Prayer

Eternal God,

It is easy for us to get wrapped up in the pace and the hustle of our work and routines. In fact, some of us like it. We get addicted to the frenzy, having lost long ago the ability to sit still. Some of us would not know what to do with ourselves were it not for the chaos of crisis! Yet we know in our hearts that life in the fast lane comes with great risks. Burnout awaits. Before that day comes, before we are forced to slow down by circumstance or events, help us to practice the wisdom of those who have gone before us. Stop. Breathe. Live in this moment. Yes, time is perhaps the greatest of gifts you have given. May we learn to fill it with presence and love, attention and faithfulness, to you and each other. Amen.

Prayer

Good Physician,

Throughout this week we give thanks and pray for all our cardiovascular specialists. From front-line technicians to back-end administrators and all in-between, these dedicated professionals have carried such a great burden during COVID-19, and have only continued to provide such exceptional, compassionate care. We acknowledge them and their service. As they continue to defend the very pulse of life within us, we ask you to fill them, heart and soul, with new strength and refreshment from your own sacred heart. Amen.

Prayer

Friend of the weak,

We who are weary and heavy-laden come to you, just as your son Jesus told us to. In humble faith we ask you to make good on your promise to give us rest. Let our bodies be filled with your spirit of life. As we serve you today by serving your people, may our footsteps be light as we pursue the work set before us. For those alongside us who are especially weary, exhausted and sore, hungry for sleep and anxious for rest, refreshment, and a sign of life’s joy… We pray for them, today, and ask you to give them satisfying sleep. For good sleep we pray, Amen.

Prayer

Loving God,

We celebrate love today! And the power of love to give our lives purpose, direction, and meaning. As we share with those we love our tokens of sentiment and affection, help us also remember the seriousness of love and the truth of the saying, that what we love shapes us in profound ways. Make us more mindful of the attachments we form to things, ideas, and ways of thinking. Just like with the people who capture our hearts, help us commit to give our hearts over to things that are truly lovely. Amen.

Prayer

Lord of the Sabbath,

We give thanks today for the ministry of your son, the perfect embodiment of merciful love. In word and in deed, Jesus’s life continues to amaze us with moving displays of compassion for all those in need. May we be inspired to follow Christ’s footsteps, extending your grace through our own words and deeds. And may we share the same mindset, too, insisting that all our procedures and protocols remain in the service of our greatest priority: the person before us, made in your image, calling out for the grace of your touch. Amen.

Prayer

God over all,

The news sometimes tempts us to think maybe the social fabric really is unravelling. Beyond the pandemic and its ongoing pressures, we see extreme weather events, posturing nations, disturbing headlines, people struggling to find common ground. Help us remember we are not the world’s saviors, even as we commit to doing small things with great love. May we strive to become the best possible versions of ourselves by exercising the gifts that you give us in the places you put us: to sanctify, heal, serve, and protect. Give us the grace to face the world as it is, and the hope to make a difference. Amen.

Prayer

Healing God,

Our lives are so fragile. We each can be wounded in so many ways, as sickness or injury or, finally, death comes to all, eventually. Yet in all this experience you have graced us with seeds of good news. Across humankind we also have the gift of each other, and in so many moments encounter real healing. Indeed, for us who believe, we see in your son the fullness of healing take root in our world. Mind, body, and spirit… even the conquering of death! Today, then, we rightly take time, to pray and to grieve for those suffering in so many ways. Yet for their sake and ours we also have hope, that the healing begun might be realized through us in the work that we do. May we never grow faint as we continue extending your healing, compassion, and liberation to all those in need. In the power of your name, we pray, Amen.