Father,
Son,
and Holy Spirit
Draw us in to your steadfast love.
Abide in us as we abide in you.
Come Holy Spirit, empower us to preserve the bond of peace in the midst of difference.
Come Holy Spirit, create a unity in your church that could not exist without you.
As sisters and brothers, different in many regards, animate us in your Spirit to work together for your purposes.
Our God, your triune being displays for us the glory of unity and difference.
Awed, humbled, and unworthy, we receive welcome from you into living community.
As your gathered people, we worship you – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Come Holy Spirit and teach us to welcome and make space for all our neighbors—not trying to minimize or ignore difference—but reaching across lines of distinction, carried by your love.
Come Holy Spirit, make us a healing presence in your world.
Let your love and the values of your kingdom sing in our hearts and in our actions.
Father, make your church one as you are one.
Son, instill in us your compassion and empathy.
Holy Spirit, empower us to love.
Amen
God, we are grieving
The loss of people and work
The loss of certainty and calling
We move in and out of anger, depression and denial
Grateful if we are well
But fearful of what could happen
Lord, quiet our hearts
Sometimes, we choose productivity in times of uncertainty
To create a sense of control or order
When the lists don’t get crossed off
And even when they do, we don’t feel better
Lord, quiet our frenetic minds
Some of us are sick
caring for the sick, and grieving the lost
We are eating differently and moving less
Talking to screens instead of people
Lord, restore our bodies
QUIET
When we choose love over fear
And put other people before ourselves
We find ordinary saints with halos
We lift up essential workers
Lord, halo their heads
We lift up first responders, nurses, doctors, and assisted living staff
Lord, halo their heads
We lift up musicians, baristas, wait staff, cooks, and every person who has lost work
Lord, halo their heads
We lift up teachers and school staff, professors and principals
Lord, halo their heads
We lift up each sick body, each unwell mind, each person sitting with fresh grief
Lord, halo their heads
Jesus, abide with us in these middle days
Turn us towards you and not away
In uncertainty and affliction we bear witness to your life, death, and raising
Lord, restore our hearts, minds and bodies
Bring your flourishing and resurrection
Quiet us with your love
Amen.
In these difficult days, God is awakening new things within us.
Lord, in our weakness, be our strength.
DOWNLOAD A LITURGY FOR COURAGE IN THE MIDST OF WEAKNESS
With the arrival of COVID-19, many of us navigated physical, emotional, and financial hardship in the United States and around the world.
There is a real longing to pray with other people right now, even if it is difficult to worship together in large groups in a growing number of global cities. In a spirit of solidarity and faith, please join us by downloading and praying this liturgy, written by my husband Drew. We believe the Holy Spirit is boundlessly filled with winged healing and consolation, and this is the time to pray.