Hospitality is a fundamental and defining characteristic of the people of God. This litany guides us in prayer for refugees who have no home to call their own, and for those of us who are privileged to be able to do God’s welcoming work.
It was adapted from World Council of Churches Worship Resources, Focus on Refugee, 1981.
Litany of the Innkeepers
L: Lord Jesus, who fled the wrath of Herod,
P: Be with those who have to flee the violence and injustice of others.
L: Lord Jesus, who had nowhere to lay your head,
P: Be with those who have no land to call their own. Our hospitality both reflects and participates in God’s hospitality.
L: For the refugees from Syria, Burma, Iraq ,and Afghanistan,
P: Lord, hear our prayer.
L: For people uprooted in Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Liberia,
P: Lord, hear our prayer.
L: For people fleeing violence in Central and South America, and Mexico,
P: Lord, hear our prayer.
L: For refugees and displaced persons who are still living in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan,
P: Lord, hear our prayer.
L: For all refugees who have fled violence and oppression in their own countries and are seeking new lives in new lands,
P: Lord, hear our prayer.
All: Help us, Lord, who are the privileged innkeepers of our day, to find room for those who have been driven from their homelands because of political, racial, or religious reasons.
Amen.
Download a PDF of the litany: Litany of the Innkeepers