Wesley Church

People Blessing People

Devotional March 17, 2021

14 Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed;
                  save me, and I shall be saved;
                  for you are my praise.                   
                  
                           (Jeremiah 17:14, NRSV)

From the earliest days of COVID-tide, there emerged a daily ritual of encouragement and thanksgiving. Every day at the same time (usually 7:00 PM, often a “shift change” hour in hospitals and health care services), people would throw open their window to applaud and cheer our health care workers — those on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19. At some point along the pandemic way, that daily ritual began to fade… yet health care workers continue in this marathon of care, healing, loss, grief, and recovery. 

So today, in this call for prayer, I want to once again shine a light on the incredible work our health care workers have been doing throughout this impossibly difficult year. I invite you to join me in praying for them — for the nurses, doctors, researchers, technicians, transport staff, environmental services staff, first responders, and more. I invite you to pray for the health care workers who have cared for (and perhaps even vaccinated!) you or your loved ones this year. I invite you to pray for the health care workers who are part of our Wesley Church family — we see you, we love you, and we’re praying for you. 

I’ve worked as a hospital chaplain; I’ve seen health care professionals at work, right up close. They work miracles, making it possible for lungs to breathe and hearts to beat. They do the holy work of healing. And it is truly holy work — after all, in today’s scripture, Jeremiah reminds us that God has some experience in the holy work of healing, too. 

As I invite you to pray, I also want to highlight and give thanks for a special gift offered by Don Follmer — one of the saints of Wesley Church, and a man with his own experience in the holy work of healing. In loving memory of his wife Muriel, Don donated this AED (automatic external defibrillator) device to Wesley Church. AED systems make it possible to offer first-aid treatment to individuals who are experiencing a potentially life-threatening heart arrhythmia, until medical professionals can arrive on the scene. It is a gift that has the capacity to save a life, to aid in the holy work of healing. Don, we cannot thank you enough!

So yes, church — I’m praying and giving thanks for all of those who do the holy work and offer the holy gifts of healing. Maybe I’ll even make a racket about it tonight at 7:00 PM, in vintage COVID-tide style. 

What are you praying for today?

Share your prayer requests by:

Together, our Wesley Church Prayer Team will pray for each of your requests. If you would prefer for your prayer request to remain confidential with the pastoral staff, please indicate that in your message.

Be people of prayer, friends… and remember:

Our God is bigger than coronavirus. 
Our vision is bigger than coronavirus, too. 
We are people blessing people. 
We are Wesley Church.   

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