We are not free to worship together, but we can prepare for this special Holy Week during the Pandemic. Here are some resources to help us get through these unusual circumstances. The Christ journey is timeless, but this year, we may add to the arsenal of prayer while we worship and pray at home. May these bless your week in a very special way. You are special to me; join me this week as we prepare for Easter, 2020
Daily Readings for Holy Week
Adapted from the Revised Common Lectionary
| Date | Psalm | OT | Epistle | Gospel |
| Sun Apr 5 |
am: 118, 1-2, 19-29 pm: 31:9-16 |
Isa 50:4-9a | Phil 4:5-11 | am: Lk 19:28-40 pm: Lk 23:1-49 |
| Mon Apr 6 |
36:5-11 | Isa 42:1-9 | Heb 9:11-15 | John 12:1-11 |
| Tues Apr 7 |
71:1-14 | Isa 49:1-7 | 1 Cor 1:18-31 | John 12:20-36 |
| Wed Apr 8 |
70 | Isa 50:4-9a | Heb 12:1-3 | John 13:21-32 |
| Thur Apr 9 |
116:1-2, 12-19 | Exod 12:1-42 | 1 Cor 11:23-26 | John 13:1-17, 31b-35 |
| Fri Apr 10 |
22 | Isa 52:13-53:12 | Heb 10:16-25 | John 18:1-19:42 |
| Sat Apr 11 |
31:1-4, 15-16 | Lam 3:1-9, 19-24 | 1 Pet 4:1-8 | John 19:38-42 |
https://www.ibelieve.com/faith/8-prayers-to-pray-each-day-of-holy-week.html
Prayers for Holy Week: Monday – Holy Week Prayer
Lord God,
Six days before his death, your son sat with Lazarus,
Whom he had raised from the dead,
And ate dinner with his friends.
Once again, your gospel tells us, Martha served,
And Mary knelt at Jesus’ feet
To anoint them with costly perfume.
The disciple who was about to betray him
Said that it was a waste.
He didn’t care about the poor, really –
He just wanted to fill his own pockets
And make Mary feel ashamed.
Lord God,
Often we cannot discern what is best:
When to pour out costly perfume for your sake,
Even if the world thinks it a waste.
When to be busy serving,
Or when to rest at your Son’s feet and learn.
Give us ears to hear you and eyes to see.
For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Tuesday – Holy Week Prayer
Matthew 26:36-46; Hebrews 5:7-9
Lord God,
The message of the cross is difficult to take.
How can death give way to life? How can weakness be strength?
Yet your word says that Jesus, being God,
Took on human flesh
And suffered the worst kind of death.
How can this be?
This message is indeed difficult to take.
But your foolishness is wiser than our wisdom.
Your weakness is greater than our strength.
Help us to know that none of us can boast before you.
It is only in Christ Jesus that we can boast.
In his name, we ask you to help our unbelief.
That we may love you, and walk in the way Jesus taught us.
In his name,
Amen.
Wednesday – Holy Week Prayer
Matthew 26:27-56; 1 Corinthians 1:18
Lord God,
We tremble to think
That it was one of Jesus’ own friends who betrayed him.
One who sat by him, who broke bread with him.
Give us strength, we pray,
To walk faithfully with Jesus,
Even when the road we walk is rocky
Even when the message of the cross seems like foolishness
And even when we feel betrayed.
You, Lord, are always faithful.
We stumble, we become lost,
But you are steady and sure.
Give us the grace to endure our troubles,
And reveal to us the glory of your kingdom,
Through your son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Thursday (Maundy Thursday) – Holy Week Prayer
Lord God,
You sent your Son into the world,
And before his hour had come,
He washed his disciples’ feet.
You had given all things into his hands.
He had come from you, and was going to you,
And what did he do?
He knelt down on the floor,
And washed his friends’ feet.
He was their teacher and their Lord,
Yet he washed their feet.
Lord God, help us learn from his example;
Help us to do as he has done for us.
The world will know we are his disciples
If we love one another.
Strengthen our hands and our wills for love
And for service.
Keep before our eyes the image of your Son,
Who, being God, became a Servant for our sake.
All glory be to him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
One God, now and forever.
Amen.
Friday (Good Friday) – Holy Week Prayer
John 18:1-40, John 19:1-42; Isaiah 52:13-15; Isaiah 53:1-12; Hebrews 10:16-25; Psa 22
Lord God,
Jesus cried out to you on the cross,
“Why have you forsaken me?”
You seemed so far from his cry
And from his distress.
Those who stood at the foot of the cross
Wondered where you were,
As they saw Jesus mocked and shamed and killed.
Where were you then?
Lord God,
We, too, ask where you are,
When there is trouble and suffering and death,
And we cry out to you for help.
Be near to us, and save us
So that we may praise you for your deliverance.
Lord God,
We wait, on Friday, for the resurrection of Sunday
And sometimes our lives seem a succession of Fridays
And we cannot see what is “Good.”
Teach us to call your name
As Jesus did.
Make us to trust in you like little children.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Saturday (Holy Saturday) – Holy Week Prayer
Matthew 17:1-6; Lamentations 3:1-9, Lamentations 3:19-24
Lord God,
On the Sabbath,
Jesus rested.
He was in the grave.
He had finished his work.
To most people’s eyes,
It looked as if it were all over.
He was dead and buried.
But only as a seed dies when it is planted in the earth,
Not to decay, but to spring to new life.
Teach us to take refuge in you when we are afraid
Teach us that death is not our end
Teach us to hope always in you
And in the resurrection, the making of all things
New.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord,
Amen.
Sunday – (Easter/Resurrection Sunday) – Holy Week Prayer
Matthew 28; Revelation 5:11-14; Psa 118:1-2; Psa 118:14-24
Lord God,
You loved this world so much,
That you gave your one and only Son,
That we might be called your children too.
Lord, help us to live in the gladness and grace
Of Easter Sunday, everyday.
Let us have hearts of thankfulness
For your sacrifice.
Let us have eyes that look upon
Your grace and rejoice in our salvation.
Help us to walk in that mighty grace
And tell your good news to the world.
All for your glory do we pray, Lord,
Amen.
In recent days, as COVID-19 has been declared a global pandemic and countries have taken urgent measures to stem the spread of infection, I wish I could say that my first impulse has been to pray. It’s probably more honest to say that I’ve obsessively refreshed my feeds.
The crisis is urgent, and I feel powerless. But perhaps feeling small is the best reminder to pray. Prayer is how we actively practice believing, so simply, so confidently, that God has the whole world in his hands. It’s where we “let petitions and praises shape our worries into prayers, letting God know our concerns” (Phil. 4:6–7, The Message). Prayer is never the last resort of God’s people. It is our first point of action.
With that in mind, I’ve put together a list of 20 prayers to pray during this pandemic. Each one addresses the specific needs of a specific community. I’m fortunate to be a part of a church with many medical professionals, some of whom gave me advice on how best to pray for them at this time. I’ve included their responses here. I’ve also tried to think broadly about how the rest of us are impacted by the current crisis.
This list isn’t comprehensive, of course, but it’s a good place to start. My hope is that it can provide words for us as we pray collectively (if also virtually!) as a church body. We believe there is a God who bends his ear to listen, and so we pray:
- For the sick and infected: God, heal and help. Sustain bodies and spirits. Contain the spread of infection.
- For our vulnerable populations: God, protect our elderly and those suffering from chronic disease. Provide for the poor, especially the uninsured.
- For the young and the strong: God, give them the necessary caution to keep them from unwittingly spreading this disease. Inspire them to help.
- For our local, state, and federal governments: God, help our elected officials as they allocate the necessary resources for combatting this pandemic. Help them to provide more tests.
- For our scientific community, leading the charge to understand the disease and communicate its gravity: God, give them knowledge, wisdom, and a persuasive voice.
- For the media, committed to providing up-to-date information: God, help them to communicate with appropriate seriousness without causing panic.
- For consumers of media, looking to be well-informed: God, help us find the most helpful local information to equip us to be good neighbors. Keep us from anxiety and panic, and enable us to implement the recommended strategies, even at a cost to ourselves.
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- For those with mental health challenges who feel isolated, anxious, and helpless: God, provide them every necessary support.
- For the homeless, unable to practice the protocols of social distancing in the shelter system: Protect them from disease, and provide isolation shelters in every city.
- For international travelers stuck in foreign countries: God, help them return home safely and quickly.
- For Christian missionaries throughout the world, especially in areas with high rates of infection: God, provide them with words of hope, and equip them to love and serve those around them.
- For workers in a variety of industries facing layoffs and financial hardship: God, keep them from panic, and inspire your church to generously support them.
- For families with young children at home for the foreseeable future: God, help mothers and fathers to partner together creatively for the care and flourishing of their children. For single mothers and fathers, grow their networks of support.
- For parents who cannot stay home from work but must find care for their children: God, present them with creative solutions.
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- For those in need of regular therapies and treatments that must now be postponed: God, help them to stay patient and positive.
- For business leaders making difficult decisions that affect the lives of their employees: God, give these women and men wisdom, and help them to lead self-sacrificially.
- For pastors and church leaders faced with the challenges of social distancing: God, help them to creatively imagine how to pastor their congregants and love their cities well.
- For college and university students, whose courses of study are changing, whose placements are cancelled, whose graduation is uncertain: God, show them that while life is uncertain, their trust is in you.
- For Christians in every neighborhood, community, and city: May your Holy Spirit inspire us to pray, to give, to love, to serve, and to proclaim the gospel, that the name of Jesus Christ might be glorified around the world.
- For frontline health care workers, we thank you for their vocational call to serve us. We also pray:
- God, keep them safe and healthy. Keep their families safe and healthy.
- God, help them to be knowledgeable about the diagnosis and treatment of this disease, as well as the changing protocols.
- God, help them to stay clear-minded in the midst of the surrounding panic.
- God, deliver them from anxiety for their own loved ones (aging parents, children, spouses, roommates).
- God, give them compassion for every patient in their care.
- God, provide for them financially, especially if they fall ill and are unable to work.
- God, help Christians in health care to exhibit extraordinary peace, so that many would ask about the reason for their hope. Give them opportunities to proclaim the gospel.
God, we trust that you are good and do good. Teach us to be your faithful people in this time of global crisis. Help us to follow in the footsteps of our faithful shepherd, Jesus, who laid down his life for the sake of love. Glorify his name as you equip us with everything needed for doing your will. Amen.
Jen Pollock Michel is the author of Teach Us to Want, Keeping Place, and Surprised by Paradox. She lives with her husband and their five children in Toronto. This piece was adapted from her recent blog.
https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2020/march-web-only/covid-19-coronavirus-20-prayers-to-pray-during-pandemic.html
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