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
Lord God, creator, life of all we do:
friends, neighbours, family are our gift from you.
Now, in these days when we are kept apart,
may they be sure you hold them in your heart.Lord, for the ill, and those approaching death:
give them your solace, through each laboured breath.
For those who serve with courage, skill and care
we ask your strength. You know the loads they bear.Lord, in this time when much is set aside
show us the truths which busyness can hide.
Where wealth misguides us: Lord of life, forgive;
give grace to shape anew the way we live.Lord, in adversity we learn again
there is no place where your love cannot reign!
Hear now our prayer, from fear our minds release;
grant both to us and to your world your peace.
– Tony Law
This is a hymn text written in light of the coronavirus pandemic. This hymn was shared online by the Methodist Church in the U.K. One of the hymn tunes they recommend using with these words is “Eventide,” which you might know from the hymn “Abide with me.”
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: Luca, Brittney, Mary Alice, Mia, Wim, Corrie, Doris, Judy, Anne, Louise, Gertrude, Laurel, Greg and Priscilla.
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: Priscilla, Sid, Vicki, Jean, Cindi, Mary Frances, Debbie and Joe.
For all the blessings of this life.
For our dioceses in the Anglican Communion: Ogbomoso (Nigeria), Caledonia (Canada), Calgary (Canada).
For all who have died: especially Robert, Norman and William.
For one another.
Something to share
Hurry
We stop at the dry cleaners and the grocery store
and the gas station and the green market and
Hurry up honey, I say, hurry,
as she runs along two or three steps behind me
her blue jacket unzipped and her socks rolled down.Where do I want her to hurry to? To her grave?
To mine? Where one day she might stand all grown?
Today, when all the errands are finally done, I say to her,
Honey I’m sorry I keep saying Hurry—
you walk ahead of me. You be the mother.And, Hurry up, she says, over her shoulder, looking
Marie Howe
back at me, laughing. Hurry up now darling, she says,
hurry, hurry, taking the house keys from my hands.
News & Updates
Episcopal Relief & Development – As we act quickly to assist those impacted by #HurricaneLaura and other devastating storms, we urgently ask for your support. Make a donation to our hurricane relief fund and help us assist Episcopal dioceses in the Gulf Coast, who have extensive experience responding to disasters — not to mention powerful communications networks. Please give today: http://bit.ly/HurricaneLaura20FB.
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+