Here are some ways to focus your
congregation's worship on hunger ministry during specific parts
of the service. You may copy these prayers and litanies and
paste them into your worship bulletin or other resource in your
congregation, as long as the source (see
information below) is cited.
L: On this day of joyful remembrance, let
us call to mind the prophet's vision:
If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire
of the afflicted,
C: Your vindication shall go before
you, the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
[Isaiah 58:10a, 8b]
L: Let us pray. Holy God, holy and
immortal one: we give you thanks for the witness of __________
and all your saints; we praise you for all who have kept alive
your vision. In mercy,
C: Bless us with hunger and thirst for
righteousness.
L: With Abraham and Sarah we seek to
hope against hope; with Joseph and his brothers we trust your
providence in time of famine.
C: Bless us with hunger and thirst for
righteousness.
L: With Miriam and Moses we exalt your
deliverance of the oppressed; with Ruth and Naomi we form new
bonds in time of need.
C: Bless us with hunger and thirst for
righteousness.
L: With David and our fathers we dance
in joy before your throne; with Mary and our mothers we sing
your generosity and magnify your name.
C: Bless us with hunger and thirst for
righteousness.
L: You have promised to spread a feast
where all will be satisfied; you bid the thirsty come to your
saving waters.
C: Bless us with hunger and thirst for
righteousness.
L: You ask all who have nothing, to
eat and drink without price; you tell us not to labor for that
which leaves us empty.
C: Bless us with hunger and thirst for
righteousness.
L: You welcome us to taste and see
your very goodness; in the land of milk and honey you enjoin us
to keep your covenant.
C: Bless us with hunger and thirst for
righteousness.
L: In time of plenty, you call us to
remember your saving deeds; you charge us to love the sojourner
as we have first been loved.
C: Bless us with hunger and thirst for
righteousness.
L: You ask us to do justice, to love
kindness, and to walk humbly in your presence; for what we do to
the least among us is also done to you.
C: Bless us with hunger and thirst for
righteousness.
L: Let us pray. Holy and eternal God,
you have swallowed up death forever and redeemed our life from
the grave. Pour out upon us the Spirit of your love, that we may
pour ourselves out for the hungry, until that day when every
tear is wiped away and all peoples are brought in glory to the
banquet which has no end. In Jesus' name we pray,
C: Amen.
Lord Jesus, anointed for burial on the
night you were betrayed: where others saw only foolish waste you
saw a gift of unsparing love. As the woman shattered her jar of
perfumed oil, giving what she could, grant that we might pour
out what is precious in time of need. And as you praised the act
which proclaimed your death, grant that we view with reverence
whatever gifts are freely offered. Honoring your command to
remember this anointing wherever the gospel is preached, we
pray. Amen.
God, who came to dine at Abraham and
Sarah's tent: we give you thanks for our ancestors in faith who
opened their homes to the poor, spread their tables for the
hungry, and fought injustice out of friendship with you. We
bless you for the men and women of every age who knew they fell
short but knew your love would be there to embrace them. Help
those who follow to trust your mercy, challenge wickedness, and
share with friend and stranger; until the day of new heavens and
new earth, when famine and fear are known no longer, and all
enjoy the bread of angels. This we ask in the name of the one
who eats with sinners to make them saints, Jesus Christ our
Lord. Amen.
The Holy Trinity (A)
O God of love given, returned, and
shared, we praise you for the creation of this good earth and
for the food you gave to Adam and Eve, a garden of delights. And
now, our Abba, feed all your little children from wherever they
cry in fear and slavery. Turn this bleak world into your garden
again; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Reformation Sunday (A)
O God of liberation and peace, you
have freed us to live: we eat the food of our choice, we drink
the wine of the marriage feast and we praise your covenant of
life. We bless you for all this food and for all your grace.
Make us generous with the legacy you have given us, that by
sharing your gifts with others we may welcome countless sisters
and brothers into your home of liberty and joy: through Christ
our Lord. Amen.
Christ the King (A)
O Lord God, the shepherd of the sheep,
you have promised to feed the world in justice, and to bring to
your mountain all the needy and hungry of the world. We praise
you for the sign of your gracious care which is the food on this
table. Blessed be God forever! But we beg your mercy on the
hungry, the thirsty, the strangers, the naked, the sick, the
imprisoned; may we give to the least of these and so give praise
to you; through Christ our Lord and King. Amen.
Source:
These litanies and prayers are taken from "Pour Yourself Out for
the Hungry: A Resource for Worship," ©1993 Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America (currently out of print but reproduced here in
its entirety).
Table prayers have been selected and
reprinted from "Blessing and Beseeching: Prayers on Food and
Hunger" (LCA, 1985-1987) by Gail Ramshaw. |
