Our friend Dennis Herman shared this poem with me that has been making the rounds. It is fitting for Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath. You can find it on the author’s website, LynnUngar.com 

Pandemic

What if you thought of it
as the Jews consider the Sabbath—
the most sacred of times?
Cease from travel.
Cease from buying and selling.
Give up, just for now,
on trying to make the world
different than it is.
Sing. Pray. Touch only those
to whom you commit your life.
Center down.

And when your body has become still,
reach out with your heart.
Know that we are connected
in ways that are terrifying and beautiful.
(You could hardly deny it now.)
Know that our lives
are in one another’s hands.
(Surely, that has come clear.)
Do not reach out your hands.
Reach out your heart.
Reach out your words.
Reach out all the tendrils
of compassion that move, invisibly,
where we cannot touch.

Promise this world your love—
for better or for worse,
in sickness and in health,
so long as we all shall live.

Today’s prayer was written by Cameron Bellm from Seattle Washington. She writes about the prayer on her website:  http://krugthethinker.com/2020/03/prayer-for-a-pandemic/ 
I found this prayer through my colleague Molly and her church in Durham, Emmaus Way. I hope it is helpful as we consider others today. 

Prayer for a Pandemic
By Cameron Bellm

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 that 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.

Psalms is the prayer book of the scriptures. Most of us know this. 
Today, let this familiar and beloved Psalm be your prayer: 

Psalm 121

Assurance of God’s Protection

A Song of Ascents.
I lift up my eyes to the hills—
from where will my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
He who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time on and for evermore.

The Chaplain of Duke Divinity School shared this prayer from https://www.earthaltar.org/ written by Michael Kurth

A Litany Amidst the Covid-19 Outbreak by Michael Kurth (on the Earth & Altar website)

God the Father,
Have mercy on us.
God the Son,
Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit,
Have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God,
Have mercy on us.

Most merciful God, we come to you in this time of anxiety and uncertainty surrounding the outbreak of COVID-19. As the sorrows of our heart and mind increase, we beseech you to save us from all trouble and fear. Cast away all works of darkness. Be our rock, a castle to keep us safe. For the Lord is our stronghold and sure defense, and he will be our Savior.

For all who have died: receive them into the arms of your mercy, grant them eternal peace, and surround those who mourn with your healing grace.
Lord, hear our prayer.

For those directly infected with the virus: help them recover in good health and restore them in body, mind and spirit.
Lord, hear our prayer.

For those at high risk of infection, especially the elderly, those with underlying illnesses, the marginalized, and the poor: keep them healthy and free from all sickness.
Lord, hear our prayer.

For those in quarantine, the shut-in, and the infirmed: help them find peace, keep them in good health, and renew their mind and spirit.
Lord, hear our prayer.

For all hospitals, doctors, nurses, and staff: protect them as they minister to the sick, relieve all stress, and provide the resources and space to meet the needs of all the infirmed.
Lord, hear our prayer.

For first responders: guard them from all harm, and grant them strength and courage as they respond to all calls for help.
Lord, hear our prayer.

For service industry workers and those forced to work as their community shuts down: keep them healthy, bestow the resources to best care for themselves and their families, and assure them in times of financial and medical anxiety.
Lord, hear our prayer.

For those experiencing financial loss and uncertainty of resources: have mercy on them, alleviate any fear, and provide for them daily bread and wage.
Lord, hear our prayer.

For the leaders of this nation and the world: help them make sound and safe decisions to best secure the future of our planet.
Lord, hear our prayer.

For all schools, students, teachers, administrators and school staff: as schools remain open, keep them healthy and in good spirit to learn; as schools close, feed those who will go hungry without guaranteed meals and shelter all students have no place to live.
Lord, hear our prayer.

For all scientists and those working to find a cure: inspire them towards your truth, and help them discover and disseminate a vaccine and cure.
Lord, hear our prayer.

For all media and journalists: protect them from all harm in their reporting, and move them to be a vector of truth and certainty, and never fear or panic.
Lord, hear our prayer.

For all places of worship: embolden them to be beacons of hope and love, and help us to gather however and wherever we can – be it in person or online – to give you praise.
Lord, hear our prayer.

For the leaders of our church: help them minister to their flock; fortify them to be faithful pastors, to persevere in prayer, and to build up the family of God in new and creative ways.
Lord, hear our prayer.

For the young: spare them from harm and fear, and keep them a joyful sign of your love and light.
Lord, hear our prayer.

For all parents: build in them strength and fortitude for the time ahead, and give them the words and witness to be wise counselors and compassionate caregivers.
Lord, hear our prayer.

For calm amidst the storm: as the waves toss our boat and we wonder “do you not care?”, remind us to not be afraid, that with you all things are possible, and that even the wind and sea obey you.
Lord, hear our prayer.

Stir up in us a spirit of compassion and tenacity for the time ahead.
Amen.

Move us to check-in with loved ones at high risk of infection and those in quarantine.
Amen.

For the last three years, this site has provided daily devotionals during Advent to Oxford Baptist Church and friends.
Given the circumstances we find ourselves in with COVID-19, it seems like a good idea to provide as many resources as possible to those looking for devotionals as prayers.

Therefore, beginning this week, this site will offer a daily prayer of some kind. Most will be simple, scripted, and shared from other places. As these strange times unfold, we will provide what we can that is helpful.

If you are a member of Oxford Baptist and find a prayer you would like to share, or if you would like to write a prayer, or if there is some other way you would like to contribute to this project, contact Chris Aho through email.

If you read a prayer you like, please share it.
And if there is another way we can serve you in these strange times, please reach out, and we will do our best to assist you as we are able.

Today’s Devotional is offered by Chris Aho

In June of 1999, Natalie and I had bummed our way to Maui on my dad’s acquired airplane and hotel miles for our honeymoon. On our last night, we splurged and followed our Frommer’s guide to the Plantation House at the Kapalua Golf Resort, ready for a fancy meal. We were bright-eyed 22-year-olds who considered the Outback Steakhouse fine dining and immediately, it was clear, we were out of our league.

Wanting to fit in, we ordered tea because we didn’t drink wine and were too embarrassed to order Sprite. But when the tea came, it was not sweet. It was not even unsweet. What arrived was two cups with saucers and a porcelain kettle of hot water to pour over tea bags. We kept our composure as we learned to steep tea, on the spot.

I have no idea what I ate that night. I am sure it was a steak. I suspect it was excellent. All I remember is the feeling of not fitting in, ordering tea, and paying the bill. That night, my bill was $81. I had never seen an $81 meal tab before. The Outback was $40. The number 3 at McDonalds was $3. $81 dollars was Outback twice or Chili’s three times!!!

At our wedding, Mikey, our family friend (who was also a dead ringer for Travis Tritt), gave me a $100 handshake. I left that bill with the tab that night. All $100. A 25% tip because, well, I wasn’t going to ask for change.

******

That story doesn’t seem like it has much to do with Christmas, but I wonder if it has EVERYTHING to do with Christmas?

I suspect, if some reporting was done with the shepherds from Luke 2, they probably felt out of place in the stable.

And Mary and Joseph? They surely felt out of place after an unexpected pregnancy, a long journey, and no room in the inn.

Later on, how do you think they felt when the Magi showed up with valuable gifts?

We could go on about the ways different people didn’t fit in to this miraculous story, but the point is this:

 When it comes to this story, the gospel, and the good news of Jesus, no one fits in which is exactly the point.

Jesus was born to a poor virgin, in a stable.
They went on the run to Egypt to avoid a massacre at the hands of the rulers.
When Jesus started his ministry, he didn’t call the established religious leaders, he went to the poor fishermen.

If he wanted to fit in, there were ways he could have. There were families, circumstances, cultures, rulers, or even professions he could have drawn close to if he needed to feel completely assured of their place in the world. But the good news of the Gospel, the power of this birth, and the wonderful significance of Jesus’ life, ministry, and resurrection is that he meets us even we don’t fit in. Maybe especially when we don’t fit in.

Today, we celebrate Jesus’s birth and we welcome our savior. When we think about it, though we do our best in every way, we are still outsiders who do not quite fit in, and the best news is that is precisely who Jesus arrives to first. This gospel story is not about all the things we do right or the ways we get everything right. Instead, this story is powerful because we don’t fit in, aren’t fitting in, and Jesus welcomes us anyway. Jesus is the savior for those who don’t fit in perfectly and are ready to acknowledge our deep need for something more.

Thanks be to God that on this Christmas day, we can welcome him just like he welcomes us.

This morning’s devotional is offered by Gus Gillespie. 

Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. Luke 2:4-5

As Mary and Joseph began their frantic journey to Bethlehem, there must have been a million other things that they needed to do.  Mary is due any day, they are a young couple with limited resources, and now they are making a 90 mile journey that may take a week to complete.  We focus on their arrival in Bethlehem and their inability to find a proper place to stay the night of our Savior’s birth, but think about what their week before must have been like.  Surely Mary had a list of things they needed to take with them and Joseph had to pack things just right for the journey. They needed bedding, food, water, clothing and footwear for the trek from Nazareth to Bethlehem.  I imagine they were quite busy and harried as they made their way to pay their tax.

How different are we as we get ready for Christmas?  How many last second gifts are being purchased? How many trips to the grocery store because you forgot the rolls or the whipped topping?  Are you preparing the guest room or packing to begin your own Christmas journey? Are we making time for Christ on the cusp of Christmas?

Take a moment and think about Christmas, the greatest love ever offered through the most perfect gift ever given.  Only a Father who loves us this much could give something so precious to save us from eternal separation from Him. Make time for Christ this Christmas season.  Let others see Jesus’ love through your smile, laughter, and time spent in fellowship. Merry Christmas everyone!

This morning’s devotional is offered by Darcy Drake. 

I’m sitting here in front of my Christmas tree thinking about how my 2 three year olds feel when they look at it. They must be in awe of the beauty of the ornaments they got to hang on it. And oh how lovely are the bright white lights winding around it from the top to the bottom. They’re so interested in the presents that sit beneath the tree; especially the ones that say their names. I can imagine all the questions and thoughts that are running through their heads…

“…what is this Christmas thing mommy and daddy and big sisters are making such a big fuss about? …it’s so exciting with all these decorations around the house and neighborhood and church; …we enjoy getting to see all the people who love us;…there are so many fun things we get to do at this time; …the Christmas music and movies are always on; …AND oh how we love hearing the story over and over in lots of different books about Mary and Joseph bringing baby Jesus into the world beneath the star’s light; …bedtime songs have even changed to ones that sing about this sweet baby.”

Christmas is truly a wonderful time of the year!

Lay all the “grown up” hustle and bustle aside.
Simply live in the present like a child, even just for a short moment.
Witness the beauty of what this season does…it brings us all together.
EVERY BIT of it brings us together.

The LOVE we have for this precious baby and His reason for coming to the world is the only thing that makes Christmas happen every year. I pray that our girls remember that LOVE in the Christmases to come. I pray that they always see that Love in every part of the Christmas season. And I pray that they pass that Love to families of their own one day.