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
We As Women
There‘s a cry in the air about us–
We hear it, before, behind–
Of the way in which “We, as women,”
Are going to lift mankind!With our white frocks starched and ruffled,
And our soft hair brushed and curled–
Hats off! for “We, as women,”
Are coming to save the world.Fair sisters! listen one moment–
And perhaps you‘ll pause for ten:
The business of women as women
Is only with men as men!What we do, “We, as women,”
We have done all through our life;
The work that is ours as women
Is the work of mother and wife.But to elevate public opinion,
And to lift up erring man,
Is the work of the Human Being;
Let us do it–if we can.But wait, warm-hearted sisters–
Not quite so fast, so far.
Tell me how we are going to lift a thing
Any higher than we are!We are going to “purify politics,”
And to “elevate the press.”
We enter the foul paths of the world
To sweeten and cleanse and bless.To hear the high things we are going to do,
And the horrors of man we tell,
One would think, “We, as women,” were angels,
And our brothers were fiends of hell.We, that were born of one mother,
And reared in the self-same place,
In the school and the church together,
We of one blood, one race!Now then, all forward together!
But remember, every one,
That ‘tis not by feminine innocence
The work of the world is done.The world needs strength and courage,
Charlotte Perkins Gilman
And wisdom to help and feed–
When, “We, as women” bring these to man,
We shall lift the world indeed.
This week marks the centennial of the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote, which became official when ratified by a thirty-sixth state on August 18, 1920. The occasion offers us an opportunity to celebrate this democratic milestone, to revisit the complexities of the women’s suffrage movement, and to draw attention to the equal rights issues of today. The amendment’s anniversary is also important in the history of American poetry, as the campaign for women’s voting rights was heralded and promoted by the poems written and published by suffrage activists themselves.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman was born on July 3, 1860, in Hartford, Connecticut. She is best known for her short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” but also published two poetry collections: Suffrage Songs and Verses (The Charlton Company, 1911) and In This Our World (McCombs & Vaughn, 1893). She died in 1935 in Pasadena, California.
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: Sylvia, Irene, Jeanne, Chris, Theresa, Emily, Bridget, Josh, Amy, Sid, Edwina and Donald.
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 all the blessings of this life.
For our dioceses in the Anglican Communion: Oklahoma (The Episcopal Church) The Rt Revd Edward Konieczny Bunbury (Australia).
For all who have died: especially Edwin.
For one another.
Something to share
The Gift
Be still, my soul, and steadfast.
Earth and heaven both are still watching
though time is draining from the clock
and your walk, that was confident and quick,
has become slow.So, be slow if you must, but let
Mary Oliver
the heart still play its true part,
Love still as once you loved, deeply
and without patience. Let God and the world
know you are grateful. That the gift has been
given
From the Constitution of the United States of America
AMENDMENT XIX – Passed by Congress June 4, 1919. Ratified August 18, 1920.
The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
AMEN! (Not written into the Constitution, but worth saying)
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+