Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Breaking News from SPS and Prayers to Offer

                                         message from Anna around noon today 


message we got from the district this afternoon: 

Below is a wonderful collection of a variety of prayers that people have written for the global crisis at hand.
1. A Prayer for the Global Health Crisis
MARCH 4, 2020,
from Dr. Carlos  Colón
https://carloscoloncomposer.com/2020/03/04/a-prayer-for-the-global-health-crisis/
God is our refuge and strength; A very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1
Our God who is with us, Emmanuel, we come to you asking you for your assistance, and to lend your ear in this time of distress.
Hear, our prayer O Lord.
As you lifted once a paralyzed man from his bed, we ask you to come and visit us, and raise our bodies and spirits.
Hear, our prayer O Lord.
Grant to us the gift of your Holy Spirit, that our bodies and souls may be protected from infirmity.
Lord, Have mercy.
And we pray for those who are now suffering from this disease: we beseech you, O Lord, to visit them, encourage them, and heal them according to your great lovingkindness.
Lord, Have mercy.
As you once listened to the cry of the Canaanite woman, we beseech you to hear our voice, for every country hit hard by this disease, and specially: China, Iran, Italy, South Korea, and many other places in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas.
Lord, Have mercy.
And we pray Lord for the families, friends, and medical personnel who care for the sick, and for those who are being monitored.
Be their Rock of Ages.
Please bless all scientists, researchers, public health officials and governments who seek and prescribe treatments, and for those who are working toward a vaccine.
Be their wisdom!
And for all of us, Lord, guide us so that this may be a time of reflection and good will to work to eradicate the diseases that threaten our bodies, and the hate that threatens our souls.
Lord, Have mercy.
O God our help in ages past, the God who heals and comforts; our Maker, and the Maker of wonders; the one who alone is worthy to be praised: incline your ear to us, and grant, in your mercy, the prayers of your people.
Amen.
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2.  Love Thy Sick Neighbor: A Liturgy in Times of the Coronavirus
by Kayla Craig,  March 4, 2020
https://www.redletterchristians.org/love-thy-sick-neighbor-a-liturgy-in-times-of-the-coronavirus/
Forgive us
As we have feared others,
And in doing so
Have contaminated our hearts.
Forgive us
As we have hoarded our resources,
And in doing so
Have abandoned our witness.
Forgive us
As we have desired control,
And in doing so
Have not loved our neighbor.
Comfort the afflicted among us.
In their loneliness, provide care.
In their sickness, provide health.
In their weariness, provide rest.
We grieve the contagious fear that we consume and spread.
Soothe our anxious minds as we read viral headlines.
And protect those who have been victims of racism and fear-mongering
Because of our dread of the unknown.
Protect us from the evil one
Who aims to use each update, not to inform or guide,
But to stoke the flames of chaos and confusion.
We thank you for health care workers
Who care for the sick and tend to bodies and souls
With great compassion and commitment.
Give them stamina.
Give them wisdom.
Give them grace.
We pray for those who lack access to health care,
Or safe places to rest their heads.
We pray for the vulnerable:
The sick,
The disabled,
The elderly,
The uninsured.
For the Kingdom is theirs.
We pray for the mother working paycheck to paycheck,
Who worries about her children and the job she can’t afford
To take time off from.
For she reflects Your image.
We pray for the chronically ill fighting invisible battles,
Hour by hour, day by day.
Nourish their bodies;
Protect their souls.
For they are never out of your sight.
We lament our roles in an empire
That values profit over human life
And takes advantage of our anxious spirits.
We acknowledge that we are not immune to the human condition,
And we repent from ways we have benefited
From dehumanizing systems and structures.
We ask for your Holy guidance
As we journey into the unknown.
Ignite in us a spirit of generosity;
Of hope and mercy;
Of grace and truth;
Of gentleness and self-control.
Cleanse our spirits,
Comfort our minds,
Care for our bodies,
And make us new.
We give thanks that you lavish your grace onto us,
Not pushing us into shame, but providing a steadfast comfort.
When all else falls away, we turn to You and You alone.
We pray this in the name of Jesus
Who healed the sick
And sat with the poor.
Amen.
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3. A Coronavirus Prayer Amid an Epidemic
by Kerry Weber, March 02, 2020
https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2020/03/02/coronavirus-prayer
Jesus Christ, you traveled through towns and villages “curing every disease and illness.” At your command, the sick were made well. Come to our aid now, in the midst of the global spread of the coronavirus, that we may experience your healing love.
Heal those who are sick with the virus. May they regain their strength and health through quality medical care.
Heal us from our fear, which prevents nations from working together and neighbors from helping one another.
Heal us from our pride, which can make us claim invulnerability to a disease that knows no borders
Jesus Christ, healer of all, stay by our side in this time of uncertainty and sorrow.
Be with those who have died from the virus. May they be at rest with you in your eternal peace.
Be with the families of those who are sick or have died. As they worry and grieve, defend them from illness and despair. May they know your peace.
Be with the doctors, nurses, researchers and all medical professionals who seek to heal and help those affected and who put themselves at risk in the process. May they know your protection and peace.
Be with the leaders of all nations. Give them the foresight to act with charity and true concern for the well-being of the people they are meant to serve. Give them the wisdom to invest in long-term solutions that will help prepare for or prevent future outbreaks. May they know your peace, as they work together to achieve it on earth.
Whether we are home or abroad, surrounded by many people suffering from this illness or only a few, Jesus Christ, stay with us as we endure and mourn, persist and prepare. In place of our anxiety, give us your peace.
Jesus Christ, heal us.
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Remember Who We Are
In uncertain times like these, it’s easy to lose our bearings and focus on stocking the freezer or finding the last remaining N95 masks from a cousin of an uncle of a friend in Turkey who can get you a special  delivery at an unbeatable price. Yet church history reminds us of the countercultural posture of our spiritual ancestors during times of great affliction.
In 252 A.D., a devastating plague hit the ancient North African coastal city of Carthage. Healthy people fled in droves, leaving everything behind. In response, Carthaginian Bishop Cyprian drew all the Christians into the center of the very city where they had been persecuted and told them, “If we’re going to do what Jesus did, so that through His poverty we might become rich, I call you to give personal and financial aid, care and comfort to all according to their need, not their faith.”
This unconventional posture clearly differentiated these early Christians from the society that surrounded them and contributed significantly to the perpetuation of the Christian faith. 
About a century and a half later, the ancient Mediterranean city of Caesarea had already been suffering the effects of famine and war when the plague struck. As citizens began fleeing the city, one group determined to remain: the Christians. As Bishop Eusebius reported, “All day long [the Christians] tended to the dying and to their burial, countless numbers with no one to care for them. Others gathered together from all parts of the city a multitude of those withered from famine and distributed bread to them all.”
Eusebius goes on to state that because of their compassion in the midst of the plague, the Christians’ “deeds were on everyone’s lips, and they glorified the God of the Christians.”
While we face uncertain days ahead, let every Spirit-filled heart remain open and, “let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” – Galatians 6:9.
Please join me in praying for the safety and health of our community and that our church can showcase the hope of Christ during this time. 
Following a Faithful God,
Pastor John Lindow
at Arbor Heights Community Church in West Seattle.  (March 2020)
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