Litany of Reconciliation
While in India a few weeks back I walked through St. Paul's Cathedral. This structure was built in the late 1800's and is absolutely beautiful. As I walked quietly through the building I took note of a few things.
I noticed the stillness as I sat in one of the pews and looked at the artistic detail of the stained glass widows. I saw names of generations of leaders who had served the people who had made this cathedral their place of worship.
One of the most important things I noticed was a small, hand-painted sign on the wall that had a simple title at the top that read, "Litany of Reconciliation".
I'm not sure exactly why it caught my attention, but it did.
Since photos were not allowed to be taken on the inside of the building, I did my best to remember the title and looked it up later (thanks Google!).
Here are the words. I hope that it speaks to you in ways that it has spoken to me -- challenging me to engage in this life as a reconciler.
Litany of Reconciliation
All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
The hatred which divides nation from nation, race from race, class from class,
Father, forgive.
The covetous desires of people and nations to possess what is not their own,
Father, forgive.
The greed which exploits the work of human hands and lays waste the earth,
Father, forgive.
Our envy of the welfare and happiness of others,
Father, forgive.
Our indifference to the plight of the imprisoned, the homeless, the refugee,
Father, forgive.
The lust which dishonours the bodies of men, women and children,
Father, forgive.
The pride which leads us to trust in ourselves and not in God,
Father, forgive.
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
I am so thankful for the work that Jesus has done to reconcile us to God. As people who have been reconciled, let's be reconcilers.
