Staying Safe and Staying Connected
Good Morning Saint Stephen’s Church,
We continue our life of daily prayer. The Lord be with you!
Today’s Prayer
O blessed Jesus, give me stillness of soul in thee.
John of the Cross, 1591
Let thy mighty calmness reign in me;
Rule me, O King of gentleness, King of peace.
Give me control, great power of self-control,
Control over my words, thoughts and actions.
From all irritability, want of meekness, want of gentleness,
dear Lord, deliver me.
By thine own deep patience, give me patience.
Make me in this and all things more and more like thee.
John came from a poor background, and worked in the hospital at Medina in Spain. In his spare time he studied at the Jesuit College, and eventually joined the Carmelite order. Under the guidance of Teresa of Avila John reformed the male side of the Carmelite order, but he was imprisoned and ill-treated. His union with God in prayer was complete and constant, and is described in his books, The Ascent of Mount Carmel, The Spiritual Canticle, The Living Flame of Love, and The Dark Night of the Soul. John taught that every Christian who wants to know God must pass through the dark night of the senses, where we abandon all sensual satisfaction, and the dark night of the soul, where we learn to dispense even the sense of the presence of God.
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: 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 Mary Sylvia, Irene, Jeanne, Chris, Theresa, Emily, Bridget, Josh, Amy, Sid, Edwina and her husband.
For those who are homebound: Stephen, Pauline, Joan, Janet and Marilyn.
Our Government Leaders: Donald Trump, President of the United States; Andrew Cuomo, Governor of New York State; Gary McCarthy, Mayor of Schenectady
Our Church Leaders: Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop, William Love, and Daniel Herzog our bishops; James and Dennie our priests; Pat our deacon and Allison our Lay Reader
Those who are imprisoned: those particularly vulnerable at this time, especially the women in the Schenectady County Jail.
For those in need of healing: Sid, Vicki, Jean, Cindi, Mary Frances, Debbie and Joe.
For Suzanne – today is her birthday!
For all the blessings of this life.
For our dioceses in the Anglican Communion: Ogori-Magongo (Nigeria), Brechin (Scotland), Katakwa (Kenya).
For all who have died: especially Anita, Elizabeth, Joanne, Joseph, Peter, Donald, William, Robert, Julie and Cynthia.
For one another.
Something to share
A Rabbit Noticed My Condition
I was sad one day and went for a walk;
I sat in a field.A rabbit noticed my condition and
came near.It often does not take more than that to help at times –
to just be close to creatures who
are so full of knowing,
so full of love
that they don’t
– chat,they just gaze with
John of the Cross
their
marvelous understanding.
News & Updates
Tomorrow morning August 9th at 9:00am, join us for the celebration of Holy Eucharist at Saint Stephen’s Church. To help you understand what to expect please click on this link:
Tomorrow morning, August 9th at 11:15am, join us for the celebration of Holy Eucharist live-streamed from the National Cathedral. This is another way in which we can worship together albeit remotely. All you have to do is click on the link below, and it should take you to the service.
Do you need a prayerbook? Unnamed congregants have donated 20 prayer books for those in our congregation who are unable to obtain one. If you need a prayerbook and are not in a position to purchase one, please contact me: james.ross.mcd@gmail.com. I will make sure you have your own Book of Common Prayer. Thank you to the anonymous members for your generosity!
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.
If you need a prayerbook, and are not in a position to purchase one, please contact me: james.ross.mcd@gmail.com. I will make sure you have your own Book of Common Prayer.
Prayerbook 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)
Our church campus is closed, except for our Eucharistic Ingathering on Sundays at 9:00 am. Please see our website for further information: https://st-stephens.church. All other 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+