Rally: Communal Prayers for Lovers of Jesus and Justice
Edited and compiled by Britney Winn Lee (foreword by Shane Claiborne)
Fresh Air Books, 2020
Rev. Celeste Cranston, reviewer
I’ve long pondered how practices of prayer connect to Jesus’ call “to proclaim good news to the poor…freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19). Unfortunately, the link between prayer and action, between liturgy and justice has often felt “fuzzy” – no doubt it exists, but what does it look like? How is it *embodied?
This collection of 53 public prayers, or litanies, voiced by a chorus of 48 diverse authors provides one tangible, life-giving answer. Shane Claiborne says “authentic prayer leads us to act…” But good news, friends – this books isn’t a guilt-trip for what we aren’t doing, it’s not a heavy attempt to shame us into a militant response to injustice. Rather, “Litanies say, ‘we are here, and the grace is that we can connect without the pressure to conjure, to perform, or be anything other than we are…” Litanies are “a rhythmic dance…a sacred inhale and exhale for when we find ourselves asking, ‘What will we say when we gather?” (p. 15) And in this freedom in Christ, in this hope-cultivating dance, we can go forward in faith as explored in the 2nd prayer, “One Small Step: A Litany for Not Knowing Where to Start Regarding Issues of Justice.”
Other prayers beckon:
- “Rhythm and Balance: A Litany for Anchoring and Energizing Justice Work with Sabbath, Contemplation, and Community”
- “Falling in Love with Bodies: A Spiritual Practice”
- “Frustrated Activism: A Litany for Those Whose Bodies and Minds Limit Them”
- “Kind and Brave: A Litany for Parenting with Love and Courage Amid Chaos”
- “Where Others Have Not Understood: A Litany of Resilience Among the Abuse of Power and Privilege”
- “Repentance for Head-Patters: A Litany for Confessing and Grieving Paternalism in Christian Ministry and Missions”
Each includes a story or context out of which the prayer was born, and some are as delightful as the prayers themselves! But perhaps most moving is the final “All Shall Be Well: A Closing Prayer for Making it Through Together” penned by the editor early in 2020 as the reality of a world-wide pandemic was setting in:
ONE: This moment, no matter how dark or how long, can’t make us belong to one another less.
And not one single thing in all of creation can separate us from God’s love.
ALL: Emmanuel, God is with us.
May we receive, believe, and live into this truth, friends even as some light appears today at the end of this long COVID-tunnel.
*Note: this link IS being lived out in powerful ways. I’m especially grateful for the recent Service of Lament during Lent led by the FM Justice Network and the FM Liturgical Network. And the recent, “Exploring the Intersection of Justice and Liturgy” discussion led by Dr. Brian Lugioyo with a gathering of the FM Liturgical friends. Much to be thankful for!