God of comfort and strength, we long for the time when the sound of weeping and cries of distress will be heard no more; when peace will come to all nations of our world including our own. Help us to be both patient and persevering and give us courage to face whatever lies ahead.
We pray for those who hunger or thirst, for those who doubt or are terrified, for those who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, and for caregivers, that all experience healing and comfort.
We give thanks for the sacrifice and service of all Veterans who have worked for freedom, peace, and justice here and throughout the world.
We pray for Mickey Moran, who is a nurse in Massachusetts and trying to stay healthy without much help from her hospital.
We pray for Tracy who is expecting her second child any day now. She has a two-year-old at home and her husband lost his job last week.
Surround those who are sick or hurting, especially those impacted by COVID-19 around the world, O God, and hold them and us close in your tender embrace so that we might better feel your presence in all of our lives.
Blessing the Ordinary
Let these words
lay themselves
like a blessing
upon your head,
your shoulders
as if,
like hands,
they could pass on
to you
what you most need
for this day
as if they could
anoint you
not merely for
the path ahead
but for this
ordinary moment
that opens itself
to you—
opens itself
like another hand
that unfurls itself,
that reaches out
to gather up
these words
in the bowl
of its palm.
You may think
this blessing
lives within
these words
but I tell you
it lives
in the opening
and in the reaching;
it lives
in the ache
where this blessing
begins;
it lives
in the hollow
made by the place
where the hands
of this blessing
meet.
–Jan Richardson
Used with permission from the author.
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Bellerose 