Litany of Grief and Healing Recognition of Loss Holy God, we gather today as a people, grieving and broken, seeking your loving embrace. We set aside this time to name our grief, to raise it to you in prayer and supplication, and to seek your ever- healing embrace. A reading from Lamentations 3:1-9 I’m the man who has seen trouble, trouble coming from the lash of God’s anger. He took me by the hand and walked me into pitch-black darkness. Yes, he’s given me the back of his hand over and over and over again. He turned me into a skeleton of skin and bones, then broke the bones. He hemmed me in, ganged up on me, poured on the trouble and hard times. He locked me up in deep darkness, like a corpse nailed inside a coffin. He shuts me in so I’ll never get out, handcuffs my wrists, shackles my feet. Even when I cry out and plead for help, he locks up my prayers and throws away the key. He sets up blockades with quarried limestone. He’s got me cornered. The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God We grieve the impact of Covid in our world, the deaths brought on by this virus, those we knew and those known to you alone; We grieve Lord. We grieve for those who contracted the virus, for the suffering they endured, for the pain and worry to those who love them. We grieve Lord. We grieve the suffering inflicted upon so many, the caregivers, the first responders, the essential people who risked exposure and worked to keep our world in motion; We grieve Lord. We grieve the loss of jobs, the financial stress and uncertainty, and the lack of dignity. We grieve Lord. We grieve the loss of control over our lives, both the real loss as well as the loss of our perception of control. We grieve Lord. We grieve the time of quarantine and confinement, the isolation and loneliness, and the loss of relationships with others. We grieve Lord. We grieve the impact on our families and children, their loss of connection with teachers and friends, and the challenges brought on by home schooling. We grieve Lord. We grieve the anger and stress we experienced, the lack of civility in our lives, and the intolerance for those with different opinions; We grieve Lord. Let us pray that God will grant comfort and strength to all who mourn. God our loving Father, draw near to us who grieve and mourn today. Make your love known to us, that we may turn to you and receive comfort and strength. Help us to put our trust in you, and our hope in your grace and compassion. Use us, Father, as bearers of your love to support one another in our grief; this we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen. 1 God our Comforter, you are a refuge and a strength for us, a helper close at hand in times of distress. Help us so to hear the words of our faith that our fear is dispelled, our loneliness eased and our hope reawakened. May your Holy Spirit lift us above our natural sorrow, to the peace and light of your constant love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Sharing our stories We will use this time to share our Covid stories with one another. All are encouraged to find one or two others you don’t know well for this time of sharing. This can take any form you like, or you may want to answer these two questions: • What was the most difficult part of the experience for you? • Where did you see God? There will be 4 three-minute sessions. At the end of each, the altar bells will ring as a signal to transition to another person’s story. Prayers for Healing and Transformation Like the first disciples before the coming of God’s power at Pentecost, we wait in faith, and pray. Be with us, Holy Spirit; nothing can separate us from your love. Be with us as of old, fill us with your power, direct all our thoughts to your goodness. Be present, Holy Spirit; bring faith and healing and peace. A reading from Lamentations 3:25-33 God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, to the woman who diligently seeks. It’s a good thing to quietly hope, quietly hope for help from God. It’s a good thing when you’re young to stick it out through the hard times. When life is heavy and hard to take, go off by yourself. Enter the silence. Bow in prayer. Don’t ask questions: Wait for hope to appear. Don’t run from trouble. Take it full-face. The “worst” is never the worst. Why? Because the Master won’t ever walk out and fail to return. If he works severely, he also works tenderly. His stockpiles of loyal love are immense. He takes no pleasure in making life hard, in throwing roadblocks in the way. The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God God the Creator, Ruler of heaven and earth: Hear our prayer. Jesus Christ, the Healer and Redeemer of this broken world: Hear our prayer. Holy Spirit, Giver of life and breath: Hear our prayer. We are not people of fear: we are people of courage. We are not people who protect our own safety: we are people who protect our neighbors’ safety. We are not people of greed: we are people of generosity. We are your people God, giving and loving, wherever we are, whatever it costs, for as long as it takes, wherever you call us. Lord of life and love, Hear our prayer. 2 We pray for the leaders of the world, for those in positions of public trust, and for all who have the power to make change. Open all our hearts to see each other as one human family, interconnected and symbiotic. Guide our leaders, and all of us, to make decisions that serve the needs of all. Lord of life and love, Hear our prayer. Guide us toward just action and help us to establish and deepen relationships. Encourage us to see ourselves as healers, as keepers of the light. Inspire us to see ourselves as people who can heal and be agents of positive change. Lord of life and love, Hear our prayer. We pray for release from anxiety, fear, and hopelessness. We pray for healing in body, mind, and soul of our ills, our stubbornness, our lack of care for those around us and for putting our own needs above others. Lord of life and love, Hear our prayer. We ask you to help us fully comprehend the lessons learned from this ordeal. Open our eyes to see the world in new ways, open our hands to help, open our hearts to love more deeply, more fully, more compassionately. Lord of life and love, Hear our prayer. Loving God, we pray for this church community. Give us creative hearts to embrace and carry forward the new ways we have found to connect with one another; send us forth as a people renewed in the knowledge of your faithful, abiding love and strengthened for the work ahead. Amen. Holy Eucharist with Healing The Lord be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise. All thanks and praise are yours, at all times and in all places, our true and loving God; through Jesus Christ, your eternal Word, the Wisdom from on high by whom you created all things. You laid the foundations of the world and enclosed the sea when it burst out from the womb; You brought forth all creatures of the earth and gave breath to humankind. Wondrous are you, Holy One of Blessing, all you create is a sign of hope for our journey; And so as the morning stars sing your praises we join the heavenly beings and all creation as we shout with joy: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. Glory and honor are yours, Creator of all, your Word has never been silent; you called a people to yourself, as a light to the nations, you delivered them from bondage and led them to a land of promise. Of your grace, you gave Jesus to be human, to share our life, to proclaim the coming of your holy reign and give himself for us, a fragrant offering. Through Jesus Christ our Redeemer, you have freed us from sin, brought us into your life, reconciled us to you, and restored us to the glory you intend for us. 3 We thank you that on the night before he died for us Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, gave it to his friends and said: “Take, eat, this is my Body, broken for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.” After supper Jesus took the cup of wine, said the blessing, gave it to his friends and said: “Drink this, all of you: this cup is the new Covenant in my Blood, poured out for you and for all for the forgiveness of sin.