O holy One, we come thankful for a new day. We thank you for the coming of spring-like weather and the hope of having winter behind us. We thank you for the gentle skies and warmer temperatures which also moderate our spirits.
We pray for the perseverance to love one another, not only when it’s easy to do, but especially when we find it the most difficult. We pray for anxiety to be eased, for the discipline to think before we speak, and for the reminder to breathe. Guide our words and our actions to continue to create spaces of welcome for all people.
We pray for all people who are experiencing homelessness in our world, especially those who are struggling to find a place to stay on cold winter nights. We pray for affordable housing and proper shelter for all who are in need.
Like a shepherd tending the flock you tend to our needs. Be present with those who struggle, suffer, are in pain or sorrow. Guide those who are lost, or filled with worry and fear especially Peter, Laura, Kathy, Susan, Tom S., Maeve, Anita, Catalina Ann, Jacqueline, Bob, Joe I., Tony, Joe W., Cliff, Jan, Kara, Diane, Jennifer, Ingke, the family and friends of Barney, Edwin, Rosetta, Franco, the family and friends of Marie, Charley, the family and friends of Dorothy Correll, Zenaida, Mason James, Daniel, Kimberly’s goddaughter and friend, and anyone we name silently in our hearts, aloud in our homes, or in the comments below.
For those in pursuit of recovery and perseverance in the midst of the Coronavirus. We pray for all essential workers in New York City and around the country who continue to work and put their own wellbeing on the line to help us face this crisis. We pray for doctors, nurses, first responders, researchers, law enforcement, caregivers, sanitation and maintenance workers, and all working to combat COVID-19. Be with those who work in service and restaurant professions, those keeping stores stocked and making at home deliveries, for teachers both at home and online working tirelessly to give our children an education in the midst of crisis. We pray for those who transport goods to the places that need them, provide them with what they need along the journey. Keep them safe, keep them healthy, and help us to find ways to provide them with the supplies that they need to do their jobs well. We ask that you continue to be with employers and employees who are struggling to figure out how to keep things going during this time. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
BLESSING OF BREATHING
That the first breath
will come without fear.
That the second breath
will come without pain.
The third breath:
that it will come without despair.
And the fourth,
without anxiety.
That the fifth breath
will come with no bitterness.
That the sixth breath
will come for joy.
Breath seven:
that it will come for love.
May the eighth breath
come for freedom.
And the ninth,
for delight.
When the tenth breath comes,
may it be for us
to breathe together,
and the next,
and the next,
until our breathing
is as one,
until our breathing
is no more.
from The Cure for Sorrow:
A Book of Blessings for Times of Grief
Used with permission from the artist
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Bellerose 