Litany of Lament to Stop Asian-American Hate

Opening Litany

God of all people and the whole of creation,
make us into who you have created us to be.

Make us your hands, your feet, your eyes, your lips,
your body in the world.

Spirit of Peace, reconcile us,
connect us to yourself, to each other.

You are the source of our healing and hope,
for if one is hurt, all of us are hurt.

Clothe us, your body in the world,
with your love, mercy and grace.

Amen.

Communal Confession


Asian siblings are hurting. How do we, the church, hear their painful cry, and act together in solidarity? We pray …

Lord, have mercy.

Are Asians invisible? They are branded as the model minority — therefore, not expected to speak up. They cry for justice. Can anyone hear them? We pray …

Lord, have mercy.

Asians are feared as a community. Asians have complex cultures and languages, so they are generally omitted. How can we, the church, offer our curiosity and respect when we encounter a multitude of gifts in diversity and uniqueness? We pray …


Lord, have mercy.

Asian children are called many names, most recently “coronavirus,” or yelled at to “go home.” When we, the church, ask, “Who is our neighbor?,” how can we truly mean it in welcoming words and actions? We pray …

Lord, have mercy.

Asians are used by the mainstream dominant culture to shame and put a wedge against other communities of color. Claiming our calling that all are created in God’s image, how can we stand in solidarity with those hurting? We pray …

Lord have mercy.

God’s forgiveness is greater than any hurt and pain of the body. For Asian theologies, forgiveness is an invitation to examine and reexamine what constitutes our identity, not only our individual identity but, most especially, our communal identity. May God’s forgiveness invite us all to face who we are truly as members of the body of Christ. May this rich promise embrace us all, taking away the pain of our battered body.

Amen.

(The above resources are by the Rev. Teresita Valeriano on behalf of the Association of Asians and Pacific Islanders-ELCA.)

+++

Embodied Blessing and Healing

The leader may guide the assembly in this embodied blessing by first demonstrating the actions with a verbal explanation, then inviting the assembly to repeat the actions in silence.

At a protest against anti-Asian racism, Black and Asian ministers shared stories of embodied hurt and a form of an embodied movement as non-verbal gestures of healing and blessing. In solidarity with our Asian American and Pacific Islander siblings in Christ, I invite you to join me in this embodied blessing and healing.

First I will demonstrate with a brief meaning; then you will follow me; then we will move together in silence.
Take a deep breath. Exhale.
Place hands on heart. I see myself – acknowledge my own feelings – my own body.
Bow. Acknowledging sacredness, resilience, humanity, strength in myself. Bow.
Look around. I see you.
Cup hands to ears. I hear you.
Fold arms across chest. Mourning, feeling collective sadness, grief, lament, anger.
Bow. Acknowledging sacredness, resilience, humanity, strength in others.
Open hands, palm up, with a breath. Receiving blessings from God and from one another.
Touch with one hand and extend the other hand to another person. Heart-to-heart compassion.

Let us now begin this embodied blessing and healing together in silence.
Let us begin by taking a deep breath.

The blessing is repeated in action without spoken words.
Amen.

(Embodied Blessing created by the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity for an anti-Asian violence protest in Oakland, Calif. on February 13-14, 2021. Asian and black leaders and the entire community gathered embodied this blessing for healing.)

+++

Lamenting Racism

This lament and prayer may be used in preparation for the work of faithful listening in discussions around racism and racial reconciliation, and at other appropriate times. The naming of communities, situations, and experiences may be adapted for the context or occasion.


People of color may opt for silence during parts of this lament to contemplate the community’s words.

A leader introduces a gathering lament in these or similar words.

The sin of racism hurts communities of color, fractures human relationships, and denies God’s good creation. Lament is a way for us to recognize the harm caused by racism.

Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:35-39). God’s grace in Christ frees us for the difficult work of recognizing and lamenting racism.

We are all part of one body in Christ, called to act with equity, fairness, and justice. God’s savinglove creates grace-filled spaces within us and within our relationships. God’s saving love calls and leads us toward rooting out the racism that continues to infect the body.

A leader invites those gathered into lament and prayer in these or similar words.
Within the whole human family, people of color have experienced both interpersonal aggression and structural oppression instead of abundant life. We recognize and lament the harm racism has caused to African Descent communities; American Indian and Alaska Native communities; Indigenous Peoples within Canada; Arab and Middle Eastern communities; Asian and Pacific Islander communities; and Latinx communities. We cry out to you,
hear our lament, O God.

We have assigned the notion of race to human beings created in God’s own divine image. We have judged God’s beautiful diversity by our flawed and artificial standards. We cry out to you,
hear our lament, O God.

We have used language and images in ways that equate black and dark with dirt and sin, and that fail to welcome the treasures of darkness in God’s good creation. We cry out to you,
hear our lament, O God.

We have accepted practices in our churches and in our society that privilege whiteness overdiversity and equity. We have been complicit in how racism continues to exclude and harm people of color. We cry out to you,
hear our lament, O God.

When one part of the body of Christ hurts, the whole body hurts. As we listen to people who are harmed by racism, we call to you,
open our hearts, O God.

As we reflect on our daily interactions with people and communities of color, we call to you,
open our hearts, O God.

As we reconsider what we have been taught about race and racism, we call to you,
open our hearts, O God.

As we contemplate what we have done and what we have left undone, we call to you,
open our hearts, O God.

As we labor to create a loving and safe community for our siblings of color, we call to you,
open our hearts, O God.

Holy and merciful God, as your people we recommit ourselves to loving one another as you haveloved us. Prepare us for this time of listening and discovery. We pray in the name of the one who has made us one, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.
(All Creation Sings, pp. 62-63)

+++

All of this content is excerpted from a prayer service at
https://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/Worship_Resources_for_Day_of_Lament_Against_Anti-Asian_Racism.pdf

Go further for more prayers and song suggestions.

Copyright © 2021 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
This document may be reproduced for use in your congregation as long as the copyright notice appears on each copy. Permission is granted to reproduce this material for local, non-sale use only.

image

Short URL for this post: https://tmblr.co/ZVz2IxZt5AhKWy00
blog comments powered by Disqus