Advent

December 7, 2020

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11
The spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
   because the Lord has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,
   to bind up the broken-hearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
   and release to the prisoners;
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,
   and the day of vengeance of our God;
   to comfort all who mourn;
to provide for those who mourn in Zion—
   to give them a garland instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
   the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
   the planting of the Lord, to display his glory.
They shall build up the ancient ruins,
   they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
   the devastations of many generations. –Isaiah 61:1-4

More people died of COVID on December 5, 2020, in the USA than in the 9-11 bombing of the World Trade Center. COVID is now the leading cause of death in the USA. This morning a friend sent me an apology for whispering in my ear at an event yesterday without her mask. She was trying to avoid an interruption of the service and did not think. She also just returned to work from having had COVID and passing all the tests to work. By nature, a caring person, she cares even more now, having had several family members sick and being sick herself with the virus.

We need to take a day in Advent to bind up the broken-hearted and comfort all who mourn. I pray for:

• The new father, whose beautiful baby was safely delivered as his mother died of COVID.
• The ICU nurse who held the hand of patients with her gloved hand one after another on the same day, standing in for family members not allowed to be with their loved ones when there was nothing else the nurse could do.
• The nurse who retired in January answering the call to fill the void of trained staff in March and died of COVID in November.
• The families and friends of the 66,000,000 people worldwide, including 278,932 from the USA, were killed by COVID as of December 5.
• I pray that our leaders, guided by your Spirit, wisely choose how to address the people’s needs.

Prayer: Lord, help us all do the simple things that have been proven effective in curbing the pandemic: wearing masks, staying six feet apart, washing our hands, avoiding crowds. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.