We are about 11 months into the Covid-19 pandemic here in MN. This month we have seen vaccine roll outs, questions about wait times for the vaccine, schools starting to reopen to younger students, and news of super-contagious variants of this virus that has changed almost every aspect of the past year. So this morning I just want to check in. Instead of a Scripture passage, a poem, or a hymn for our devotions, I have some questions for you to reflect upon. These are check in questions I shared back in June when it seemed like we had been through so much (little did we know!), and I still find them helpful. They are:
- What am I grateful for today?
- Who am I checking in on or connecting with today?
- What expectations of “normal” am I letting go of today?
- How am I getting outside today?
- How am I moving my body today?
- What beauty am I either creating, cultivating, or inviting in today?
What I love about this list is that it takes into account our whole being: mind, body, spirit. After checking in with yourself with this list, your reflections can be turned into a prayer. You can use this framework if it helps in your prayers today. (each number corresponds to the reflection question number)
Good and gracious God,
(1) today I am so grateful for……… thank you. (2) You made us for community to love one another as you have loved us. Today I am thinking of……… be with them this day. (3) These days I am struggling with……give me grace to be patient with myself and others as we navigate this pandemic time. (4) All the earth is filled with your glory. As I look/go outside I am thankful for……… (5) We are fearfully and wonderfully made. I am thankful that I can…may it be nourishing and helpful to my body. (6) You are infinitely creative! Today I give thanks that I can participate in and enjoy your ongoing creative work through……….. We lift our prayers to you, O God, trusting that you hear us in great love, through your Son, Jesus our Savior and Friend, Amen.
In Peace, Pastor Ruth
Let us pray:
Everlasting God, you give strength to the weak and power to the faint. Make us agents of your healing and wholeness, that your good news may be made known to the ends of your creation, through Jesus Christ our Savior and Friend, Amen.