April 2020 Prayer Points
We pray for the climate this month in a time of pandemic. The historians will no doubt make much of this period. But will they be able to convey the sense of dislocation that comes with sudden seismic shifts, or our concerns and fears of not knowing what the future brings? Few of us would have dreamed that such rapid social change was possible. We see this change bringing immense pain – the agony of separation; of being unable to be with loved ones, even at their time of huge need. This breaks our heart, as do the sufferings of the vulnerable – those of us who have lost jobs and are struggling to get by, those of us in lockdowns who have inadequate housing and little or no access to food or water, those of us locked in with perpetrators of domestic violence.
But we cannot give up hope, and we cannot cease our striving to do our best to fight the virus. The Coronavirus requires the efforts of every community, every country, every continent if we are to contain its impacts and protect the most vulnerable … just as we continue to hope and pray and act to protect the world we love from the climate crisis.
We are sustained in this hope, as we near the end of our Lenten period of reflections, by the thought of our celebrations of Easter this month. We hold fast to the amazing truths of our faith and belief in Christ’s resurrection; – gaining comfort and inspiration from the knowledge that “He is risen!” and that the power of death has been broken forever.
Our prayer points cover all these themes.