Liturgy for a Pandemic

According to Wikipedia “liturgy represents a communal response to, and participation in, the sacred through actively reflecting praise, thanksgiving, supplication or repentance.” I love that definition.

Unless you live under a rock you know that globally we’re coming to grips with COVID-19. There’s concern, uncertainty, fear. People have differences of opinion. Are we over-reacting, under-reacting? The situation is tense, and far from over.

I’ve read articles, watched news briefings, seen all of the emotions represented on social media. Lots of people have lots to say. I don’t need to add my opinion to the mix. Instead, I would like to offer a liturgy. 

Whether you are isolated in your home or your life is tentatively going on as usually. Whether you are afraid or irritated. I invite you to join me in a liturgy, a response of praise, thanksgiving, supplication, and repentance. Take a deep breath. Forget the statistics and participate with me.

Liturgy For A Pandemic (based on Psalm 91):

Lord, you had authority over creation yesterday. You have authority over creation today. And you will still have authority over creation tomorrow. We stop in this moment to give you praise, as is fitting. We praise you for your goodness and mercy. We praise you for your strength and power. You are Lord over all the earth.

In this moment we praise you.

Lord, we confess in this crisis our eyes have been too much on the world and media, and not enough on you. We have thought unkind thoughts, spoken ungracious words, allowed fear to get the best of us, judged others too harshly. Forgive us for not making you our refuge, for not trusting in your name, for not calling on you, or reflecting your nature. Be patient with us and teach us through this time to be like you.

In this moment we ask for forgiveness.

Lord, there are shortages, there is confusion, and tempers flare. At moments we feel stalked by an unseen enemy. Whether by a disease or fear itself, it’s hard to tell. But even in hard moments you provide. You sustain life, give grace, and provide your Holy Spirit to lead us in wisdom. We acknowledge your kindness to us and offer thanks. You invite us to find rest in your shadow. Thank you for giving us all that we need.

In this moment we thank you.

Lord, we acknowledge that you alone are our refuge and place of safety, our God, and we trust you. Rescue and protect us. Protect us from illness. Protect us from misinformation, protect us from complacency, anger, and judgement, protect us from hysteria. Your promises are our protection. Please be a refuge for our neighbor, for the sick, for the healthcare providers, and all who are working to do good for our communities.

In this moment we trust you to provide.

Amen.

There is still much to be faced, and learned, in the days ahead. When you’ve had information overload or feel overwhelmed by the strain, take a moment and use this liturgy to focus on God’s presence with you through it all. Read Psalm 91, maybe even commit portions to memory.

Nothing is wasted in God’s economy, not even the coronavirus. If we let him he will teach us new rhythms of rest, he will give us opportunities to love and trust, he will show his glory, deepen family bonds, and prove himself faithful!

{If you know someone who needs reassurance during these times share this liturgy with them or post it on your social media.}

Make way for the new

The day after Christmas was gorgeous at my house. I took a rake and hedge trimmers in hand to tackle some projects in the yard. First came trimming. The previous fall I had planted a few chrysanthemums, which had grown massive and beautiful. But since the first frost they had become a tangle of dead sticks. I trimmed and raked, pulled weeds and cut back plants. The pile of sticks and leaves by the road testify of my vigorous cleaning. The flower beds look much tidier, albeit a bit sleepy and bare.

In the spring the mums will grow again. Blueberry bushes will put out leaves and hopefully berries. Iris and tulip bulbs will wake from their sleep and push their heads to the sun. Over the years I’ve learned my garden reveals the care I give to it. If I tend it properly in each season, cutting away the dead, feeding, mulching, pruning – the plants show it.

So too with my heart. A neglected, weedy, unkempt heart is a mess. There is no beauty or fruit for others to enjoy. Mostly they have to watch out for the thistles and snakes in the brush. Have you ever noticed that about your own heart? Our spiritual lives require cultivation. A healthy heart doesn’t happen on accident.

I’ve been taking a spiritual inventory over Christmas break as I look to the new year. There are things I want to hold onto – deeply held beliefs, personal growth, investments I’ve made. There are also a good many things I want to let go of – a fear of judgement, irritability, business, discouragement. In the new year I want to spend more time creating, pursuing ministry training, investing in my children, discipling, teaching, praying.

I imagine the same is true for you – there are areas of your life you are proud of and grateful for, and other areas you regret and want to leave behind. 

As we look toward the new year we can take comfort in these words:

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Lamentations 3:21-26

It is the Lord’s mercy that has sustained us through 2018 and it will be the Lord’s mercy that sustains us through 2019. As we grow as disciples, face unexpected storms, and bear fruit we can take comfort in his goodness and salvation.

In preparation for 2019 I wrote a liturgy I would like to share with you. Use it as a prayer; use it as worship.

New Year liturgy

Eternal Father, as we come to the end of the year give us grace to reflect on what has passed. Convict us of the sin we have committed, forgive us for the opportunities we have missed, heal us from the wounds we have endured, and comfort us in the loss we have sustained. Thank you for your presence with us in the past year. It is because of your presence that we have endured.

Response: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Eternal Father, we ask for discernment in the year ahead. Make us hungry to connect with Jesus every day through prayer, your word, and meditation. Help us prioritize our spiritual community and seek opportunities to grow with our church family in faith and love. Give us an urgent desire to engage the world around us with your good news, starting in our neighborhoods and reaching to the very ends of the earth.

Response: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Eternal Father, we thank you for your goodness to us in the previous year. The blessing of your presence through your Holy Spirit, your word, and our fellow believers has encouraged us. We pray for your continued blessing in the coming year. Bless our homes with peace, our work with good fruit, our community with hope, and our relationships with grace. We acknowledge all of our possessions, relationships, and areas of influence, are gifts from you. Help us steward them in holiness to your eternal glory. Amen.

Response: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

In the coming year may we cut away the dead branches of sin, bad habits, and unhealthy expectations to make room for the new growth of a disciplined heart that is yielded to Jesus. In every circumstance the new year brings, the hope of Christmas will continue to follow us – God is with us.