Advent Candle-lighting Litanies, Year A
ADVENT CANDLE LIGHTING LITANIES, YEAR
A
From Lutheran Church of the Redeemer,
Jerusalem
English-speaking congregation
Written by Rev. Carrie Ballenger
Smith
Dear friends,
These litanies were written with our context in mind (an international congregation in Jerusalem.) If your church is one of our partners, or if your church is sponsoring my mission work, I hope you will consider using them during Advent this year! Thank you for praying with us and for us. Thank you for continuing to pray and advocate for peace, justice, and reconciliation in the land where Jesus was born. -- Pr. Carrie
LITANY FOR ADVENT
1 (based on Isaiah 2:1-5, Psalm 122,
Romans 13:11-14)
On this
first Sunday of Advent, we pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
May they prosper who love you. Peace
be within your walls, and security within your towers.
We pray for the
strength to become answers to our own prayers:
We shall beat our swords into
plowshares, and our spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword
against nation, neither shall we learn war any more.
We have seen
the wall. We have seen the suffering of our neighbors. We have seen the
devastating effects of occupation and war. We are awake! And with seekers of
justice all over the world, we pray for the courage to “stay woke”:
For salvation is nearer to us now
than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near.
Holy God,
In Jerusalem
and across the globe, the powers of fear, violence, prejudice and war strive to
keep us lost in the night. But into the night shines the light of the Morning
Star—your Son, Jesus. We light this first candle in hope, confident that his
birth is also the dawn of your kingdom of peace, justice, and reconciliation. Let
the light of this candle, and the light of your love, O God, guide our feet
into the ways of peace. Amen.
LITANY FOR ADVENT
2 (based on Matthew 3:1-12)
On this
second Sunday of Advent, we hear the voice of one crying out in the wilderness,
proclaiming: Prepare the way of the Lord!
Friends in
Christ, the wall is about to fall
We will prepare the way
Peace and
justice are more than a dream
We will prepare the way
Division and
oppression will give way to love and liberation
We will prepare the way
The wolf
shall lie down with the lamb, those who are enemies will be reconciled, and those
who fear one another will become family.
We will repent, and we will prepare the
way. Come, Lord Jesus!
Let us pray: Holy God,
Throughout
the ages, you have sent prophets to stir us up, to encourage us to repent, and
to prepare the way for your kingdom. We light this second candle for all the
prophets, peacemakers, and seekers of justice who have gone before us. Give us
the courage to prepare the way, and then to boldly follow the path your Son sets
before us. Amen.
LITANY FOR ADVENT
3 (based
on James 5:7-10)
On this
third Sunday of Advent, our brother James tells us:
But we’ve already waited so long!
The farmer
is patient, waiting for the crops. So you also must be patient.
We have planted seeds of peace. But when
will we see the fruits of our labors?
Be strong of
heart, the Lord is near.
But the wall is high, the teargas is
thick, and we are weary!
Just hold
on—he’s almost here! Be at peace with one another!
How long, O Lord? Are we there yet?
Today we
light three candles: for hope, for peace, and for “sumud”—trusting your Word that
the long wait for freedom, for peace, and for justice will soon be over. The Christ Child will soon be born among us! We are hopeful. We are joyful. We are ready!
Come, Lord Jesus. Amen!
(NOTE: “sumud”
صمود is an Arabic word that means “steadfast
perseverance.” Palestinians often point to the olive tree as an example of this
kind of steadfastness, flourishing in spite of harsh conditions.)
LITANY FOR ADVENT
4: (based on Matthew 1:18-25)
We light the
fourth candle and remember that it happened this way:
Do not be afraid!
A baby will
soon be born
And we are not afraid!
This baby
will do great things
And we are not afraid!
He will save
the world from sin
And we are not afraid!
He will teach us to love one another
And we are not afraid!
He will heal
the sick and feed the hungry
And we are not afraid!
He will
speak truth to power
And we are not afraid!
He will bring down walls of fear and systems
of oppression
And we are not afraid!
He will love
the world to the end
And we are not afraid!
An angel came to say “Jesus is coming, do not
be afraid!” And all the people said:
We are not afraid! Come, Lord Jesus! Come to set your people free!
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