Dear friends at Epiphany,
The pandemic has left many of us feeling isolated, both physically and emotionally. And yet, we are now more keenly aware of our connection with our neighbors who are frontline workers, those who risk their health and safety to keep grocery stores, gas stations, pharmacies, restaurants, and other businesses open; drive buses and trains and cabs; deliver the mail and packages; care for those in hospitals and nursing homes.
We can offer our gratitude each time we receive their help. And at the end of each day, we can say to God, “Thank you for everyone who helped me today,” and give specific thanks for the cashier who rang up our groceries, the letter carrier who delivered our mail, the attendant who pumped our gas, the customer service representative who took our order over the phone. We needed their help, and they were there for us.
Perhaps in this way we are living a prayer from the service of Compline in The Book of Common Prayer: “O God, your unfailing providence sustains the world we live in and the life we live: Watch over those, both night and day, who work while others sleep, and grant that we may never forget that our common life depends upon each other’s toil; through Jesus Christ our Lord” (p. 134).
In this time, we know in a different and deeper way how much we depend upon each other. God willing, we will never stop weaving a web of gratitude for the gift of one another’s labor.
Yours in Christ,
Sarah
