A Litany for Reproductive Justice

With devastation all around and in our hearts, we come to you, Holy Protector.

Be with all who are caught up in despair today for when the draft statement becomes the opinion of the United States Supreme Court:

those experiencing emergency or risky pregnancies, who will not be able to terminate a pregnancy in order to save their own life.
those who miscarry and will face criminal investigations in the midst of their pain and loss.
those who are pregnant and feel financially chained to an abusive partner.
those who do not want to be pregnant for any reason and now wonder if it will be possible to end an unwanted pregnancy.

Comforting God, be with us in our despair

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Be with all who fear what is to come.

for the terrifying realities and increased danger for those who become pregnant.
for those who recognize this as one step of many in the erosion of rights for all people.

Be a courageous and caring presence especially for people with uteri, for women of all kinds, for trans and nonbinary people, for disabled people, for queer people, for Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and especially for those with intersecting identities of oppression.  Give us faith to triumph over our fear.
Courageous God, be with us in our fear

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Our hearts grieve for the ways we have failed.  We repent for our inaction to protect the right to an abortion.  We repent for the ways we have remained silent and let fear outweigh our faith and commitment to reproductive justice.  We repent for the times when we did not speak and could have.  We repent for the education we did not share.  We repent that we let it come to this.  For those of us who are faith leaders, clergy, and politicians, we repent for the times when our pulpits were silent, when we feared for our jobs more than a future without safe abortion, when we didn't believe the warning signs, when we refused to risk our comfort for the sake of reproductive justice.  We repent for the ways we ignored the 1 in 4 people with uteri in our pews who have had abortions, adding to the stigma.
God of mercy, forgive us our sins.

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Protect the most vulnerable.  Keep those who seek and who provide abortions safe.  Pour your power into holistic reproductive health care, for all seeking to become pregnant, to end pregnancies, and everything between and beyond.  Protect those who have faced forced sterilization, that their wombs and bodies may be kept safe.  Protect those without the funds or access to seek abortion, especially in states where it is already nearly impossible to access reproductive health care.
God our refuge, protect us from all harm.

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Strengthen the support for abortion networks and those who are working to protect rights to reproductive justice.  Expand the work that is already being done to ensure access to safe, free abortions.  For the fights on the horizon, we pray for your strength and protection: for bodily integrity and autonomy of all kinds, including access to birth control, access to gender affirming health care, protection for transgender and queer children from legislated harm, the protection that marriages of many kinds provide.  Give us patience and care in the creation of a more expansive movement, that we would each be gentle with each other as we navigate our trauma collisions, to seek first to understand with love.
God our champion, lead us to justice.

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We give you thanks for all those who have been in this fight for decades and for those who today are filled with ferocity, fury, and fear.

for the work and protection that has been done so far.
for all who don’t know where to begin, and yet are burning with a fire for justice in the wake of this news.

Breathe your resting peace into those who have been fighting, that they carve out space to be gentle with themselves in the time to come.  Give us wisdom to follow those who are already doing this work.  Put your words in our mouths and on our hearts as we speak with state and national officials.  Prepare us for the long road ahead.
Maker of justice, breathe your liberating Spirit through us.

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Creative Spirit of consent and courage, we entrust all this and all that you know that we need into your loving presence.  We pray all this in your many names. Amen.

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If you would like to use this litany, please credit Suzannah Porter and Rev. Emily E. Ewing, diakonia.faith. The litany in graphic form, designed by Pace Warfield-May can be found here on the diakonia.faith Facebook page.

Queerying Easter 3C

Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Acts reading.

Acts 9:1-6[7-20]
Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lover, went to the high priest ²and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, of any gender, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. ³Now as Saul was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. ⁴Saul fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

⁵Saul asked, “Who are you, Lover?”

The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are targeting. ⁶But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.”

[⁷The people who were traveling with Saul stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. ⁸Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.

⁹For three days Saul was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

¹⁰Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lover said to Ananias in a vision, “Ananias.”

He answered, “Here I am, Lover.”

¹¹The Lover said to Ananias, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying, ¹²and he has seen in a vision one named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.”

¹³But Ananias answered, “Lover, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem; ¹⁴and here he has authority from the community leaders to bind all who invoke your name.”

¹⁵But the Lover said to Ananias, “Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and rulers and before the people of Israel; ¹⁶I myself will show Saul how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”

¹⁷So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, “Brother Saul, the Lover Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸And immediately something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and his sight was restored. Then Saul got up and was baptized, ¹⁹and after taking some food, he regained his strength. For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus, ²⁰and immediately Saul began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “They are the Descendant of God.”]

Queeries for the text:
How can light harm?
Why is Saul persecuting the followers of the Way?
How is Saul dependent on others? How are we interdependent?
Why would anyone want to go to the street called Straight?
How do harmful actions disconnect us?
What scales need to fall for us to proclaim Jesus?
How do conversions usually happen? 

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J. Pace Warfield-May queeries the reading from Revelation.

Revelation 5:11-14
¹¹Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the ancestors; they numbered tens of thousands of tens of thousands and thousands of thousands, ¹²singing with full voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!"

¹³Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing, "To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!" ¹⁴And the four living creatures said, "Amen!" And the ancestors fell down and worshiped.

Queries for the text:
How does one hear by looking?
Who are the ancestors? What are the four creatures?
What comes from suffering?
What does an entire planet singing sound like?

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Find previous queeries for the John text.

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What are your queeries?

Queerying Easter 2C

Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Acts reading.

Gospel: Acts 5:27-32
²⁷When the captain and police had brought the Sent Ones, they had them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them, ²⁸saying, “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you are determined to bring this person’s blood on us.”

²⁹But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than any human authority. ³⁰The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. ³¹God exalted Them at Xyr right hand as Lover and Savior that They might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. ³²And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Xem.”

Queeries for the text:
Why were the captain and police bringing the Sent Ones?
How do Christians bring Jesus' blood on Jewish people?
What is of God?
What happens when someone is hung on a tree?
Who actually hung Jesus on a tree?
How are religious and community leaders complicit in oppression?
Who needs repentance and forgiveness?
What is the Holy Spirit up to?

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J. Pace Warfield- May queeries the reading from Revelation.

Revelation 1:4-8
⁴John to the seven churches that are in Asia:

Grace to you and peace from Them who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before Their throne, ⁵and from Jesus the Anointed, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the Sovereign of the monarchs and leaders of the earth. To Them who loves us and freed us from our harm and harm to others by Their blood, ⁶and made us to be a kin-dom, priests serving Their God/ess and Parent, to Them be glory and authority forever and ever. Amen.

⁷Look! They are coming with the clouds; every eye will see Them, even those who pierced Them; and on Their account all the peoples of the earth will wail. So it is to be. Amen. ⁸"I am the A (the Alpha, the First) and the Z (the Omega, the last)," says the God/ess, who is and who was and who is to come, the Supreme.

Queeries for the text:
Who is this message addressed to?
What does it mean to be firstborn of the dead?
What or who is Jesus witness to?
What does it mean to be a member of Jesus' kin-dom and a priest serving God/ess?
Why will the peoples of the earth wail?

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Find previous queeries for the John text.

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What are your queeries?

Queerying Easter Day C

Queery the rest of Holy Week

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Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Gospel readings.

Gospel: Luke 24:1-12
But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, the women who had come with Jesus from Galilee came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. ²They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³but when they went in, they did not find the body. ⁴While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two people in dazzling clothes stood beside them. ⁵The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the people said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? They are not here, but have risen. ⁶Remember how Jesus told you, while he was still in Galilee, ⁷that the Human One must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.”

⁸Then the women remembered Jesus' words, ⁹and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. ¹⁰Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles.

¹¹But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. ¹²But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

Queeries for the text:
Which spices had been prepared?
When else have dazzling clothes appeared? Who dazzles?
When do we look for the living among the dead?
Who are the sinners?
Who made up the church before the apostles were told?
Why wouldn't they believe women?

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Gospel: John 20:1-18
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. ²So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other in the chosen family, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lover out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid the body.” ³Then Peter and the one whom Jesus loved set out and went toward the tomb. ⁴The two were running together, but the other outran Peter and reached the tomb first. ⁵This one bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but did not go in. ⁶Then Simon Peter came, following, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, ⁷and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. ⁸Then the other, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and saw and believed; ⁹for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that Jesus must rise from the dead. ¹⁰Then the two returned to their homes.

¹¹But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; ¹²and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. ¹³They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”

She said to them, “They have taken away my Lover, and I do not know where they have laid the body.” ¹⁴When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus.

¹⁵Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?”

Supposing Jesus to be the gardener, she said, “Liege, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”

¹⁶Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher).

¹⁷Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Caregiver. But go to my siblings and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Caregiver and your Caregiver, to my God and your God.’”

¹⁸Mary Magdalene went and announced to the chosen family, “I have seen the Lover”; and she told them that They had said these things to her.

Queeries for the text:
Who is the "they"?
How do you believe without understanding?
When do we not recognize loved ones?
How are names powerful?
Who made up the church before Mary announced the news to anyone else?

What are your queeries?

Queerying Palm/Passion C

 Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Gospel reading.

Gospel: Luke 19:28-40
²⁸After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. ²⁹When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of the disciples, ³⁰saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. ³¹If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say this, ‘The Becoming One needs it.’”

³²So those who were sent departed and found it as Jesus had told them. ³³As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”

³⁴They said, “The Becoming One needs it.” ³⁵Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it.

³⁶As Jesus rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. ³⁷As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the chosen family began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, ³⁸saying, “Blessed is the ruler who comes in the name of the Becoming One! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!”

³⁹Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, order your disciples to stop.”

⁴⁰Jesus answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.”

Queeries for the text:
After Jesus had said what?
Why a colt that has never been ridden?
Where are the palms?
Who benefits from silence? 

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Gospel: Luke 21:37-22:16
³⁷Every day Jesus was teaching in the temple, and at night he would go out and spend the night on the Mount of Olives, as it was called. ³⁸And all the people would get up early in the morning to listen to him in the temple.

22Now the festival of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was near. ²The religious authorities were looking for a way to put Jesus to death, for they were afraid of the people. ³Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve; ⁴he went away and conferred with the religious authorites and officers of the temple police about how he might betray Jesus to them. ⁵They were greatly pleased and agreed to give him money. ⁶So he consented and began to look for an opportunity to betray Jesus to them when no crowd was present.

⁷Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. ⁸So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover meal for us that we may eat it.”

⁹They asked Jesus, “Where do you want us to make preparations for it?”

¹⁰“Listen,” Jesus said to them, “when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow them into the house they enter ¹¹and say to the owner of the house, ‘The teacher asks you, “Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”’ ¹²The owner will show you a large room upstairs, already furnished. Make preparations for us there.”

¹³So they went and found everything as Jesus had told them; and they prepared the Passover meal. ¹⁴When the hour came, Jesus took his place at the table, and the chosen family with him. ¹⁵He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; ¹⁶for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the dominion of God.”

Queeries for the text:
What else happens in the temple?
What is Passover? What isn't it?
Who colludes with police? How is Satan at work?
How is antisemitism at play?
What kind of man carries water?
Who prepares room for unknown strangers?
How is it fulfilled? How is it not?

What are your queeries?


  
 

Queerying Lent 5C

Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Gospel reading.

Gospel: John 12:1-8
Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. ²There they gave a dinner for Jesus. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. ³Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. ⁴But Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus' chosen family (the one who was about to betray him), said, ⁵“Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” ⁶(Judas said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.)

⁷Jesus said, “Leave Mary alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. ⁸You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”

Queeries for the text:
What is Passover?
Who is Jesus' chosen family? How does Jesus love them?
What does nard smell like?
What happens when fragrance fills a space?
When do we care about the poor? When don't we?
Who steals from the common purse?
How do we always have the poor with us? Why?

What are your queeries?

Queerying Lent 4C

Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Gospel reading.

Gospel: Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32
Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to Jesus. ²And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” ³So Jesus told them this parable:

[...]

^11b“There was a man who had two children. ¹²The younger of them said to their father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.’ So he divided his property between them. ¹³A few days later the younger gathered all they had and traveled to a distant country, and there they squandered their property in dissolute living. ¹⁴When they had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and they began to be in need. ¹⁵So they went and hired themself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent them to hir fields to feed the pigs. ¹⁶They would gladly have filled themself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave them anything. ¹⁷But when they came to themself they said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! ¹⁸I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; ¹⁹I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.”’ ²⁰So they set off and went to their father. But while they were still far off, their father saw them and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around them and kissed them. ²¹Then the child said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your child.’ ²²But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on them; put a ring on their finger and sandals on their feet. ²³And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; ²⁴for this child of mine was dead and is alive again; they were lost and are found!’ And they began to celebrate.

²⁵“Now his elder was in the field; and when they came and approached the house, they heard music and dancing. ²⁶The elder called one of the slaves and asked what was going on.

²⁷She replied, ‘Your sibling has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got them back safe and sound.’ ²⁸Then they became angry and refused to go in. Their father came out and began to plead with them.

²⁹But they answered their father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. ³⁰But when this child of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for them!’

³¹Then the father said to them, ‘Child, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. ³²But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this sibling of yours was dead and has come to life; they were lost and have been found.’”

Queeries for the text:
What's missing?
What does the rest of the family think? The slaves? How do they feel?
How is property inherited?
Why did no one give the younger child anything?
Why was the younger child dead to the father?
How can a child work like a slave?
What does the elder actually know about the younger's activities? What is assumed?
What do sex workers do?

What are your queeries?