This past Sunday
here at Mount Hebron Presbyterian we had to cancel our service in the
sanctuary and try something online instead. An online sermon can be found here, and written version here.
This is a new way
of doing things for all of us. We do not know what the coming weeks
will bring, but we do know we can not carry on meeting together as we
have in the past. We will do our best to keep everybody updated on
developments here at church.
One thing that can
bind us all together is our prayers. With that in mind, I share this
'adapted' prayer from “Christianity Today” writer Daniel Darling.
“Heavenly Father,
we acknowledge our dependence upon You. This virus has reminded us of
our frailty. We have subdued much of the earth with our innovation
and creative acts, but we are reminded in this moment how frail and
powerless we really are. So we repent of our self-sufficiency and
hubris.
Lord, we lament the
fallen nature of our world, which mars the beauty of your created
order. COVID-19 comes to steal and destroy, to work its way through
human bodies and spread its sickness across communities and nations
and the world. We, like Your Son, weep and rage at sickness and
death. And yet we know that it was Jesus whose death and resurrection
defeated this final foe. We long for the day You resurrect our bodies
and restore this world.
As we endure this
new normal in our lives, we pray earnestly for the medical doctors,
nurses, and health care professionals who are putting their lives on
the line for their neighbors. May You give them strength and physical
immunity during this time, so they can help push back against this
virus.
We pray for the
scientists, disease experts, and epidemiologists who are working on
vaccines and testing mechanisms. Lord, we thank You for gifting them
with knowledge and wisdom we don’t have. We pray for their
endurance, for breakthroughs, and for resources.
We pray for those
working in our supermarkets, dealing with unprecedented demand,
anxious customers and their own health concerns. Teach us not to
hoard, but to share, to look beyond our personal needs and consider
the needs of the most vulnerable among us.
Lord, You are the
Great Physician, so we pray for healing for the victims of COVID-19.
Lord, You are the Creator, with power over the creation, so we pray
that the chaos created by COVID-19 may come to an end. Spirit of God,
You are the Comforter, so please comfort all troubled souls.
Move in the hearts
of our public officials. As you have instructed us in Your Word, we
pray for our leaders, the president, Congress, governors, mayors, and
local officials. We pray You will guide them with wisdom and strength
and discernment.
We pray for the
people in our nation and the nations of the world to be humbled and
turn to You in repentance and faith. We know You are the Prince of
peace, Lord of lords, the King of kings. We praise You for Your
goodness and Your mercy. And we ask this all in the name of Jesus,
our Lord. Amen.”
For
some music, “He's Always Been Faithful”, by Sara Groves.
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