride, which can make us claim invulnerability to a disease that knows no borders. Let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, hear our prayer.

Jesus Christ, healer of all, stay by our side in this time of uncertainty and sorrow.

Be with all those who have been quarantined or restricted in their movements. Grant them patience, health and reassurance during their time of isolation and waiting. Let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, hear our prayer.

Be with those whose livelihoods or finances are or will be negatively affected by this virus. Help them find the resources they need to take care of themselves and their families. Let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, hear our prayer.

Be with our elderly, vulnerable, and immunocompromised. Help us to be mindful and vigilant of their vulnerabilities; and guide us to avoid carelessness so that they may remain whole. Let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, hear our prayer.

Be with the homeless in our neighborhood and across our planet. May they be shown kindness and care in this time of fear and insecurity. Let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, hear our prayer.

Be with those who feel overwhelmed by the torrent of media coverage and information. Help them to discern what is important to know and what to set aside. Let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, hear our prayer.

Be with those who have died from the virus. May they be at eternal rest with you. Let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, hear our prayer.

Be with the families of those who are sick or have died. As they worry and grieve, defend them from illness and despair. Let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, hear our prayer.

Be with the doctors, nurses, researchers and all medical professionals who seek to heal and help those affected and who put themselves at risk in the process. May they know your protection. Let us pray to the Lord. 

Lord, hear our prayer.

Be with our local, state, national and world leaders. Give them the foresight to act with charity and true concern for the well-being of all they are meant to serve. Give them the wisdom to invest in long-term solutions that will help prepare for and deal with outbreaks and its challenges. Above all, give them the courage to work together for the greater good. Let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, hear our prayer.

Whether we are at home, or in the community; surrounded by many people suffering from this illness or only a few, Jesus Christ, stay with us as we endure and mourn, persist and prepare. Let us pray to the Lord. 

Lord, hear our prayer.

Lord Jesus Christ, give us courage to hope for better times.
Help us to be vigilant and generous.
Make us courageous to continue to be your hands in our community.
Teach us to pray honestly and expectantly,
and when our prayers seem to fail,
bring us to pray again and again;
for you are our help and our shield,
through our Savior Jesus Christ,
now and forever. Amen.

View or download this Litany

Fasting and Feasting in Lent

Fasting, as you know, is one of the encouraged disciplines in the Season of Lent. William Arthur Ward (1921-1994) an American author, teacher and pastor shared a litany to encourage our fasting from certain mindsets, attitudes, behaviors and actions while feasting on certain other mindsets, attitudes, behaviors and actions in this Lenten Season. Among other exhortations he encouraged us to:

Fast from unrelenting worries; Feast on unceasing prayer

Idyllwild, CA, March 4, 2017: We’re a little behind on our prayer postings for Lent 2017, but we intend to post during the 40 days of Lent and the 50 days of Easter. Come back often. We’ll use first lines as tags. We’ll also use authors, and titles as tags to help in searching for the prayers you remember, or need, or want to share. ~Fr. Dan

Be well. Do good. Pay attention. Keep learning

• Fast from … Feast on Litany by William Arthur Ward