The UK is marking the anniversary of the first lockdown with a silence at noon to remember the victims of Covid, followed by bells tolling at 12:01pm. Prominent landmarks will be lit up across the country at 8:00pm.
Please take part in the silence in memory of those who have lost loved ones and feel free to use this prayer as a resource during the day:
Prayer – a year on since the beginning of Lockdown 1
Lord, we know you are the God of grace and peace,
Help us, we ask, as we acknowledge that a year has passed in this time of a global pandemic.
In this season of remembering, we acknowledge our frustration, our brokenness, our anger, our sadness. We reflect on the last twelve months with tears and heartache.
We have lost some of those who were close to us and some of us have lived through illness. Many of us have felt isolated and anxious. We have lost much of our normal sense of life. We do not want to look back and at the same time we are unsure of how to move into the future.
Help us to move forward. We can see the end of the tunnel, but it seems a way off and a bit out of reach. Fill us with courage, with hope and with peace. Guide us to begin again in the world that is emerging on the other side of the pandemic.
God of goodness and grace, be with us now and forever.
We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.