Prayer in a Waiting Room (or outdoor queue)

As I put my mask on...

Lord, keep me mindful of the safety of others.

As I journey to the testing centre...

Lord, may I be purposeful and calm

As I use the hand sanitiser...

may I trust in the testing and healing hands of others.

As I fill in the forms on arrival...

May I appreciate my connectedness and relationships with others and the capacity to communicate.

As I wait for me number to be called....

Lord, bless those who sit around me, ease their hearts and minds and may they be well, in all manner of things.

As I enter the testing space...

May I be still and helpful to the one who will care for me.

As I am tested...

Lord, I pray for this brave person, testing possible cases every day... keep him/her safe and full of peace and wisdom.

As I depart...

Lord, I give thanks for the possibility of being tested and having access to treatment and support.

Bless testing centres and people who work in them.

Bless those who are presenting.

God watch over us.

Amen

Prayer for Distant Farewells

Kneeling on lands far apart, we offer our prayers:

God of all times and places, 

from the grounding of where we are, 

we become conscious of eternal life and the promise of Heaven.

It is so hard tp be apart.

We long for touch and comfort.

We long to be able to connect as we have in the past.

We grieve the present that is also not present.

In faith, then, we ask to be held together by Your Spirit, O God.

Hold our souls within You. 

Bless the love and longing we have for one another.

How do we saw farewell?

God bless us in our parting and promise us a heavenly reunion.

How do we give thanks for the treasures of our loving?

God bless our memories and nourish the future.

How do we say sorry for the regrets that remain?

God forgive us and help us to give and receive forgiveness.

How do we hold our hearts?

God, you see and hear and know the depths within. Hold and heal us.

We name and know our belonging to one another and our belonging to you.

God bless us in our departing.

Acts of Faith

For Siddy 

We have discovered fresh acts of faith:

To preach hope when feeling hopeless,

To preach joy when overcome with despair,

To preach love from beneath the waves of anger,

To preach healing from a broken soul.

We are the ones who remain:

To act as cheerleaders and encouragers,

To mentor and counsel and guide,

To sympathise and empathize

To carry those whose burdens weigh heavy.

This is not my anniversary, 

but I lay under the quilt of her grief and her hope.

This is not the day of my mourning

but i remain held by the prayers of the one who is gone.

Don’t try to hang on to the butterfly.

From a great distance our friendships are anamnesis.

They were, and are and are yet to be,

Acts of faith in the living and dying and rising again - 

Our lives are acts of faith...

In mystery and promise.