Out of concern for the pandemic, the National Council of Churches in Australia calls for a National Day of Prayer for the Pandemic and asks that all pray on Sunday 2nd August 2020. A prayer is given for use.
We all know the impact of the pandemic overseas and here, including on some of our own loved ones.
At the National Council of Churches of Australia Board meeting this week, we Directors all shared our vivid and poignant current reflections.
What we can offer again now are our prayers together. Hence this encouragement to you all.
It is comforting when we know we are all praying together to our Saviour.
From our various traditions, there are prayer resources, ancient and contemporary, which we have been offering already.
Here is a prayer that might be helpful on Sunday 2 August:
we bring our prayer for an end to this pandemic.
We pray for your strengthening of all those committed to offering costly leadership during this crisis.
We pray for all who are ill.
We pray for those anxious about getting ill.
We pray for those full of grief.
We remember those who have died.
Aware of our fragility, we pray for your grace to sustain us as we do what we can to end this pandemic.
Your compassionate, peaceful and creative response to many crises is our model, including in our Sunday Gospel (Mt. 14: 13-21).
As we worship in resurrection faith on Sunday 2 August, we offer our heartfelt prayer in your Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ our Lord.
AMEN.
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Above:'Jesus Feeding the Five Thousand |
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NOTE ON MATTHEW 14:13-21
(Lectionary Gospel for many on August 2, 2020)
Jesus is in that deserted place for a very poignant, personal reason (after hearing what has happened to John the Baptist).
The desperate, yearning and hopeful come to find Him “on foot from the towns”.
Jesus comes ashore and sees a great crowd. He puts His own needs aside.
What follows is both a model of leadership and our reason for praying to our Saviour now.
We see:
- Jesus’ compassion
- Jesus’ non-anxious, peaceful presence
- Jesus’ creative response to this apparent crisis.
We can see all this clearly in the text without any need to labour the point.
Just to add that when the crisis is over and “all ate and were filled”, there was plenty left over.
Such is God’s generosity, providence and loving presence.
Hence we offer our prayers for all we need, including an end to this pandemic.
Bishop Philip Huggins
National Council of Churches in Australia President
