As I write this, I am in the middle of week nine of self-isolation and physical distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The features and some of the columns for each issue are often planned many months in advance of publication.
Because Canada Lutheranis not designed to be a news magazine, this usually works well. Normally we can anticipate the things that will likely prove useful and of interest to our readers, while allowing enough flexibility to make occasional adjustments as the unexpected happens.
Now we are in a time when little seems normal and no one can predict what might happen next. And yet most of the features originally planned for this year are proving relevant to these times. Perhaps that reflects the underlying relevance of what we as Christians have been doing all along.
At the end of the first year of our church’s four-year emphasis on Living our Faith, it seemed a good time to consider the emphasis on prayer this year. Prayer is always timely, but it suddenly took on new meaning for many as the pandemic confronted us.
The pandemic may be causing many to take a fresh look at prayer and the way they pray. This issue considers some of the opportunities for prayer that have long been practiced among us. Some may be remarkably familiar while others may open new ways of prayer to be considered and tried.
A new dynamic in prayer continues to emerge as online opportunities for prayer are being created and explored. On the day that I am writing this, we were able to join believers and people of goodwill all over the world to pray for the healing of the world and for the good of humanity through Global Day of Prayer for COVID-19.
So, how’s your prayer life?
Glimpses
With so many events cancelled or postponed, Rev. Aneeta Saroop and Emily Walker help us to anticipate future events such as CLAY 2021 (p. 9).
Rev. Lynn Granke affirms that God is with us, especially during times of illness and in our dying (p. 15).
Our bishops offer encouragement and inspiration to help us get through these times in their columns.
Our Bible study (p. 31) reminds us to pray not only for ourselves but for each other.
Kenn Ward, Editor
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