In late March, I was asked by the World Council of Churches to write a prayer for the churches around the world in relation to the coronavirus pandemic.
Given that we are facing the same crisis, and that people of faith here may like such a prayer, I am offering it now.
A prayer for the world
O loving God, we pray that you will give us courage and wisdom as we face the hard realities which confront us in life around the world today.
May those with gifts for human health and hope discover ways which will help us to end the threatening infection of coronavirus and to restore our lives to a new day.
Give to us, we pray, a profound sense of creative community as we care for each other, especially for those who are most vulnerable.
Hold us in your arms, O loving parent God, as we journey into the future.
Call us towards deeper faith, O Jesus Christ, believing that you always walk with us and lift our hearts, O Holy Spirit, as we face each costly moment. Amen.
Whether we are people of formal faith, or not, we may like to ponder how we can connect with a meditation which has a focus on connecting with a sense of community – a commitment to holding each other in care and offering support.
Of course, we hope that there will be people who have the skills to develop ways to directly cure or protect us from the dangerous infection, but we may have to wait for that to be possible. The way in which we relate to each other in the meantime will be very important for our life together now and into the future.
