Litany

L: On this day of joyful remembrance, let us call to mind the prophet's vision:
If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,

C: Your vindication shall go before you, the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. [Isaiah 58:10a, 8b]

L: Let us pray. Holy God, holy and immortal one: we give you thanks for the witness of __________ and all your saints; we praise you for all who have kept alive your vision. In mercy,

C: Bless us with hunger and thirst for righteousness.

L: With Abraham and Sarah we seek to hope against hope; with Joseph and his brothers we trust your providence in time of famine.

C: Bless us with hunger and thirst for righteousness.

L: With Miriam and Moses we exalt your deliverance of the oppressed; with Ruth and Naomi we form new bonds in time of need.

C: Bless us with hunger and thirst for righteousness.

L: With David and our fathers we dance in joy before your throne; with Mary and our mothers we sing your generosity and magnify your name.

C: Bless us with hunger and thirst for righteousness.

L: You have promised to spread a feast where all will be satisfied; you bid the thirsty come to your saving waters.

C: Bless us with hunger and thirst for righteousness.

L: You ask all who have nothing, to eat and drink without price; you tell us not to labor for that which leaves us empty.

C: Bless us with hunger and thirst for righteousness.

L: You welcome us to taste and see your very goodness; in the land of milk and honey you enjoin us to keep your covenant.

C: Bless us with hunger and thirst for righteousness.

L: In time of plenty, you call us to remember your saving deeds; you charge us to love the sojourner as we have first been loved.

C: Bless us with hunger and thirst for righteousness.

L: You ask us to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly in your presence; for what we do to the least among us is also done to you.

C: Bless us with hunger and thirst for righteousness.

L: Let us pray. Holy and eternal God, you have swallowed up death forever and redeemed our life from the grave. Pour out upon us the Spirit of your love, that we may pour ourselves out for the hungry, until that day when every tear is wiped away and all peoples are brought in glory to the banquet which has no end. In Jesus' name we pray,

C: Amen.

Prayers

Lord Jesus, anointed for burial on the night you were betrayed: where others saw only foolish waste you saw a gift of unsparing love. As the woman shattered her jar of perfumed oil, giving what she could, grant that we might pour out what is precious in time of need. And as you praised the act which proclaimed your death, grant that we view with reverence whatever gifts are freely offered. Honoring your command to remember this anointing wherever the gospel is preached, we pray. Amen.

God, who came to dine at Abraham and Sarah's tent: we give you thanks for our ancestors in faith who opened their homes to the poor, spread their tables for the hungry, and fought injustice out of friendship with you. We bless you for the men and women of every age who knew they fell short but knew your love would be there to embrace them. Help those who follow to trust your mercy, challenge wickedness, and share with friend and stranger; until the day of new heavens and new earth, when famine and fear are known no longer, and all enjoy the bread of angels. This we ask in the name of the one who eats with sinners to make them saints, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Table Prayers

The Holy Trinity (A)

O God of love given, returned, and shared, we praise you for the creation of this good earth and for the food you gave to Adam and Eve, a garden of delights. And now, our Abba, feed all your little children from wherever they cry in fear and slavery. Turn this bleak world into your garden again; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Reformation Sunday (A)

O God of liberation and peace, you have freed us to live: we eat the food of our choice, we drink the wine of the marriage feast and we praise your covenant of life. We bless you for all this food and for all your grace. Make us generous with the legacy you have given us, that by sharing your gifts with others we may welcome countless sisters and brothers into your home of liberty and joy: through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Christ the King (A)

O Lord God, the shepherd of the sheep, you have promised to feed the world in justice, and to bring to your mountain all the needy and hungry of the world. We praise you for the sign of your gracious care which is the food on this table. Blessed be God forever! But we beg your mercy on the hungry, the thirsty, the strangers, the naked, the sick, the imprisoned; may we give to the least of these and so give praise to you; through Christ our Lord and King. Amen.
 

Source: These litanies and prayers are taken from "Pour Yourself Out for the Hungry: A Resource for Worship," ©1993 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (currently out of print but reproduced here in its entirety).

Table prayers have been selected and reprinted from "Blessing and Beseeching: Prayers on Food and Hunger" (LCA, 1985-1987) by Gail Ramshaw.