Staying Safe and Staying Connected
Good Morning Saint Stephen’s Church,
We continue our life of daily prayer. The Lord be with you!
Alleluia. Christ is risen.
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.
Today’s Prayer
O Lord my God,
Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1109
Teach my heart this day where and how to see you,
Where and how to find you.
You have made me and remade me,
And you have bestowed on me
All the good things I possess,
And still I do not know you.
I have not yet done that
For which I was made.
Teach me to seek you,
For I cannot seek you
Unless you teach me,
Or find you
Unless you show yourself to me.
Let me seek you in my desire,
Let me desire you in my seeking.
Let me find you by loving you,
Let me love you when I find you.
Anselm of Canterbury is recognized with a feast day by the Episcopal Church on April 21st. He served as Archbishop of Canterbury – a position still important to Anglicanism! – beginning in 1093. As a theologian, he is notable for articulating what’s come to be known as the “ontological argument” for the existence of God and for explaining Jesus’s work on the cross through the “satisfaction theory.” While much attention may be paid to these contested theological views, Anselm was also a writer of many beautiful prayers that can be appreciated from people of a variety of theological perspectives.
From Our Prayers of the People
Today, let us pray:
For the just and proper use of your creation; for the victims of hunger, fear, injustice, and oppression.
For comfort and healing for all who are affected by the Coronavirus, and for physicians, nurses, and all others who minister to the sick and the suffering, may God grant them wisdom and skill, sympathy and patience, and may God keep them healthy and safe.
For all essential workers; for police, firefighters, EMTs, postal workers, sanitation workers, grocery personnel, delivery and transport workers, and all who must report to work because what they do is essential for our well-being, health, and safety.
For those on the Parish Prayer Chain: Kevin, Nick, Joe, Doug, Irene and Pauline.
For those who are homebound: Stephen, Pauline, Joan, Janet and Marilyn.
Those who are imprisoned: those particularly vulnerable at this time, especially the women in the Schenectady County Jail.
For those in need of healing: Cindi, Mary Frances, Debbie and Joe.
For all the blessings of this life.
For our dioceses in the Anglican Communion: Mumbai (Formerly Bombay) (North India), Yokohama (Japan)
For all who have died: especially Richard, Taylor, Alice, Shirley and Melanie.
For one another.
Something to share
Today
The Reverend Virginia Going, Women’s Uncommon Prayers.
Let me live today.
Let me be open to the miracle of this day.
Let me breathe the best of today.
Let me not miss the heart of today.
Let me find the gift of today,
Hidden like a jewel in rubble of care, duty, and detail.
Let me pause to hear
The steady beat of the heart of God –
Hoping, aching, sorrowing, expectant, patient, despairing heart of God.
Listen, listen.
Do you heart it?
Ever so faint but steady, steady,
rhythmic organ, strong muscle,
thumping, beating, pumping, sustaining, encompassing,
wildly dancing heart of God.
Let me live this day, aware, open, listening, breathing, alive.
Sometimes the mountain
Denise Levertov
is hidden from me in veils
of cloud, sometimes
I am hidden from the mountain
in veils of inattention, apathy, fatigue,
when I forget or refuse to go
down to the shore or a few yards
up the road, on a clear day,
to reconfirm
that witnessing presence.
News and Updates
Forward Day by Day is a booklet of daily inspirational meditations reflecting on a specific Bible passage, chosen from the daily lectionary readings as listed in the Revised Common Lectionary or the Daily Office from the Episcopal Church’s Book of Common Prayer. The meditations are rich in substance and offer a wide range of witness and experiences. Each month’s meditation is written by a different author. Anyone that would like one of the books can email Elissa P (see Directory for email) and a group from St. Stephen’s will arrange to get them to the parishioners who would like them.
Hallelujah chorus during the pandemic – THIS IS SPECTACULAR. PLEASE WATCH…Love this! What an amazing community of loving friends having such a great time to this amazing song Hallelujah-
Reminders
If you have an update/news, a prayer or poem or something inspirational you would like us to share with the congregation, please send it to us. Please also send us any prayer requests. We will incorporate these into the Morning Prayers as best we can.
Prayerbook Parish Morning Prayer in Zoom – each morning. Join Dennie and me for an inter-active service of Morning Prayer at 9 am. Time to bring your prayer concerns will be provided. (contact me for the link: james.ross.mcd@gmail.com)
If you did not receive a phone call in the last few days from a member of the Vestry and you would like to be added to the communication list, please let me know (james.ross.mcd@gmail.com) and share with me the best telephone number(s) where we can reach you. We will add you to the list right away.
Our church campus is closed. All parish meetings and gatherings are canceled and postponed until further notice.
Our goal is for all of us to stay in touch and connected in this time of isolation.
Share this news, and spread some love, not the virus!
Irish Blessing
May the road rise up to meet you,
May the wind be at your back,
May the sun shine upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon soft upon your fields,
And until we meet again
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.
Be of good courage. We are in this together, and we will be together again soon. God bless you and may God be with us in the days ahead.
Peace,
James+