I’ve thought a lot this week (our 11th week of the pandemic) of how the presence of God can be experienced during this unsettling season. We are all too aware of all that we have “lost,” but is it possible to name the continuing gifts of God that have been present to each of us? This week, I read a blog post that I would like to share with you today. Sunday is Pentecost Sunday, the day we remember the story of God’s gifts, given to those early believers. But God also offers remarkable gifts to each of us. A post by katyandtheword.wordpress.com, suggests some different and extraordinary gifts, given to us through the Holy Spirit. Hear her words today, offered in the form of a prayer entitled Pandemic Gifts of the Holy Spirit:
Lord God Almighty, I am on my knees,
with my arms outstretched to you,
because I am in need of all the gifts of the Holy Spirit
I need encouragement, as a parent of a child
who has been faking their online schooling for the last two weeks.
Patience, as I wait for more information,
so that my job can make the next decision
about how we are running things this week.
Courage, as I realize that every single person
has their own idea about what is and isn’t safe
and we have to navigate relationships together.
Inspiration, as I try to figure out how to connect
with the people in my lives in new and not discouraging/draining ways.
Hope, as death after death, sick after sick case comes in
and the solution seems no closer than it was two months ago.
Breath, as I am working too many hours of too many days
and don’t know when it’s all going to end.
Love, as all of my imperfections have been laid bare in this time
where self-examination is unavoidable
and all the things I’m carrying have been stuck in quarantine with me.
Lord remind me that I am more than my job or my role in my family or my material worth.
Lord, remind me that I am God-breathed, gifted by the Holy Spirit, and sibling of Jesus Christ.
In this time of crises–when every way I function is under a microscope
and every emotion I am having is magnified–
allow me to full discern and differentiate myself as a child of God.
And even if these aren’t exactly the things I need,
and I am too mired to know what it is I really need.
Please grant me the gifts of the Holy Spirit, I pray.
And if I can’t pray to the Holy Spirit, help me to breathe:
in
out
and in
and out again
until the Holy Spirit prays me, instead.
In Christ’s name I pray. Amen.
-Pastor Jane