Consider Each Other in Love

WDP 2020 Worship Service

Jamaica, like much of the rest of the world, has been severely affected by the onset of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which is wreaking havoc across the globe, with no obvious cure anytime soon. This virus has infected millions of persons worldwide. Hundreds of thousands have already died and the infection continues. For the most part, we in Jamaica had been successful in containing the spread of the virus. However, the decision to open the borders and allow some freedom to travel and for recreation, combined with people disobeying the proper protocol, have resulted in the increase of the number of infections. Our prayer is that our leaders will take the advice of scientists and persons in the know and make informed decisions on the welfare of its citizens until there is a cure or a solution for the virus.
 
We as women of the Jamaica WDP Committee, pray for God’s divine intervention as we struggle with the effects of the virus. We had Parliamentary Elections recently, which came off successfully, and we give thanks to God. We pray for our leaders to continue to guide us wisely and not to let arrogance and pride stop them from listening to the concerns of its citizens. In our society, there is still violence against women and children, gender violence, domestic violence, human trafficking, robberies, and extortion. 
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We pray that us, as a people, will stop and listen to God. God wants us to stop our busyness, and be with each other in conscious awareness. Under this pandemic, we are forced to be at home with each other; the children are out of school; churches are out and the theory of ‘church without walls’ becomes clearer with worship services being held through Zoom or YouTube; shopping for things we don’t really need has stopped. We now only shop for the necessities. Some of us have lost jobs and are barely surviving. The virus has made us realize that there are things that we do that are not important in the grand scheme of things. God wants us to think about each other in love so that we do nothing to harm our brothers and sisters. Love will allow us to obey the laws and guidelines set for us. We will therefore wear our masks, wash our hands frequently, practice social distancing and listen to all the protocols so we do not harm ourselves and make others around us unsafe. In spite of the chaos around us, we have a lot for which we are thankful. In this ‘new normal’, we thank God for his goodness and blessings towards us. ​

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- Patricia Newell, WDP Committee of Jamaica