#PrayersForUkraine

 I woke this morning to news that I'd been expecting over the last five years. Russia attacked Ukraine. 

I am scared shit-less.  Putin has had way too much support over the past few years, and he now is trying to re-create the USSR-- the same USSR that we generation-X people remember & would rather forget. 

All I can do-- all anyone can do from where we sit in the States, is pray. 

I pray for the people who are in harm's way. 

I pray that the Congress will tread carefully and discern the safest way to deal with Russia's aggression

I pray that the infrastructure ere in this nation stays intact-- including our Internet & communications highways. Earlier today Brian& I experiences a brief but total Internet outage -- the first thought was " damn those Russians. Cyber war is a threat that needs to be taken seriously right now. Since all of our infrastructure runs via computer--a massive Internet outage can be a disaster.   

I give thanks for peacekeepers and pray that the situation can be resolved without escalating into World War 3. 

My rector, a retired Army colonel, wrote these words in a pastoral letter to our congregation today. 

"I pray for the ethical decision making of military leaders; for the combatants on both sides, who get caught up in a war not of their choosing. 

And I ask the Prince of Peace, that his Spirit of Peace would guide leaders into the wisdom of rational cooperation. That somehow, there would not be an escalation." ~Reverend Colonel 

Friends, we all are interconnected.  What happens across the globe has direct ramifications for the world's population. 

No matter who we voted for back in November of 2021, now we need to unite as Americans and as humans & pray for a safe de-escalation of the situation in Ukraine. We need to hold up our siblings in that nation-- pray for their protection & that the loss of life be minimal. 

In the Name of the Holy Trinity...

Sarah McCarren

2/24/22