EDITOR’S NOTE: Thank you Karen Olson for your gift of words, the timing and for sharing. I had just posted the daily COVID-19 report with such sad news … then I see this prayer from you and it was just what my tired soul needed. Let us pray …
By Karen Olson, Associate Co-Pastor for Youth at McMinnville Covenant Church
While we face individual worlds of limitation and struggle, we remain united in our grief and concern, and together we lift up:
… the 1.34 million human beings who have lost their lives to the COVID-19 pandemic, that they may rest in peace and their memories be a blessing.
… those who have lost loved ones, from COVID-19 and from other causes, and whose grief is compounded by the immense difficulty of these times.
… those who are ill or in pain, or waiting in uncertainty for test results or a diagnosis, or who cannot access the care they need.
… doctors and nurses, therapists and all healthcare workers, who are risking their own physical, mental, and spiritual health to provide life-saving care for others.
… those living in long-term care and group homes, who are facing further isolation and limitation.
… teachers and professors, school staff and all educators, who are reaching across virtual and physical barriers to care for students and families.
… those isolating at home whose houses feel too empty, and those whose houses feel too full.
… parents of young children, who are tired and overwhelmed, and parents of older children, who are lonely and worried.
… government leaders and policymakers, epidemiologists and public health experts, who are leading in the face of confusion and obstruction.
… scientists and researchers, journalists and investigators, who labor in search of truth and knowledge for the flourishing of society.
… business owners and employees, community leaders and organizers, who are seeking to build vibrant and just communities in the face of relentless challenges.
… clergy and chaplains and spiritual caregivers, who are tending to the souls of others while their own souls are weary and burdened.
… farmers and agricultural workers, truck drivers and warehouse workers, grocery and restaurant workers, retail and construction workers, who labor to keep others fed and clothed and housed.
For all these and for all others and for ourselves, we pray for healing and health, strength and endurance, compassion and courage, wisdom and hope, love and peace.
Amen.
