Here is a deacon singing the Litany of Peace at the start of The Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom. This liturgy, prayed by Eastern Christians of the Byzantine Rite, traces its origins to the 4th century. Notice the deacon holds up the end of his stole - a kind of angel wing - interceding and bringing to worship the whole world in all of its need. For the Christian, worship is essentially communal: Eleven times the deacon invites, "Let us pray to the Lord."
Deacon: Bless, Father.
Priest: Blessed is the kingdom of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages.
Choir: Amen.
Deacon: In peace let us pray to the Lord.
Choir: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For the peace from above and for the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord.
Choir: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For the peace of the whole world, for the welfare of the Holy Churches of God, and for the union of all, let us pray to the Lord.
Choir: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For this holy house, and for those who enter it with faith, reverence and the fear of God, let us pray to the Lord.
Choir: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For (here is named the local bishops, patriarchs and even the Pope of Rome if the Liturgy is offered by Byzantine Catholics) for the honourable Priesthood, the Diaconate in Christ, and for all the clergy and the people, let us pray to the Lord.
Choir: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For our country, our President, our Congress, and all who are in seats of authority, let us pray to the Lord.
Choir: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For this city, and for every city and land, and for those who live in them by faith, let us pray to the Lord.
Choir: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For seasonable weather, the abundance of the fruits of the earth and for peaceful times, let us pray to the Lord.
Choir: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For those who travel by land, by water, by air, for the sick, and the suffering, for prisoners and captives and for their salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
Choir: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: That He would deliver us from all tribulation, anger, danger, and necessity, let us pray to the Lord.
Choir: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and keep us, O God, by Thy grace.
Choir: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: Remembering our most holy, most pure, most blessed and glorious Lady, the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin, Mary, with all the saints, let us commend ourselves and one another, and all of our life unto Christ our God.
Choir: To Thee, O Lord.
Priest: For to Thee belongs all glory, honour and worship, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages.
Choir: Amen
Here's a bit of commentary to help us understand the Litany.
Notice, the deacon calls out to the priest, asking him to begin: Bless Father! At once the priest calls upon the Holy Trinity, establishing this prayer as communal and relational, as God's own inner life is communal.
Salvation of our souls. This doesn't just mean, "Oh God, get us to heaven," but, how do I need salvation right now? "Oh God, save me from my temper, save me from my moodiness, save me from this addiction, save me from my ignorance, my closed-in worldview, my bitterness."
Fear of God: not that I'm afraid God is going to get me, but that I would fear only that which could take me away from God.
Seats of authority: Not just politicians (as much as they need prayer) or government people, but the authority of the teachers, the boss, the supervisor. Name the authorities in your own life.
Deliver us from anger, which is resentment. When identifying resentment within we can pray: "Oh God, as angry as I am right now with - N - give him/her/them, blessings and all they need for salvation."
Again we hear, "save us" - there is an urgency to the plea being repeated.
Then, as the litany draws to a close, the priest calls out for God to be given what belongs to God: Glory, which is God's greatness, Honor, which is to acknowledge that God has the first and most important place, and Worship, that inner bowing: God is God and not us, however great we think we are.
This litany has restorative energies when we feel we're teetering on the edge.
