This is A Liturgy for Disability by Stephanie Tait
Reader:Show us your glory.
Lord, you’ve heard these words offered countless times, in songs of worship or the pleadings of prayer.
People:
Show us your face, Lord. We want to see you.
We want to witness your glory on display.
Reader:And yet we come with hearts of repentance, as we acknowledge the ways we have too often denied your glory displayed before us in disabled bodies.
People:
Together we confess our sin. We lament the sin of ableism.
Reader:Jesus, you who have victoriously conquered death, remind us of the wounds you still bear in your resurrection. Teach us like you did Thomas, saying, “Put your finger here. Look at my hands. Put your hand into my side. No more disbelief. Believe!”
People:
We worship you, our wounded king. God our creator, reveal the ways we have discounted the beauty of your intentionally diverse design.
Reader:Teach us like you did Moses, saying, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?”
People:Thank you for the beauty of your diverse creation. We see your image more clearly displayed through our differences.
Reader:Convict us, Lord, of the ways we have harmed those who are disabled with our belief, whether spoken or unspoken, that they may be experiencing punishment for sin. Teach us like you did your disciples, saying, “Neither they nor their parents have sinned. This happened so that God’s mighty works might be displayed in them.”
People:
Lord, liberate those who are Disabled from our judgements and false assumptions, and release them from the added burden of doubt and shame.
Reader:Search our hearts and expose our pride. Dismantle our idols of self-reliance and the illusion of meritocracy. Show us the ways we ignore our privilege and claim credit for your heavenly mercies as personal accomplishment. Give us the wisdom of Solomon, saying, “The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives. But time and chance happen to them all.”
People:We confess the sin of our pride and renounce the lie of meritocracy. Teach us to follow the example of Paul, by refusing to boast of anything except our own weakness, in which your power is all the more fully displayed.
Reader:
God of love, show us the ways we have excluded disabled bodies from our tables, from our pews, and from our pulpits. Reveal the ways we have belittled or discounted the giftings of disabled people. Teach us how to make a place where they are not only welcome to receive, but where they are empowered to serve, teach, and lead us as well. Remind us of the blueprint scripture offers for a thriving and unified body of believers, saying, “The parts of the body that people think are the weakest are the most necessary, which is why God designed the body to give greater honor to those parts, so that there won’t be division in the body.”
People:Show us how to wholly welcome disabled bodies in our churches, homes, and communities. Teach us to better honor them for their vital role in your Kingdom.
Reader:Lord, use us to bring justice for those who are disabled. Whether in our church, in our community, or throughout the world, we pray that they would experience dignity, acceptance, and belonging. We ask that they be fully empowered to serve your Kingdom, and find freedom from the barriers of prejudice and discrimination.
People:Let the change begin with us. Rid us of the sin of ableism, and lead us in the way of your justice—on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.