A call to prayer

From a press release today from the UMC Council of Bishops: 

To the People of the United Methodist Church,
 
We join with Pope Francis in calling for prayer tomorrow, March 25, drawing strength from the Annunciation (Luke 1. 26-38), as we are approximately nine months from the celebration of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We invite all to pray to God to rid the world of the coronavirus pandemic.  And all are urged to pray the Lord’s Prayer at noon in their own time zones. In the words of Pope Francis, “We wish to respond to the pandemic of the virus with the universality of prayer, of compassion and tenderness.” As we prepare to celebrate the resurrection at Easter, we have sure trust and confidence that God will hear the united prayers of the church across the world.