Thursday Prayer: for the Covid-weary

Dear God, We are Covid-weary.We are still being vigilant,abiding by guidelines,making careful decisions,queuing for tests,waiting for vaccine appointments,washing our handswearing our masks. Today we pray for thosewho must persevere.For the public health officialsmanaging and evaluation and synthesising all the information,for the scientists still researching,the medical staff still treating,the supply chain staff still managing,the supermarket workers,and… Read More

Thursday Prayer:

“And the leaves of the trees are for the healing of the nations” (Revelation 22:2)   May we plant,and harvest,these leaves of healing. Amen. Jemma Allen is a priest in the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. Her ministry is as a counsellor and spiritual director. She is working on her PhD at… Read More

Thursday Prayer: All the feelings

Dear God,It is climate anxiety,it is compassion fatigue,it is rage about white supremacists,it is bewilderment about conspiracy-believers,it is apprehension about virus variants,it is agitation about the changes that are needed,it is a stomach in knots,it is fretful sleep,it is all the feelings. So many feelings. This prayer,my prayer,is all the so many feelings. In the… Read More

Thursday Prayer: a prayer against conversion therapy

Dear God, The politicians where I live were voting to begin the process of banning “conversion therapy” today. (It isn’t really therapy – it increases distress and diminishes and destroys, so kind of the opposite of therapy really) We have had to hear all kinds of nonsense, purportedly on your behalf, as if you are… Read More

Thursday Prayer: blessed are reconnections

Blessed are the reconnections: the sharing of a conversation in the garden, the carefully-spaced worshippers all in a room together, the fully-vaccinated family members who can finally hug. Blessed are the reconnections: the “how are you doing?” text, the “thinking of you” note in the mail, the “I miss you” phone call. Blessed are the… Read More

Thursday Prayer: Chocolate

Dear God,This prayer isn’t very poetic,and it isn’t very Lenten either.But I’d like to thank you for chocolate.Most particularly I’d like to thank you for the chocolate almondsI ate yesterday afternoon,after going to a funeral and before seeing a client,that sustained me physically,and kind of emotionally too. I’d like to thank you for chocolate in general,especially… Read More

Thursday Prayer: God is good at loving

Dear God, I want to write lofty prayers,aspirations of laying down and picking up(worry/trust; judgment/compassionoverfunctioning/boundaries.) I want to be fullof the spirit of the season. I want to be creativeand prayerfuland have meaningful things to say. I want to be good at it.At Lent.At liturgy.At loving. But this is the season of fasting.Of letting go… Read More