Eternal God
Grounded One
Most moved mover
As we begin this familiar season with wholly unfamiliar new routines,
Make your presence known to us. Wrap your arms of comfort and protection around us, a Mother embracing her beloved children before releasing them at the bus stop.
We pray for the mundane
For reliable internet connections and devices
For ventilation systems which circulate clean air
For masks which rest comfortably on our faces
For our breath which moves in… and out… 10s of thousands of times a day without thought or effort
We pray for the frustrations
The screens that freeze
The friends we long for
The thoughts that are fleeting and oft interrupted
The Before Times world we no longer inhabit
We pray for PEOPLE
For teachers and administrators trying to foster learning in a time when no options are ideal
For children and teachers returning to three dimensional classrooms
For children and teachers returning to two dimensional screens
For parents and caretakers facing the impossible — sending their children to a once familiar environment; keeping their children home where they’ve been for six months; juggling school and work and parenting and… rest.
Yes. Rest.
In this season of prolonged anxiety we pray for rest.
And joy. Yes joy.
We pray for the joy of smiling eyes that cannot be hidden by a piece of cloth.
Joy of seeing friends, whether from six feet away or on a screen.
Joy of forced time with family.
Give us the endurance to navigate our virus fatigue.
Give us the empathy to see the humanity in every person whose path we cross.
Give us reminders that we are in this together — this ultimate group project that none of us asked for but all of us wish to complete.
Keep us safe. Keep us sane.
Amen.