New Normal

These prayers of lament thanksgiving and praise arose out of worship at Bayside Uniting Church in Queensland Australia after May 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic challenged worship as usual since services were restricted to online gatherings. During this time Paul Mercer felt stirred to discern how he could contribute positively within his own faith community. Over Easter 2020 he recognized the possibility of writing congregational prayers both for in-person gatherings as well as online use. These were based on the weekly morning and evening liturgical readings of each Sunday as the pandemic gripped the world stage. What emerged was an eclectic set of integrated Old and New Testament psalms that follow the liturgical year. As people gather in Christ amidst both bad times and good times they can receive the strange gift of a new normal world. May the circulation of these new normal prayers be to the glory of God.