Litanies & Prayers

by Ken Sehested

As people of faith gather for prayer and praise, the first act is that of interrogation.

How long, oh Beloved, will you permit envy and enmity to choke the soil of our land and souls?

by Ken Sehested

I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that Divine justice cannot sleep forever. A revolution of the wheel of fortune, an exchange of situation, is possible. The Almighty has no attribute which can take side with us in such a contest.*

Be forewarned, you nation of frivolous piety:

by Ken Sehested

After fleeing Pharaoh’s slavery through
the Red Sea’s baptism, the people of the
Most High assembled in covenant assembly
at the mountain of promise for instruction
in freedom’s demands.

Abandon every god of metal:
      whether nation or spear or bandolier,
      each Tomahawk and Trident,
      every nuclear racketeer.
Do not sanction your vengeance by
      the Name of the Beloved.

by Ken Sehested

There are, to be sure, moments of high drama in the
work of holy obedience:
      marches to be made,
      confrontations to be staged,
      dangers to be endured,
      corruption to be exposed,
      trips made to distant and unfamiliar places,
      maybe even jail cells to be filled.

On rare occasions, the whole world is watching.

by Ken Sehested

Today’s text is the brutal story of the mighty warrior, Jephthah, whose bloody victory entails the sacrifice of his only child, a daughter, whose name is lost to history.  Hear now and testify your resolve to Heaven’s intent:

Oh you, dear unnamed daughter, pawn of warrior’s reckless vow,

by Ken Sehested

Men: Our hearts sag with sorrow when the history of such misery is unveiled.

Women: Such truthfulness comes at a cost. But worthy is the truth.

by Ken Sehested

Introduction: To “steal away to Jesus” is not submission to injustice or passivity in the face of evil. Rather, it represents a strategic retreat to gather the weapons of the Spirit needed to reengage enemies in ways they fail to fathom and ultimately cannot thwart. Enemies are destroyed, by and by, when enmity itself is swallowed in death.

§  §  §

by Ken Sehested

It is with careless ease that we say, “Bless God, for all life is good,” when the sun shines during our outings, when no strain threatens our budget.

It’s easy, when life is blessed with children and our ancient ones live long and die in peace.

by Ken Sehested

All of you with voices, sing out! All who lack melodic
      tongue, raise the roof with joyful noise! If you have
      hands, clap them. Feet, tap them. Fingers, snap them.

Let even your eyelids blink out praise to the One whose
      delight drenches earth and every creature.

by Ken Sehested

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

By that Word were all things breathed to life from the breathless dark, knit into comely shape from nether and nil.