Holy God—our Source, our Sustainer, our Healer—
Receive our prayers today.
In this time of unprecedented crisis and world-wide confusion and loss, we continue
to carry thanks in our hearts:
Thanks for this community of people. Our relationships. Our common
ministry. Our shared commitments and struggles. Our laughter and joy.
Thanks for the families and friends who help sustain us always, and
especially now, as we continue to celebrate and gather in new ways. As we
continue to love and care for one another and laugh together
Thanks for the unfolding of spring and flowers and songbirds and other
reminders that the earth brings forth life.
Thanks for the health care workers, the service laborers, the caregivers, the
instructors, and countless others who continue to make our lives as secure as
they can be in uncertain times
Holy One, for these things and much more, we offer thanks today. Continue to grow
in us hearts that know your Spirit and the presence of an abundance much more
valuable than the false promises of possessions.
Even as we remain grateful in these days, our hearts are heavy.
We know this world always cries in pain and loss and confusion. And we grieve the
multiplication of suffering, chaos, and uncertainty across the globe in recent days.
Lord, have mercy
We know that those who were already the most vulnerable and marginalized are
now even more in peril. We hold in prayer the poor, the homeless, the imprisoned,
the elderly, the refugees, those in abusive households, those in war zones, those who
are newly unemployed and have few resources
Lord, have mercy
We pray for protection of all the medical workers and first responders and countless
laborers offering service and knowledge and care in these days
Lord, have mercy
We all know disruption during this time. Still, we pray especially for all the children
and youth whose lives have been disrupted, whose learning has been interrupted,
whose social growth and development may be hindered by this unnatural isolation
from extended family, friends, peers, teachers, and mentors.
Lord, have mercy
In these days of uncertainty, peril, and loss for so many millions of people across the
world we also carry personal aches and concerns. Receive today our prayers and
pleas for:
The health and well-being of our own loved ones
The calming of our own fears and anxieties
The growth of grace, understanding, and forgiveness in moments of strain,
misunderstanding, and frustration that rear up among us during this time of
tension and physical separation and feeling cooped up.
For these things and much more, we ask your merciful presence and wisdom. May
your love move among us all. May your compassion prevail over human fears. And
may we remain steady on our sojourn as children of an unconditionally loving God
and as disciples of Jesus, Emmanuel, God-with-us and Christ among us. Amen.
-Rev. Ruth Moerdyk