Ten Commandments Litany

Here’s another litany based on the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20: 1-20 or Deuteronomy 5:6-21).  This one was written by Mike Cosper.

A Litany for the Ten Commandments

This is what God told his people:
“I am the Lord your God,

who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt.
“You must not have any other god but me.”
“You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind

or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.

You must not bow down to them or worship them,

for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God

who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods.

I lay the sins of the parents upon their children;

the entire family is affected—

even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me.

But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations

on those who love me and obey my commands.”

We are your people, God.

And by your spirit we will love you alone

with all our hearts, minds, and strength.

“You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God.

The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.”
Hallowed be Your name, Lord.

“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

You have six days each week for your ordinary work,

but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest

dedicated to the Lord your God.

On that day no one in your household may do any work.

For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth,

the sea, and everything in them;

but on the seventh day he rested.

That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.
By your grace, may we enter into true Sabbath rest.

“Honor your father and mother.

Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
“You must not murder.
“You must not commit adultery.
“You must not steal.”
If we live by our flesh, we will die.

But is we live by the Spirit, we will have life and peace.

“You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.
“You must not covet your neighbor’s house.

You must not covet your neighbor’s wife,

male or female servant, ox or donkey,

or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.”
Teach us to love our neighbors as ourselves,

and to love your law not simply as a list of rules,

but as a picture of life lived in harmony with You

and with one another:

life as it was meant to be lived. Amen.

— Adapted from Exodus 20:1-17 (NLT) by Mike Cosper. Posted on The Open Sourcebook.  

Exodus 20: 1-20 is one of the suggested scripture texts for October 2, 2011 (the sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost).  For more worship resources related to this text, or other texts for this Sunday, click on Proper 22A in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.

For more worship resources on the Ten Commandments, click on Ten Commandments in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.