Ecclesiastes 12
Remember your Creator
in the days of your youth,
before the days of trouble come
and the years approach when you will say,
‘I find no pleasure in them’–
2 before the sun and the light
and the moon and the stars grow dark,
and the clouds return after the rain;
3 when the keepers of the house tremble,
and the strong men stoop,
when the grinders cease because they are few,
and those looking through the windows grow dim;
4 when the doors to the street are closed
and the sound of grinding fades;
when people rise up at the sound of birds,
but all their songs grow faint;
5 when people are afraid of heights
and of dangers in the streets;
when the almond tree blossoms
and the grasshopper drags itself along
and desire no longer is stirred.
Then people go to their eternal home
and mourners go about the streets.
Reflection
Our Bible reading is a depiction of aging. In a masterfully skilled way, the writer uses depictions/visual images to describe the aging process. He speaks about the “eyes” that can no longer see, the “legs” that tremble, the “teeth” that is missing, the “ears” that no longer hear, when the “hair” turns white like an Almond tree and mobility cease like a “grasshopper drags itself along”. Aging is part of life and a reality for all humans. The writer says that every moment should be treasured – you need to think of God not only when you are old. You should think of HIM always, even in your youth.
Rosalynn Carter’s once said: “There are only four kinds of people in the world. Those who have been caregivers. Those who are currently caregivers. Those who will be caregivers, and those who will need a caregiver.”
Let us all pause, reflect and pray for all those who are in care homes, all the elderly who are alone and vulnerable and all the care home workers and nursing staff. May God protect them with His love! Amen
Heavenly Father,
Our thoughts and prayers today are with the residents, staff and families connected with care homes in our community.
The full extent of the current pandemic within care homes is not yet clear, but it is already becoming apparent that the staff within them, who care for our elderly and vulnerable, are a forgotten front line in the battle against coronavirus.
We pray for those care home workers, O Lord, perhaps still waiting for the proper protective equipment to appear, anxious for themselves and those in their care.
We pray for those carers who have already fallen victim to the virus. We ask for your protection over them.
We think too of the residents of care homes themselves, individuals who have been part of our family for many, many years. Grandmas, Grandads, Great Grandmas & Grandads who are learning to live in different circumstances because they require a higher level of personal care. Dementia challenges many of them and robs them of the joy of remembering happier days when life was more carefree or simply busy with day to day life and living. For some, diminished physical capability is the challenge. Eyesight, hearing, and balance are all less than they once were and it’s a time of life where our loved one is much more vulnerable in every way. We pray for our Lord’s calming and quietening hand of peace to be with them all today and in the days ahead.
We think also of the many who visit elderly folks in their own homes to care for them there. We pray for sufficient supplies of gloves, aprons and masks which help keep everyone safe. At the same time, we think of how scary it must be for those on the receiving end to see their carer arrive with a protective mask on and how difficult communication must be.
The death toll is not fully known yet and continues to rise. We hold all the staff within the care sector in our hearts today as they return to work for another shift with no time to grieve for residents who have died as a result of coronavirus. Up to a third of all deaths attributed to Covid 19 have taken place in care homes and we keep everyone involved in our hearts and prayers today and tomorrow too.
Amen