PRAYER BEFORE Reflection IS DONE

By Rev. Michelle Wiltshire-Clement

Dear Creator,

You know our innermost thoughts. You, O God, know our personal fears and desires. There are so many that want Your attention, and here, we are requesting even more of You. Our awareness is maturing, O God, since we are growing in the understanding that the barrier of us verses them is contrived. No longer are the oceans, borders, bridges, and streets dividing us, since we realize daily, COVID-19 has no boundaries. Through closed doors, let us be open to realize that our caring humanity binds us.

On this Sunday, last year, we celebrated Palm Sunday. We relished in recreating the celebration of Your Child, Jesus, as he rode into town greeted by a joyful crowd waving fronds of palms. We celebrated circling the church, waving high the palms and singing songs of praise. As we pray for our physicians, nurses, respiratory technicians, and all healthcare staff, we also pray for all Essential Workers like police officers, firefighters, EMT teams, Mass Transit Authority (MTA) employees, delivery workers, childcare personnel, grocery workers, newscasters, and policy makers. We pray for the health also of our National Guard and all who will be brought back into service from retirement. We pray for all the volunteers. We pray for the health and well being of each nation. 

We thank You, O God, for all that You have created in this world. Many of us Non-Essential Workers worldwide are inside “Pausing” or under “Shelter-in-Place”. Meanwhile, there has been a noticeable decrease in carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. With a reduction of industrial production, manufacturing, and automobile usage, the concentration of harmful gases like nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) has dropped dramatically. We are witnesses. May these visible changes spark interest in our earnest desire to be better caretakers of our world, to develop together policies to protect the cleansing benefits to our planet home.

May we celebrate this Palm Sunday in our homes with songs brought in through the Internet. Let us celebrate with whomever we are self-isolating with, knowing that next year will be blessedly different! We will know to cherish the Sun. We will cherish the freedom to walk without restrictions. We will cherish each other remembering that You, O God, made us and that You know and love us uniquely and equally. Love is Love! We pray for strength. We pray for comfort. We pray for perseverance! We pray for patience. We pray for guidance! We pray that this time of reflection raises in us, to be us, growing with new beginnings towards this season of true compassion! Amen