Wheaton College ASL Chapel 2008: Deaf Cultural Liturgy
Deaf Cultural Liturgy by Noah D. Buchholz
Our Father in Heaven, look down on us, both hearing and deaf, standing before your golden throne which is surrounded by all of your glory and honor. Now we together proclaim you as our Creator and King. We call on you, our Lord, because we acknowledge you as the One whose crown pours out an everlasting waterfall of mercy and whose scepter triumphs over every kind of evil for our protection.
Respond: Hear our prayers, O God.
We seek your mercy that you shall attend to the cries of deaf people around the world. We beg you to break the chains of injustice to which deaf people are bound, to deliver them from the distressing flood of discrimination, and to protect them from the fists of oppressing giants.
Respond: Have mercy, O God.
On our knees, we beseech that you make the dawn of Justice come to pass, that the sun may shine upon a path toward Harmony. Please stretch out your arms and raise deaf people out of the pits of darkness that separate them from the world. Give us more light so that we may show ourselves to those with minds of deafness!
Respond: Hear our prayers, O God.
Now we ask you to take care of us. We ask you to stand against all the schemes meant to disrupt the unity of hearing and deaf people, and to bless us with your spirit because we would not be victors otherwise.
Respond: Have mercy, O God.
Now we close our prayer in dedication to our newborn Deaf brothers and sisters who are entering this world. Provide their parents with wisdom to know how to raise them up. And we ask you to be with them.
Amen.
