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
Almighty God, whose is the eternal only power, and other men’s power but borrowed of thee: we beseech thee for those who hold office in this (nation, city, borough etc.) that, holding it first from thee, they may use it for the general good and to thine honor; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
William Tyndale, 1536
William Tyndale was born near the Welsh border. He received bachelors and masters degrees from Oxford and also studied at Cambridge. Ordained about 1521, he spent his early ministry as a domestic chaplain and tutor in Gloucestershire and London.
Tyndale was a man with a single passion – to translate the Holy Scriptures into English. Whereas Wyclif’s Bible was translated from the Latin Vulgate, Tyndale’s was the first to be translated directly from the Hebrew and Greek originals. To an opponent of his plan he said: ‘If God spare my life, ere many years I will cause a boy that driveth the plough shall know more of the Scripture than thou dost.’ Receiving no support from the English church authorities for his translation project t, Tyndale settled in Germany never to return, and it was there that his Bible was published. Many of the strong English phrases of Tyndale’s version were retained unchanged in the King James Authorized Version.
King Henry VIII, Cardinal Wolsey, and others sought to destroy Tyndale’s work and put him to death. He was betrayed by a friend and was strangled and burned at the stake on this day in 1536 in Brussels.
Despised in life, William Tyndale is now commemorated on October 6th on the Episcopal calendar.
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 those affected by the wild fires in the west: for those who are grieving the loss of homes, possessions and loved ones, that their safety and security may be restored.
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 all historical acts of injustice and oppression: especially those perpetuated against native, Black, Hispanic and various Asian Americans in this abundant land, that we may recognize racism in ourselves, in our church, in our society, and the times we have failed to take action.
For those on the Parish Prayer Chain: Charles, Joe, Debbie, Cindi, Doug, Hugh, Debby, Joan, Hank, Joan, Craig, Audrey, Stephanie, Joan, Budd .
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.
Members who request our prayers for strength and healing: Budd, Sid, Jean, Cindi, Mary Frances, Debbie, Joe.
For all the blessings of this life.
For our dioceses in the Anglican Communion: Phulbani (North India), Christchurch (Aotearoa NZ & Polynesia), Kolhapur (North India).
For all who have died: especially Leland, Blanche, Marian, Sadie.
Our Condolences to: Dave and his family; his father, Charles, died last night.
For one another.
Something to share
The English Sword
There once was a time when Holy Scripture
Was deprived from the common folk
Not able to engage in devotions at night
Or in the morning when they awoke
God’s Word was reserved for the intellectual elite
And confined to the language of Latin
Robbed from the poor were God’s principles
Leaving them blind, empty and misshapen
Till a man took upon himself a mission
To bring sacred writ to the populous
Revealing to all God’s salvation call
And His mercy and righteousness
But no easy task would this mission be
His own life would be sought and threatened
But fear would not dissuade his call to the unsaved
It was for them that the Gospel was written
Following the example of his Savior
He gave his life for his countrymen
A sacrifice born from his love for the Word
And to deliver sinners from sin
Martyred for Christians with English accents
The Gospel now rings in their own dialect
To be a refuge from temptations that ensue
To exhort, uplift, and protect
The Sword of the Spirit can now be held
In the hands of the laity
Birthing light where once there was none
Promoting spiritual equality
By the life and death of William Tyndale
I can now unsheathe my English Sword
To live unto God by His divine precepts
And in my own language give praise to the Lord
Take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:17)
Descyple91
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,
he 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.