[Diocesan Bishop of Toronto, Andrew Asbil has designated Thursday, March 26 as a Diocesan Day of Prayer for Covid-19. This short prayer service was developed for the Parish of St. James, Fenelon Falls and Christ Church, Coboconk. We share them here for wider use on March 26, or on any other day in any other context.]
Diocesan Day of Prayer for Covid-19
A Prayer Service for Morning or Evening
OPENING
We come to you in the morning, Creator,
in our need and bringing with us the needs of the world.
We come to you in the noontime, Saviour,
for you have walked with us the road of this world’s suffering.
We come to you in the evening, Comforter,
for you have promised never to turn us away.
Song By the Waters of Babylon
By the waters of Babylon,
we lay down and wept,
and wept for thee Zion.
We remember, we remember,
we remember, thee Zion.
PSALM: Psalm 42
As a deer longs for flowing streams,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and behold
the face of God?
My tears have been my food
day and night,
while people say to me continually,
“Where is your God?”
These things I remember,
as I pour out my soul:
how I went with the throng,
and led them in procession to the house of God,
with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving,
a multitude keeping festival.
Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise the Lord,
my help and my God.
GOSPEL: Luke 5:12-16
And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, for she said, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.” Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, ‘Who touched me?’” He looked all around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
REFLECTION SONG: “Touch the Hem of His Garment” (Sam Cooke)
Whoa, there was a woman in the Bible days
She had been sick, sick so very long
But she heard ’bout Jesus was passin’ by
So she joined the gathering throng…
And while she was pushing her way through
Someone asked her, “What are you trying to do?”
She said, “If I could just touch the hem of His garment
I know I’ll be made whole…”
She cried “Oh, Lord (Oh, Lord), and whoa, Lord (Oh, Lord)
And oh, oh Lord, and whoa, Lord… (Oh, Lord)”
Said, “If I could just touch the hem of His garment
I know I’ll be made whole…”
And whoa, she spent her money here and there
Until she had no, had no more to spare…
The doctors, they’d done all they could
But their medicine would do no good…
When she touched Him, the Saviour didn’t see
But still he turned around and cried, “Somebody touched me…”
She said, “It was I who just wanna touch the hem of your garment;
I know I’ll be made whole right now…”
She stood there cryin’, “Oh… (Oh, Lord) Oh… (Oh, Lord)
And oh, oh Lord, and whoa, Lord… (Oh, Lord)
Said, “If I could just touch the hem of His garment
I know I’ll be made whole right now…”
a time of silent reflection
PRAYERS
Creator God,
you made us in love
to live in peace in your creation.
In these days of anxiety and fear,
let your peace so live in us
that we might bring peace
to those around us.
spoken or silent prayer for those living with increased anxiety or fear during this crisis
As the deer longs for the flowing streams,
so we long for your healing, O God.
Saviour, who walks with the wounded
along the road of our world’s suffering,
you created us for abundance and welcome.
In these days of hoarding and apprehension,
let your generosity and compassion so live in us
that we might see how to meet the needs
of those who are suffering
from lack of food, shelter, or income.
spoken or silent prayers for those suffering from deprivation during this crisis
As the deer longs for the flowing streams,
so we long for your healing, O God.
Comforter who moves among us and makes us one,
you created us for community and love.
In these days of isolation and quarantine,
let your comforting Spirit so live in us
that we might feel surrounded by your love,
and the love of your people,
even in places of isolation.
Enable us to creatively reach out
to those around us:
seniors, young people living alone,
those who live on the margins of our churches.
Help us to see those who are reaching
for the hem of your garment.
spoken or silent prayers for those suffering from loneliness and isolation during this time
As the deer longs for the flowing streams,
so we long for your healing, O God.
Ruler of the nations,
who calls all people to lives of justice and peace,
you created all the nations and peoples of the world
to reflect your wonderful diversity.
We pray for our leaders,
that they may have wisdom,
not only to discern a path of safety for us all,
but also how to care for the most vulnerable in our midst.
And we pray for those working on the front lines:
nurses, doctors, those who work with the homeless,
and all of those who provide the services essential to our well-being.
spoken or silent prayers for those on the front-lines during this crisis
As the deer longs for the flowing streams,
so we long for your healing, O God.
Lord, we long to touch the hem of your garment
for only you can make us whole. Amen.
SONG: O Lord, Hear My Prayer
(a link to this song that you can sing with can be found here:
O Lord, hear my prayer
O Lord, hear my prayer
When I call, answer me,
O Lord, hear my prayer,
O Lord, hear my prayer,
Come and listen to me.
BLESSING:
Bless, O Lord,
those who wake,
or watch,
or weep this day,
and give your angels charge
over those who sleep.
Tend your sick ones, O Lord Christ,
rest your weary ones,
bless your dying ones,
soothe your suffering ones,
pity your afflicted ones,
shield your joyous ones,
and all for your love’s sake.
The blessing of God,
who creates us for joy,
the blessing of Jesus,
who carries our griefs,
and the blessing of the Spirit,
who broods over the world,
like a mother over her children,
be with us all, evermore. Amen.
CLOSING PRAYER
O Trinity of Love,
You have been with us at the world’s beginning,
be with us at the world’s end.
You have been with us at our life’s shaping,
be with us at our life’s end.
You have been with us at the sun’s rising.
Be with us till the day’s end. Amen.
Sylvia is the author of Colossians Remixed: Subverting the Empire and Romans Disarmed: Resisting Empire, Demanding Justice, both co-authored with Brian Walsh. In her down-time she teaches part-time at Wycliffe College and Trinity College in Toronto.