We’ve been on this road for almost two and a half years
We can’t count the number of tears shed or desperate prayers lifted up,
We can’t measure the weight of grief or the burdens on so many to keep their families going
We can barely wrap our minds around it
When they tell us a million Americans have died
We light a candle for all who are lost in sorrow (the blue candle is lit)
A million Americans have died
While families were miles apart, while funerals were all but impossible,
While screens and phones were our only ways to connect, while we were scrambling to figure out what we would do next
While people grew isolated and outraged, blaming their chosen few
We join our voices with all who mourn
Enfold their hearts in your tender care
We light a candle for remembrance – for all who live into the legacy of their loved ones day by day (the red candle is lit)
We pray for all who have COVID today
May they be swiftly healed and revived
We pray for all who remain homebound as a precaution, for all who suffer long-term symptoms of COVID
May they soon be free from these restrictions and restored to the lives they once knew
We praise you for those who research treatments and those who care for the sick
May they find renewed strength and be surrounded with love
We ask you to guide us to health and safety
May we be united and compassionate
We light a candle for hope – that we may recover the best of who we were and discover your calling to love, faith, and justice (the purple candle is lit).
Amen.
Image credit: “Remembering our dead (sorrow) at cemetery on Christmas.” Photo by Pöllö, 2007.
