The scene from India has been described in apocalyptic terms. Indeed, the images of funeral pyres burning in city streets and the long lines of COVID-patient filled ambulances desperate for bedspace in over-crowded hospitals are surreal. Yet, these images depict the reality of our siblings in India suffering the horrid effects of a double-mutant COVID-19 variant. Real people, real suffering, real lives lost, real heartbreak. As people scramble in India and around the world to assist in this crisis, we can feel helpless thousands of miles away. Yet, there are some things we can do. Check-in on your India-American neighbors, colleagues, classmates, and friends who may have family or friends in India and offer them emotional support or a listening ear. If able, give funds to a reputable social service agency on the ground in India. (If you are looking for one, Lutheran World Relief is serving in India and other countries in dire need https://lwr.org/.) And finally, join us in Campus Ministry in prayer.
Let us pray:
God of all nations and Divine Designer of our interconnected human family:
As images erupt on our screens from around the globe,
we weep for our siblings suffering from COVID-19.
So many to pray for in these hours,
but in this particular moment we hold out before you
your beloved who home themselves in India.
The devastation brought on by this disease is nearly unfathomable.
We dare to pray: get to work, O God of Easter;
confront the maw of death with your resurrection promise.
Bring comfort, bring restoration, bring life again.
Stir up advocates, healers, government officials, and global partners
to assist in this time of great need.
Sustain those with relational ties to India who suffer from afar as they
watch and wait to hear about people and places they hold dear.
This we pray as we join in the suffering and pray for the healing of our global village.
Amen.
Pastor Justin Lind-Ayres