Staying Safe and Staying Connected
We continue our life of daily prayer. The Lord be with you!
Today’s Prayer
Merciful God, through the work of Thomas Cranmer you renewed the worship of your Church by restoring the language of the people, and through his death you revealed your power in human weakness: Grant that by your grace we may always worship you in spirit and in truth; through Jesus Christ, our only Mediator and Advocate, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Today we commemorate the life of Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury and Martyr, 1556.
Thomas Cranmer, (1489 -1556), was the first Protestant archbishop of Canterbury (1533–56) and adviser to the English kings Henry VIII and Edward VI. As archbishop, he put the English Bible in parish churches, drew up the Book of Common Prayer, and composed a litany that remains in use today. Denounced by the Catholic queen Mary I for promoting Protestantism, he was convicted of heresy and burned at the stake.
From Our Prayers of the People
For the special needs and concerns of our congregation.
For people throughout the world: in places of war and strife, and for all victims of violence and oppression.
For the Presidents of Russia and Ukraine, that wisdom and courage may prevail in the cause of peace.
For the people of Ukraine, the people of Russia, and for all who affected by violence and war;
For those who have taken up arms, whether aggressively or defensively, that a spirit of peace may reign in their hearts and in their lands.
For our allies around the world in harm’s way: for those who are still trying to leave Afghanistan and the Ukraine; may God be with them and their families.
For comfort and healing for all who are affected by the Coronavirus around the world: for physicians, nurses, and all others who minister to the sick and the suffering, and for those administering vaccinations, may God grant them wisdom and skill, sympathy and patience, and may God keep them healthy and safe.
For all historical acts of injustice and oppression: especially those perpetrated 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 recognize the times we have failed to take action.
For a reverence for the earth as God’s own creation: that we may use its resources rightly in the service of others and to God’s honor and glory, and for wisdom, guidance, and persistence as we face the challenges of climate change and work for the flourishing and health of all the earth.
For those on the Parish Prayer Chain: Kathy, Maggie, Reena, Jim, Bruce, Chris, Audrey, June, Caleb, Sunny, Josh T, Pat J.
For our Government Leaders: Joseph Biden, President of the United States; Kathy Hochul, Governor of New York State; Gary McCarthy, Mayor of Schenectady.
For our Church Leaders: Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop; Michael G. Smith and Carol Gallagher, Assisting Bishops; James and Dennie, our priests; Pat, our deacon emeritus and Allison, our Lay Reader.
For those who are imprisoned: those particularly vulnerable at this time, especially the women in the Schenectady County Jail.
For Members who request our prayers for strength and healing: Liz, Kathy, Janet, Marilyn, Eunice, Ruth, Mary Frances, Vincent, Priscilla, Joe, and all their families.
For all the blessings of this life.
For our dioceses in the Anglican Communion: The Diocese of Kitale – The Anglican Church of Kenya.
For all who have died: Lucy Totterdale, Gertrude Dunmore, Edmund Tatge, Frieda Wyman.
For one another.
Something to share
The Two Kings: a meditation on Thomas Cranmer
Soon after he had signed the fifth recantation he had a dream in which he saw two kings contending together for his soul. One of the kings was Jesus and the other was Henry VIII Thomas Cranmer – Jasper Ridley
Bearing a light to break the gloom
That gathers in his littered room,
After the Latin mass is sung,
Cranmer essays the English tongue.
Before his straining eyes is set
The single word Magnificat.
He writes, delighting in the word,
My soul doth magnify the Lord
Elsewhere other voices sing
To laud and magnify the king;
A woman turns her whitened face
To beg his majesty for grace
And offers up he perjured soul
A sacrifice to bluff king Hal
Whose chains and scourges still disclose
The blood within the Tudor rose.
Could Cranmer ever hope to bruise
That hydra-headed serpent, whose
Insinuating influence
Turned in the word obedience,
And tempted him, upon his knees,
To tender Caesar Peter’s keys?
He offered Henry heaven’s trust,
Dust bowing down to worship dust.
Yet he, whom Satan had convinced
To put his trust in such a prince
And so provoke his jealous God,
Denying the redeeming blood,
Was chosen, judged, and justified,
In the same blood that he denied.
So Cranmer, who betrayed the Lord,
Was brought to glory through his Word
As, through the medium of a dream,
the Word in him redeemed the time.
His faith, denied and found again,
Held fast in that foul Oxford rain
Where, chained and bound by pious friars,
He thrust his right hand in their fires
And crying out in fits and starts
Burnt his best sermon on their hearts.
News and Updates
Save the date:
Interfaith Seder -April 7, 2022 – 5:15pm On Zoom
Seder-in-a-Box Food and Materials will be available for sale in advance.
This Zoom Seder will have the theme “Historical Development of the Seder Through the Ages.” It will be participatory and traditional. The special ritual foods for the seder are available for purchase, as is a traditional Passover meal.
Contact – Jack Mintzer, Congregation Agudat Achim
518-393-9211 – eddirector@agudatachim.org
Intergenerational Easter Egg Scavenger Hunt – Mark your calendars and plan on joining us after the 9:30 service on Sunday, March 27 for a special coffee hour and egg hunt extravaganza for ALL ages! We will split into two teams, follow clues around the church, and finally complete a puzzle together to finish the fun!
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 Daily Prayers as best we can: james.ross.mcd@gmail.com.
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 Becky for the link: becky.holder@gmail.com).
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.
Masks are optional for all gatherings at the church.
Our office email is: office@st-stephens.church.
Our goal is for all of us to stay in touch and connected.
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.