“O God, your unfailing providence sustains the world we live in and the life we live: Watch over those, both night and day, who work while others sleep, and grant that we may never forget that our common life depends upon each other’s toil; through Jesus Christ our Lord” (BCP 134).

We often use this prayer in Compline. The COVID 19 pandemic casts it in an unwelcome light. Is God’s “unfailing providence” getting confused with an economy in which “essential” too often means “expendable,” whether farm laborers, cashiers, or home health workers like Kim Rockwood, profiled in this New York Times Op-Ed video posted today?

It’s a good prayer. May it kindle anger, and move us to seek effective action.