Prayers of Intercession while we Shelter at Home

One “silver lining” of sheltering at home is that it affords us more opportunities to pray.  It’s important that we pray for all those on the front lines of care as our world battles this pandemic.  Specifically, I want to urge you to pray regularly for those from our church family who are on the front lines of care working in hospitals or among the vulnerable in retirement communities:  Edgebrook Covenanters who work as nurses in hospitals include:  Andrea, Laurie, Suzy, Val and Donna.  Edgebrook Covenanters who work as hospital chaplains include Ida and CherylGreta is serving as a chaplaincy intern at Presbyterian Home in Evanston.  Edgebrook Covenanter Jon is daily throughout Swedish Hospital in his administrative role;  Julie & Nick serve as therapist / social workers in hospital & retirement home settings.  Other Edgebrook Covenanters serving front line medical personnel include Keith (professor of nursing at NPU); Michelle (hospital administration at Northwestern Hospital); Steve (serving with Covenant Living, the national organization of all the Evangelical Covenant Church’s retirement communities).

 

First responders, firefighters and police also need to be covered in prayer, especially now and in the days ahead.  Please pray for these from our church family or extended church family by name:  Chicago firefighters:  Blake and Patrick;  Chicago police:  Dallas, Rob and John.

 

(PLEASE NOTE:  IF I MISSED ANYONE FROM OUR CHURCH FAMILY OR EXTENDED CHURCH FAMILY SERVING IN THE WAYS MENTIONED ABOVE, MY SINCERE APOLOGIES.  PLEASE LET ME KNOW SO WE CAN BE PRAYING FOR THOSE BY NAME AS WELL.)

 

And let’s not forget to pray for those who clean the hospital rooms, prepare the meals, transport patients and work on the front lines of care in other ways.  All of these everyday heroes are putting their health and well being on the line to serve the sick and critically ill. 

 

Finally, let me share with you a wonderful prayer that was included in the March 21, 2020 edition of the Sauganash Sounds, a very local weekly newspaper distributed to the Sauganash, Edgebrook, and other surrounding neighborhoods on the far northwest side of the city.    The prayer is courtesy of St. Simon’s Episcopal Church, Conyers GA and is a prayer for all during these days of the COVID-19 pandemic:

 

“May we who are merely inconvenienced, Remember those whose lives are at stake.

May we who have no risk factors, Remember those most vulnerable.

May we who have the luxury of working from home, Remember those who must choose between preserving their health or making their rent.

May we who have the flexibility to care for our children when their schools close, Remember those who have no options.

May we who have to cancel our trips, Remember those who have no safe place to go.

May we who are losing our margin money in the tumult of the economic market, Remember those who have no margin at all.

May we who settle in for a quarantine at home, Remember those who have no home.

As fear grips our country, Let us choose love.

During this time when we cannot physically wrap our arms around each other, Let us yet find ways to be the loving embrace of God to our neighbors.  Amen.”

 

              Amen, indeed.  Let us not neglect the vital work of prayer throughout this crisis.

 

Prayerfully yours,  Pastor Greg

 

 

 

Ministry Partners