leadinginworship

Pandemic Prayer

Spirit of Hope, can you hear us calling?
This is our pandemic prayer.
You see the virus, and chart its path.
You are with the sick and with those who die,
you are with the caregivers taking such great precautions;
you know our fears of the unseen.
We need your help to keep the virus at bay!
Help us stay vigilant, as we wash our hands
for the thousandth time, as we again mask up
and make choices not to mingle.
Guide our leaders to make good decisions
for public health and the common good.
Protect our children, and help them grow and learn,
even in these unusual circumstances.
Be with our seniors, and help us reach out,
with actions and loving words that show we care.
Our communities can grow and flourish, even in times like these.
We trust that we can emerge from this pandemic
with a strong commitment to care for the vulnerable,
and a desire for justice for the disadvantaged.
Give us a sense of humour in hard times,
and hope for the days ahead.
Most of all, God, we ask for a vaccine.
A vaccine soon, a vaccine for everyone, a vaccine that works.
Hear our prayer, and let it be so!

Living with a Pandemic Congregational Prayer

Gracious God:
We are the church united as we pray from different locations,
connected through something more marvellous than technology--
your Spirit filling us with hope and vision.
We come first of all with thanksgiving.
Thank you for the many kindnesses we have experienced
in this time of social distancing: old friends reconnecting,
some households learning about togetherness,
others learning new quieter rhythms.
Thank you for the joy of food and the beauty of music.
Thank you for this spring-time season
which is lifting us with its promise of new life.
Even as there is much to be thankful for,
we come together with lament;
this virus has caused so much loss of life around the world.
So many suffer, so many families grieve,
and we don’t know when it will end.
We lament the financial burdens of this pandemic,
and that it has fallen heavily on the poorest,
with inequalities standing out more sharply than usual.
We know that racism is one of the roots of injustice,
and that the death of George Floyd is just an example
of the everyday violence people of colour face.
There are those among us who suffer because of racism,
and there are those among us who haven't thought about racism
because it is the privileged air we breathe.
As we work on solving health problems,
help us build a society that addresses injustice.
We continue to pray for a vaccine for this virus.
Give insight to researchers, and co-operation among nations,
so that all can benefit from scientific breakthroughs.
Give wisdom to our politicians making difficult decisions
about how and when to modify social distancing.
Help them find that fine balance between opening our economy
and safeguarding public health.
Keep us healthy and help us care for each other.
As we all make choices about who to see,
and how many we should see at a time,
help us refrain from judging each other,
just as we do not want to be judged by others.
Jesus, walk with us this week.
We trust in you, because you have been with us,
showing us the faithful path in good times and bad,
and you will be with us, come what may. Amen.

Congregational Prayer in a Pandemic

Great God: our community gathers in spirit
through the marvels of technology to give thanks together.
Thank you for medical professionals and staff
who work so faithfully in hospitals, clinics and nursing homes…
give them strength, courage and personal protective equipment.
Thank you for the diligence of scientists working on a vaccine,
and the way so many have ramped up the production of essential supplies.
Thank you for storekeepers and clerks,
farmers and truck drivers,
police officers, firefighters
and all who show up to work every day in essential services.
Thank you for those who care for children in close quarters,
and all the creativity and patience they are showing.
There is so much to be thankful for,
we pause here to lift up our own silent prayer of thanks….

We come to you with many needs today.
Hear our prayer for those who are sick with this virus…
ease their suffering and restore them to health.
Hear our prayer for those who are grieving,
who bury their loved ones without the comfort of funerals,
or the physical presence of family and friends.
Hear our prayer for the unemployed
and business owners in this time of financial insecurity…
help them survive this economic downturn.
Hear our prayer for children whose routines are disrupted
and who long to play sports and visit playgrounds…
show them how to have fun inside.
We pray for vulnerable people everywhere,
especially refugees, and people in war-torn countries
who have no access to medical care….
we need a miracle to spare them from this virus.
Finally, hear our prayer for public health officials around the world--
give them wisdom as they make decisions to reduce fatalities.
This week, when we are tempted
to dwell only on our own loneliness,
help us reach out to others,
being the community we long to have.
Thank you for showing us new ways to be the church,
the church alive, vibrant and witnessing to the risen Christ
in times like these.
Amen

Easter Pandemic Prayer

Jesus died.
He was buried.
On the third day
he rose.
Thank you, God,
for hope
when hope was lost
and for life
when death had won.
In these pandemic times
when so many
are suffering and dying
resurrect within our world
the faith and hope and love
we need to survive.
This Easter,
accept our humble hosannas,
which are linked
with our deepest prayers
for relief from this virus.
Healer of our every ill,
we need you now.
With Christians around the world
and the angels in heaven
we proclaim the mystery of our faith;
Christ has died,
Christ is risen,
Christ will come again.

Good Friday Pandemic Prayer

Jesus, Saviour, hear our Good Friday prayer.
As human beings stagger under the weight
of a worldwide pandemic,
we turn to you, bearer of the pain of the world.
You woke that Friday morning in captivity,
and so we see your face in all who are imprisoned;
hear our prayer for those in jail,
who cannot escape contagion in close quarters.
We see your face in all who are unjustly accused;
hear our prayer for those who tell the truth about this virus,
and are scoffed at, or not believed.
We see your face in all who are tortured;
hear our prayer for those who are too poor to afford healthcare,
and must suffer without medical help.
We see your face in all who are condemned to death;
hear our prayer for those with underlying medical conditions
who are not triaged to receive care.
We see your face in all who are dying;
hear our prayer for those who are separated from loved ones
when they need them most, at the hour of their death.
We know, Jesus, that you faced death
carrying the burden of our sins,
and we continue to add to that weight.
Our failings are so apparent in this pandemic crisis;
whether it’s hoarding supplies for ourselves,
or a reluctance to be generous,
whether it’s being mean-tempered to family members
or failing to be polite to strangers,
whether it’s profiteering from people’s misery,
or an unwillingness to sacrifice anything for the common good.
You chose a path that was all for the common good--
you have borne our infirmities and carried our diseases.
On this Good Friday,  we join with the women at the foot of the cross
weeping for you, and for all the world’s sorrows.
As you breathe your last
and they lay your body in the tomb,
we feel the chill of death,
its hold on all of us.
We wait together for resurrection.

Maundy Thursday Pandemic Prayer

Today is a day unlike other days,
a Thursday of mysteries,
where we remember your final meal with your friends.
Taking a towel, you washed their feet.
Knowing what was to come,
and what you had to suffer,
you instructed them to love one another.
You told them, ”Peace I leave with you,
Do not let your hearts be troubled,
and do not let them be afraid.”

From the heart of this pandemic
we raise our solitary prayers to you.
We miss the consolation of our congregations
when so many are lamenting.
We pray for all whose hour has come
to depart from this world.
We know that we are made by you,
and are going to you.
Give peace to the dying,
and protection to those who care for them.
So many are living out your call to love one another,
braving illness to minister in practical ways.
In this time of economic hardship,
let generosity be the air we breathe.

Jesus, after that dinner together
you prayed in the night alone
as death and suffering loomed large.
Today the weight of human sorrow is heavy upon us,
and we join you on our knees.
We, too, do not want this cup of suffering.
We want this virus to pass over us.
We are bewildered by this pandemic.
It is a time of separation
and a time of great togetherness.
It is a time of fear and doubt
and a time of resolve and deep faith.
It is a time of helplessness
and a time of reaching out.
Meet us here in this darkness, God.
Send us angels and give us strength
to meet this time of trial.

Palm Sunday Pandemic Prayer

On this Palm Sunday, things are different.
No children waving palm branches in processions,
no collective singing of hosannas, loud hosannas,
no exultant crowds, here or anywhere.
The streets are quiet.
What resonates is the image of you, Jesus,
weeping over Jerusalem,
crying for a people surrounded by enemies,
who do not know the things that make for peace.

Our tiny, lethal enemy is invisible to the naked eye.
We jump when people cough,
we eye each other suspiciously,
not knowing where the danger is lurking.
We fear for all the vulnerable,
and we fear for ourselves.
As our lives are overturned,
and restrictions are put in place,
it’s not business as usual
and economic worries are added to the mix.
Anxiety settles like a dense cloud
over all the world.
We need you more than ever, Jesus.

You arrive humbly, unnoticed by many,
cheered by some.
You arrive in the early morning cars
of health workers showing up for their shifts.
You arrive on eighteen wheels as truckers
unload groceries and essential supplies.
You arrive by public transit as scientists
head to their labs day in and day out,
searching diligently for a virus vaccine.
You arrive on foot as neighbours
deliver meals to seniors stranded at home.
You arrive in the ricochet of signals off satellites,
as cyberspace messages of love circle our globe;
millions reaching out to say,
“Are you OK? I miss you.” 

God, hear our prayer
from the lonesome valleys
of this world wide pandemic.
Open our hearts to the possibility
that today is the day of our visitation;
you walk triumphantly through closed doors,
meeting us when others cannot come.
Accept our solitary hosannas,
and gather us together in prayer:
“Blessed is the One
who comes in the name of the Lord.”

Committal Service after a Death During a Pandemic

Dearly beloved:
We are gathered here today in the sight of God,
under this spring sky, to lay (name) to rest.
For everything there is a season,
and a time for every purpose under heaven.
There’s a time to be born and a time to die;
a time to plant and a time to pick up what is planted,
a time to laugh and a time to weep.
Today is a time to say good-bye.
We are sorry that there are so few of us here in this important, holy moment,
but in this time of quarantine and social distancing,
we are all called to be mindful of health and safety.
We know that many are here with us in spirit.
Let’s pray together:
Almighty and ever-loving God,
In this moment of deep grief,
we come with questions;
asking why---why this had to happen?
asking how--how we can get though it?
We turn to you.
Thank you for being with us in this time of sorrow.
You knew (name) through and through,
you loved them from the moment they were conceived.
You were with them on the day of their birth,
and on the day of their death.
You gave them a good life, a wonderful family;
they loved deeply and were deeply loved.
You walked with them in good times and hard times.
We believe that today (name) is happy and blessed
surrounded by your love,
reunited with loved ones who have gone before.
Be with us in our tears, in our aching hearts,
in the smiles that memories bring
as we grieve and remember (name).
You who have conquered the mystery of death,
be with us now,  Amen.

This is a time of wondering
where we stand poised between life and death.
We wonder how this could have happened,
and we wonder how we can survive it.
It’s a time to think about a life, (name)’s life.
We give thanks for all they meant to us as
(husband/wife/father/mother,brother/sister/friend).
They were a gift from God to us,
and we are so thankful for their presence in our lives.
We have so many beautiful memories which we can treasure,
which will be a source of comfort for us.
While (name)’s earthly life has come to an end too soon,
their life with God has entered a new richness;
they have been embraced by God in a fuller way.
They now know more completely than any of us
what salvation means,
and how Jesus rescues us from death,
into the peace of God’s marvellous light.

We pause here at this graveside and think about the earth.
The earth is good, God created it.
We lay (name)’s body to rest in the gentle earth;
of dust we are made; and to dust we shall return.
Hear the words from Ephesians 3:
We pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints,
what is the breadth and length and height and depth
and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge,
so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Seeing that the earthly life of our (brother/sister/friend), (name), has come to an end,
we commit their body to be buried, earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust,
confident of the resurrection to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
(Name), may God bless you and keep you;
May the very face of God shine upon you, and be gracious to you,
May God’s presence embrace you and give you eternal peace.  Amen
 
Let’s pray together.
Dear God: grant us the peace that we need as we face this parting. 
May this peace that passes understanding
fill the hearts and minds of (names of those present),
and the whole extended family, who are grieving in their own homes.
Sustain us all in the days and weeks and months to come.
God in heaven, you are the author of time,
and we give (name) into your loving care for all of eternity.
We pray this in the name of our Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen

Prayer for the Critically Ill in a Pandemic (when you can't be physically there)

God of infinite care,
how we long for your presence in this heavy time.
Our loved one, (name), is so sick, they may be dying;
we know they are suffering,
and we cannot be at their bedside to hold their hand.
Like so many other family members
who are separated from the sick through travel restrictions,
or levels of quarantine,
our hearts are torn open with grief and anguish.
We need your presence at that bed,
we want them to rally, we want them to get better!
Heal them, Lord!
Bless the nurses and the doctors who are caring for them.
We know that health care is so stretched right now,
give hospital staff the strength to have compassionate hands
and kind voices as they care for (name);
provide the resources and supplies they need.
Dear God, even as we pray for renewed health,
we know that this might not happen,
and so, if this is the end of (name)’s earthly life,
grant them peace.
We trust that you will speak the words to their heart
which we long to say,
words of love, of gratitude, words of blessing.
If this is the time of their ending,
let them pass in safety through the gates of death,
to live forever with you and all the angels in heaven.
Jesus, be their guide, whatever happens.
We trust in the power of your resurrection,
and that we will meet together in your kingdom,
where there will be no sorrow, or crying, or tears.
Hold us together through the power of your infinite mercy.
And now we pray, as you taught us to pray,
“Our Father….  “

Prayer in Virulent Times (after St. Patrick)

We bind onto ourselves
the loving power of God our Creator,
the enlivening power of the Spirit of Truth,
and the steadfast faithfulness of Jesus Christ.
We bind onto ourselves 
the glories of the earth, this gift:
the power of heaven,
the light of the sun,
the brightness of the moon,
the splendour of fire,
the flashing of lightning,
the swiftness of wind,
the depth of the sea,
the stability of the earth.
Against the power of viruses,
against the sweep of pandemics,
against the selfishness that hoards for oneself,
against the anxiety that gnaws at our hearts,
good Lord, protect us.
Against sickness and pain,
good Lord protect us.
For all who do the work of caring for the sick,
good Lord preserve them.
For all who are grieving,
and cannot be comforted,
good Lord, hear our prayer.
We bind to ourselves today
God's eye to watch over us,
God's ear to hear us,
God's word to give us speech,
God's hand to guide us.
Christ with us, Christ before us,
Christ behind us, Christ within us,
Christ beneath us, Christ above us,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in mouth of friend or stranger.
With the steadfastness of God, our Rock,
and the love of Christ that will not let us go,
and the Spirit of Hope, who gives us peace,
we go into this day.

Pandemic Prayer

Great God,
you are an ever-present help in times of trouble,
and that’s why we’re praying now.
We are troubled and we’re worried things
are going to get more troubling.
This virus is spreading around the world:
so many are seriously ill
or will be seriously ill,
so many health care systems are stretched
or will be stretched.
Be with front line medical workers,
give them courage to do their work
and keep them safe.
Be with public health officials
as they make decisions for the common good,
and politicians as they roll those decisions out.
Help us to be kind to one another,
because anxiety can make us snappy.
Help our communities to be resilient
and expansive as we reach out to help
all who are isolated and afraid.
In these times of shutdowns and slowdowns,
when travel is restricted or banned,
as routines are disrupted and we spend
less time together or more time together,
help us zero in on what is essential.
Thank you that love is also contagious
and stronger than any virus.
You will be with us,
and we will be with each other
in sickness and in health.
Amen.

Prayer for Those Addicted to Drugs

Lord, we are praying for those we love
whose lives are chained by the power of drugs.
They have sacrificed everything to this cruel master :
work, home, relationships, honesty,
even love seems barely to matter.
And still more is demanded of them:
we fear it will take their very life.
We need a miracle
because we’ve done everything we can think of.
Where there is recklessness, bring caution,
where there is compulsion, bring freedom,
where there is desperation, bring hope,
where death looms,
we need your power to save.
You broke the power of the grave,
you can rescue this dear one.
Thank you that your gaze is on us continually,
even those lost in the maze of addiction
are dear to you, you call them by name.
Nothing can stop your love.
Give us strength to walk this journey faithfully.
You walk with us, 
the journey is long.

Prayer for the Scientific Method

Thank you for human ingenuity, God,

for our ability to think and reason

and figure things out.

On this landmark day when a vaccine

to prevent the spread of ebola is announced,

I give thanks for science researchers everywhere.

Thank you for people who toil away

year after year in laboratories,

hypothesizing and testing,

and re-hypothesizing and re-testing.

The result is a world largely free from small-pox,

free from epidemics of polio,

free from the scourge of mumps, measles, tetanus,

and scores more diseases.

Thank you for countries rich enough

to devote money to universal health-care,

and for the doctors and nurses

who give and track vaccines.

In a world where some of our worst enemies

are unseen to the naked eye,

I give thanks for the long lifespan

afforded in this time and this place.

God of hope, we ask that an HIV vaccine

could be found this year.

You know each of the 25 million people lost to AIDS

in the last thirty-five years…

thank you for equipping researchers

with perseverance, insight

and the resources they need to do their work.

 

Peace Prayer for Those Living with HIV/AIDS

Immanuel, thank you for being with us in our HIV/AIDS filled world.
We pray expecting your presence among us!
Be with all who live with the effects of this disease.
Be with those who wait to die because they have no access to medication.
Be with children who received HIV as a legacy from their parents.
Be with orphans and families who have lost loved ones.
Be with countries who have millions of citizens with HIV/AIDS.
Be with all who are stigmatized and ignored because they have this virus.
Be with researchers and scientists who work to find a cure.
Be with corporate executives who control access to affordable medications.
Be with healthcare workers and caregivers who comfort and encourage.
Be with all who have lost hope because of HIV/AIDS.
Forgive us when we don’t give a thought to this disease
because it does not personally affect us.
Help us see your face in the thirty-six million people
who live with this disease.
Lord, we long to hear the angel's song of peace:
empower people of good will to work
for justice and healing for all
who suffer from HIV/AIDS.  Amen.

Guesthouse

My life is a guesthouse
and each day brings its visitors.
Years of regular customers,
rational and sensible,
ordered and predictable—
they cause no trouble.
Steady Contentment, calm Happiness,
busy Industry, pleasant Enjoyment.
Every once in a while Temper checks in,
turning the whole house upside down for a while,
but he doesn’t stay long.
Green-eyed Jealousy is a sly guest
who no one likes,
but she rarely lingers.
Take it from me,
running a guesthouse is a good life,
you wake up each day with a smile.

Then one day it all changes.
The doctor phones, results are in
and suddenly Fear is banging on my door.
He barges in uninvited
and claims the best chair
planting his muddy boots on the table.
Every other guest flees from his presence.
He’s not going anywhere fast,
and worse than that,
he invites his unpleasant friends—
Despair, Bitterness, Anger.
They’re loud and obnoxious
and they fill every room.
As they turn on the NO VACANCY sign,
I realize with a sinking feeling
that these are not visitors.
This is an occupation.

Tonight they are all talking at once,
and I can’t hear myself think.
I crouch down in a corner of what was once my life,
huddling in the tiniest outbuilding,
on the edge of everything
and it’s precisely at that moment
that I hear the insistent knocking.

It’s a hugely pregnant woman and her husband
who obviously have not read the sign.
That’s all we need right now,
some baby crying in this wilderness. 

 

*with thanks to Rumi, for his wonderful poem "Guesthouse"

Prayer for those who are Addicted

The Spirit of the Lord is upon us
bringing good news to the oppressed,
proclaiming liberty to the captives,
releasing the prisoners.
Great Redeemer, we need your good news
for all of us who are captive to addictions.
Good news for people who are addicted to alcohol or drugs.
Good news for people who are addicted to gambling.
Good news for people who are addicted to tobacco or food.
Good news for people who are addicted to pornography.
Good news for people who are addicted to work.
Grant liberty to all who are bound by the chains of addiction.
Grant us insight into how our habit is hurting us and our families.
Give us courage to take the first step to recovery.
Give us hope and strength to start walking the long road to freedom.
We pray for healing for the deepest hurts that chased us to addiction.
We pray for release from cravings, and a new life free from desire.
Let us not be led into temptation.
Surround us with supports.
Thank you for addiction counsellors and AA groups,
for family and friends who support and encourage.
Help our communities to walk sensitively with all who are addicted.
Most of all, thank you for insight, which you give to each one of us,
that we have choices each and every day,
that we can make choices for life,
and not for death, each and every day.
God of grace, who sent Jesus to show us the way,
hear our prayer. Amen.

Litany for Mental Illness

Lord, you are the great Healer.
Today we pray for those who live with mental illness. 
For those crippled by depression and anxious feelings,
                bring healing, bring peace.
For those who suffer from the high and lows of severe mood swings,
                bring healing, bring peace.
For those who are tormented by voices and hallucinations,
                bring healing, bring peace.
For those who find it difficult to cope with tasks of daily living,
                bring healing, bring peace.
For those who struggle with suicidal thoughts,
                bring healing, bring peace.

God of great gifts,
thank you for the courage of those who live with mental illness.
Thank you for the patience of family and friends who support.
Thank you for our health system and all who work to
                bring healing, bring peace.
Give us wisdom and insight as a church,
as a community, as a society,
to be places that can
                bring healing, bring peace.

Prayer for sick children

Something is not right.

The fever that won’t break,

the lump that we never noticed before,

the appetite that’s disappeared,

the weight put on, or off,

the persistent headache,

the seizure, the flushed face,

the voice crying, “It hurts.”

 

Parents flocking to doctors,

holding babies, hugging toddlers,

arms around adolescents,

hanging on to the hands of teenagers.

Explaining symptoms, describing situations.

The tell is the tremble in the voice,

which says without words,

“I’m so scared for them, please fix this.”

 

You are the unseen guest, Lord,

in every doctor’s office.

You are the one holding us

as we hear the news we do not want to hear.

You wipe the tears, you give us words

to tell our children the path they must take,

a path we would give our lives to walk for them.

 

Some of us walk the long healing road.

Some of us walk the longer disability road.

Some of us walk the dark road towards death.

 

You are the God we call to in the night,

when we lose hope, when we can’t take this.

You are the Saviour we cling to,

when we feel the pain and suffering of those we love.

You are the Comforter whose presence we require

when we feel we are past all comforting.

 

Be the God who touches our foreheads,

be the God who kisses the brow,

be the God who rests your cheek on ours,

whispering your message of love

even in this time of sickness.

The Wrong Good-bye

This is the wrong good-bye.

At thirty, death stands on the threshold

ghoulish as an x-ray

staring straight through all our hopes and plans.

We will not welcome this grim usher

who comes before the play’s half-done.

 

Against the injustice,

against the desperation,

against the running out of time,

against the fear of my body’s demise,

against all these,

Love stands.

We crave your presence, Lord,

even in the wrong good-bye.

HIV/AIDS Advent Peace Prayer

Dear God, you proclaimed your presence to Mary and Joseph

and walked with them to Bethlehem.

This advent, we listen for your voice;

we ask you to walk with us in our HIV/AIDS filled world.

We pray expecting your presence among us!

Be with all who live with the effects of this disease.

Be with those who wait to die because they have no access to medication.

Be with children who received HIV as a legacy from their parents.

Be with orphans and families who have lost loved ones.

Be with countries who have millions of citizens with HIV/AIDS.

Be with all who are stigmatized and ignored because they have this virus.

Be with politicians and corporate executives who control access to affordable medications.

Be with researchers and scientists who work to find a cure.

Be with healthcare workers and caregivers who comfort and encourage.

Be with all who have lost hope because of HIV/AIDS.

Lord, we hear the angel's song of peace!

Fill the hearts of people around the world with good will

so that together we can work for justice and healing

for all who suffer from HIV/AIDS.  Amen.