WELCOME FROM OUR PASTOR
Blessed Lenten Season to you.
One Year of COVID-19 Pandemic. One year! What were you doing a year ago? I remember hearing Governor Baker declare a state of emergency and then going fast to the grocery store, with my sister on the phone. "What food and supplies do you get to last a couple weeks?" That was naive. And the days to come no one could ever imagine. 527,726 deaths as of Thursday, more deaths than World War !, World War II, Vietnam and 9/11 combined! We have the challenge of holding deep grief alongside deep hope in our hearts and encircling it all in prayer.
Friends, take care of yourself. Breathe. Pause. Take time to grieve. Rest in God. Ask Christ to wrap you in comfort and prayers as you grieve what is lost. Ask God to instill you with hope when you count what you're thankful for. All adult Americans will be eligible to get a vaccine as of May 1. What a miracle!
On the one year marker of our country’s shut down because of the pandemic, a daughter told me she got to have her first hug since last March of her mother, who is in a nursing home, because her mother and daughter were vaccinated. The nursing home allowed one hug and 20 minutes, out of covid precautions. The daughter snuck in another hug on her way out.
Here's a prayer for all those who have suffered during the pandemic during the past year:
God of all grace and providence, You are our shepherd who walks with us through every valley.
Be with us today as we mark one year of the pandemic in our country.
Be comfort for those who grieve. Be strength for those about to falter.
Be love for those in division. Be eternal rest for those who have died.
Help us trust you, follow you and love you for your goodness today and always.
Blessings and Lenten Grace, Gretchen
