The Litany of Resistance
This prayer was offered by Shane Claiborne as part of our July 31 prayer call. It was adapted from his book, Jesus for President. You can sign up for future calls at the bottom of this page.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world. Have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world. Free us from the bondage of sin and death.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world. Hear our prayer. Grant us peace.
For the victims of war, have mercy.
Women, men and children, have mercy.
For the maimed and the crippled, have mercy.
For the abandoned and the homeless, have mercy.
For the imprisoned and the tortured, have mercy.
For the widowed and the orphaned, have mercy.
For the bleeding and the dying, have mercy.
For the weary and the desperate, have mercy.
For the lost and the forsaken, have mercy.
Oh God, have mercy on us sinners. Forgive us, for we know not what we do.
For our scorched and blackened earth, forgive us.
For the scandal of billions wasted in war, forgive us.
For our arms makers and arms dealers, forgive us.
For our Caesars and our Herod, forgive us.
For the violence that is rooted in our hearts, forgive us.
For the times we turn others into enemies, forgive us and deliver us.
Oh God, guide our feet in the way of peace. Hear our prayer. Grant us peace from the arrogance of power. Deliver us.
From the myth of redemptive violence, deliver us.
From the tyranny of greed, deliver us.
From the ugliness of racism, deliver us.
From the cancer of hatred, deliver us.
From the seduction of wealth, deliver us.
From the addiction of control, deliver us.
From the idolatry of nationalism, deliver us.
From the paralysis of cynicism, deliver us.
From the violence of apathy, deliver us.
From the ghettos of poverty, deliver us.
And from the ghettos of wealth, deliver us.
From a lack of imagination, deliver us.
Deliver us, oh God, and guide our feet into the way of peace.
We will not conform to the patterns of this world. Let us be transformed by the renewing of our minds with the help of God's grace. Let us resist evil wherever we find it.
With the waging of war, we will not comply.
With the legalization of murder, we will not comply.
With the slaughter of innocents, we will not comply.
With laws that betray human life, we will not comply.
With the destruction of community, we will not comply.
With the pointing finger and malicious talk, we will not comply.
With the idea that happiness must be purchased, we will not comply.
With the ravaging of the earth, we will not comply.
With principalities and powers that oppress people, we will not comply.
With the destruction of peoples, we will not comply.
With the raping of women, we will not comply.
With governments that kill, we will not comply.
With the theology of empire, we will not comply.
With the business of militarism, we will not comply.
With the hoarding of riches, we will not comply.
With the dissemination of fear, we will not comply.
Today we pledge our ultimate allegiance to the kingdom of God.
We pledge allegiance to a peace that is not like Rome’s.
We pledge allegiance to the gospel of enemy love.
We pledge allegiance to the Kingdom of the poor and broken.
We pledge allegiance to a king who loves his enemies so much he died for them.
We pledge allegiance to the least of these with whom Christ dwells.
We pledge allegiance to the transnational church that transcends the artificial borders of nations.
We pledge allegiance to the refugee of Nazareth.
We pledge allegiance to the homeless rabbi who had no place to lay his head.
We pledge allegiance to the cross rather than the sword.
We pledge allegiance to the banner of love above any flag.
We pledge allegiance to the one who rules with a trowel rather than an iron fist.
We pledge allegiance to the one who rides a donkey rather than a warhorse.
We pledge allegiance to the revolution that sets both the oppressed and the oppressors free.
We pledge allegiance to the way that leads to life.
We pledge allegiance to the slaughtered lamb.
We pledge allegiance.
Together we proclaim his praises, from the margins of the empire to the centers of wealth and power.
Long live the slaughtered lamb.
Long Live the slaughtered lamb.
Long live the slaughtered lamb.
Amen.
Shane Claiborne is an activist, speaker and author as well as the co-founder of Red Letter Christians. His numerous books include Jesus for President, Common Prayer, and the classic, The Irresistible Revolution.
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