Presbytery Prayer Point
You are invited to pray with fellow Presbyters at 12 noon on Wednesday 13th May 2020
Lord, keep us under the shadow of your mercy in this time of uncertainty and distress.
Sustain and support the anxious and fearful, and lift up all who are brought low;
that we may rejoice in your comfort knowing that nothing can separate us from your love.
Lord, we continue to pray for all those affected in any way by the pandemic and today we especially pray for all the missed moments that have occurred during this time. We bring to mind the birthdays when children have had to party with only their families to play the games and eat the cake. We remember elderly residents, especially those in residential care, who have had to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries with only dedicated staff as guests and in some cases, with families on the lawn outside.
We also recall all the missed moments between grandparents and grandchildren. Those moments when a hug cures a sore knee, when Grandmother’s special soup makes you feel better or when a walk with grandparents along the beach solves all the things that bother us. We pray for grandparents and other family members who cannot get to visit new-born babies and for new parents who miss that reassurance and love that extended families offer in these happy circumstances.
Lord, we pray too for the people whose weddings have been postponed. After all the preparations and anticipation of starting married life together and the worry of potentially losing money they will be feeling especially disappointed.
We bring to mind all the children who are missing moments being absent from school and nursery. We pray that their resilience and enthusiasm will carry them through these confusing and bewildering times. And we pray too for their parents who are challenged to sustain a time of normality and learning for their children.
Holy God, as the pandemic continues to wreak havoc and the daily death toll continues unabated, we bring to our thoughts those who have to say goodbye from a distance. Lord, lost moments mean that family and friends are denied the opportunity for any meaningful farewells or any close physical contact other than from immediate family.
Lord we gather all these lost moments and those known personally to us, and we offer them to you, and as we do so, we know that they will be smothered in your grace and love so that those who have experienced lost moments will become aware of your comfort and protection. Lord in extending your care in these times of lost moments you remind us all of the eternal hope that lies in tomorrow and that in time these lost moments will be regained tenfold. As we move forward in time and the virus loses its grip, we await with patience for the opportunity to regain lost moments and to never take them for granted again.
We are not people of fear: we are people of courage.
We are not people who protect our own safety: we are people who protect our neighbours’ safety.
We are not people of greed: we are people of generosity.
We are your people God, giving and loving, wherever we are, whatever it costs
For as long as it takes wherever you call us. Amen.