Caring Community in a No-Touch World
Worship and Prayer in Time of Pandemic
(Before beginning worship, consider setting a time and place apart to be with God. You may wish to call a church friend and read through the service together, or gather your family around. This challenging time gives us an opportunity to worship with those who don’t usually attend on Sundays. Remember that we are still connected by the Spirit. You are not alone. We are not alone. Thanks be to God.)
Begin by lighting a candle if you have one and if it’s safe to do so in your place.
Take a few deep breaths trusting that God is with you in the here and now…. In …. Out …. In …. Out …. and one more time in …. and out.
Opening Prayer
Caring God,
we acknowledge before you our fears;
we acknowledge before you our anxieties;
we acknowledge before you our doubts.
Help us to recognize in the depths of our being
that we are not alone,
but that you are truly present in this extraordinary time.
We pray that you might ease our burdens
by the assurance of your companionship,
by the knowledge of your abiding love,
and by the hope we share in Jesus Christ,
in whose name we pray. Amen.
(From Celebrating God’s Presence, A Book of Services for The United Church of Canada)
VU 639 One More Step Along the World I Go
(Click this link or type on Google: bit.ly/VU639)
Poem: Pandemic by Lynn Ungar
What if you thought of it
as the Jews consider the Sabbath—
the most sacred of times?
Cease from travel.
Cease from buying and selling.
Give up, just for now,
on trying to make the world
different than it is.
Sing. Pray. Touch only those
to whom you commit your life.
Center down.
And when your body has become still,
reach out with your heart.
Know that we are connected
in ways that are terrifying and beautiful.
(You could hardly deny it now.)
Know that our lives
are in one another’s hands.
(Surely, that has come clear.)
Do not reach out your hands.
Reach out your heart.
Reach out your words.
Reach out all the tendrils
of compassion that move, invisibly,
where we cannot touch.
Promise this world your love–
for better or for worse,
in sickness and in health,
so long as we all shall live.
Scripture: John 9:1-7
As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’ When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, saying to him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’ (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see.
Reflection (by Min-Goo Kang, the minister at Fort Garry UC)
In a time like this we need someone who can guide us through, someone who can model how to be a non-anxious presence in anxious times. The last thing we want in this pandemic is to be impatient with each other while judging, blaming or shaming. I have observed over the last few weeks how one’s fear turned into doubt, distrust or dispute. When we act out of anxiety, we tend to create unnecessary distance even with those we care about. Practicing social distancing doesn’t mean that we should stop practicing generosity and caring for others, especially those who are vulnerable.
Jesus denounces the disciples’ quick judgement toward a man blind from birth. Perhaps, finding someone to blame is their coping mechanism. By asking who is at fault, they express their desire to comprehend why things are the way things are. It’s in our human nature to seek certainty and clarity while facing uncertainty and confusion. Jesus, however, doesn’t give them what they are looking for. Instead, he invites them to be open to what might be revealed through God’s works. It takes courage and patience to stay in the unknown.
I find myself asking what Jesus would do in a situation like this. I imagine his non-anxious presence that would soothe our anxiety, fear and uncertainty. Jesus may not be able to tell us what we are looking for: why things are the way things are, for how long we should suffer from social distancing, whether it is ever possible for us to go back to the life we once knew. Instead, he will invite us to stay in the unknown long enough to see what will be revealed through God’s works. Christ will give us the gift of the abiding presence throughout these challenging times. That would be good enough for us now so we can continue to practice our faith, caring for one another.
Questions to Ponder (by Ha Na Park)
When we walk into a wilderness or a situation of emergency, our priorities must shift. When we enter an unexpected, unsettling time, those extraordinary moments that are separate and distinct from the familiar reveal to us the needs we haven’t examined up to this particular stage of our life’s ongoing journey and path.
Ponder within yourself or share with your partner who you are called to be and what the priorities or needs are that you discover and find when you set yourself aside in silence or spiritual solitude.
Prayers of the People
God, today we pray for your presence. We pray that we will spend less time doing and more time being. That our minds will not be preoccupied with goals but rather, simple compassion for ourselves and each other. That we find ourselves in a moment of empathy or joy, unplanned and unexpected. We also pray for the many faces and hearts who are dear to us. For our family members, our friends both near and far, and those feeling unwell in body, mind or heart. We pray that they may feel your comfort and closeness.
I invite you to lift up your intentions to God in this moment of silence…
God, in these times we know that faith, hope and love mean more than a daily list of accomplishments. We pray that we meet our current circumstances with deep breaths and stillness and that we can reach out to others with our hearts and our intentions. God, we pray that you guide us to share your love.
Amen.
VU 651 Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah (V 1 & 2)
(Click this link or type on Google: bit.ly/VU651)
Blessing
God of the wilderness,
Be with us as we wander through this desert,
Walking with us as we learn to be a caring community in a no-touch world.
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| Photo Credit: Joyce Cosby |
Ha Na Park
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