Author: ccjones1295

Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church

Saint Stephen’s Daily Prayers, Saturday, August 15, 2020
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: The Festal Menaion

Come, O gathering of those who love to keep the feasts,
come and let us form a choir.
Come, let us crown the Church with songs,
as the Ark of God goes to her rest.

For today is heaven opened wide as it receives
the Mother of Him who cannot be contained.
The Earth, as it yields up the source of Life,
is robed in blessing and majesty.

The host of angels,
present with the fellowship of the apostles,
gaze in great fear at her who bore the Cause of life,
now that she is translated from life to life.

Let us all venerate and implore her:
Forget not, O Lady, thy ties of kinship with us all!

   -Hymn from Vespers for the Feast of the Dormition 

Today is the Feast of Saint Mary the Virgin, Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Mary, a young Galilean woman of Nazareth, was engaged to a man named Joseph. One day, according to the Gospel of Luke, she was visited by the angel Gabriel, who was sent by God. The angel said unto her, “Hail, thou that art highly favored! The Lord is with thee.” After calming her fears Gabriel announced that she would conceive and bear a son named Jesus, who would be called ‘the Son of the most High.”

Mary was troubled by this news. Her life would be in danger because she was as yet unmarried. The angel assured her that she would conceive by the power of the Holy Spirit, and that nothing is impossible with God. And so, Mary responded in faith: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord! Let it be with me according to thy word.”

It was in the space created by Mary’s faith – and not simply in her womb – that the Word became flesh. For this reason, she is called not only the Mother of Jesus but Mother of the Church. In the past it was common to emphasize the uniqueness of Mary – her being above and beyond the ordinary conditions of humanity – which, in a way, stressed the divinity of her Son. More recently there is a new emphasis on her status as a woman of the people and her solidarity with the rest of humanity – a woman rooted in the faith and struggles of her people, subject to the cruelties of the world, and an heir to the ancient hope for deliverance and salvation, which, in a way, emphasizes her Son’s humanity. All theology and beliefs about Mary, in some way, are meant to point to the mystery of the incarnation in her Son Jesus.

For him, every knee should bend in heaven and on earth and under the earth.
For her, on this day, in thanksgiving for her faith and witness may all creatures in heaven and on earth and under the earth hail Mary!

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 her husband, Donald (names are rotated daily from the “Prayer Chain List” – if you have people for whom you would like us to pray, please contact Suzanne Taylor- popage@aol.com or 518-393-9035; Louise – peakelouise@gmail or 374-0480).

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, Joe

For all the blessings of this life.

For our dioceses in the Anglican Communion: Oke-Osun (Nigeria), Bukedi (Uganda), Katsina (Nigeria).

For all who have died: especially Justin, Scott, William, Elmer, Marilyn.

For one another.

Something to share: Sing we of the blessed Mother

Sing we of the blessed Mother who received the angel’s word,
And obedient to the summons bore in love the infant Lord;
Sing we of the joys of Mary at whose breast the child was fed
Who is Son of God eternal and the everlasting Bread.

Sing we, too, of Mary’s sorrows, of the sword that pierced her through,
When beneath the cross of Jesus she his weight of suffering knew,
Looked upon her Son and Savior reigning from the awful tree,
Saw the price of our redemption paid to set the sinner free.

Sing again the joys of Mary when she saw the risen Lord,
And in prayer with Christ’s apostles, waited on his promised word;
From on high the blazing glory of the Spirit’s presence came,
Heavenly breath of God’s own being, manifest in wind and flame.

Sing the chiefest joy of Mary when on earth her work was done,
And the Lord of all creation brought her to his heavenly home;
Where, raised high with saints and angels, in Jerusalem above,
She beholds her Son and Savior reigning as the Lord of love.

• Hymnal 1982, #278; George B. Timms

News & Updates

Chris Jones is back doing the Messenger! Thank you Chris! For the last 50 years the Messenger has been “a means of communicating church news and views” (quoted from the first Messenger, September, 1970). Please send ‘news & views’ to Chris jonesc@union.edu by August 20th for the September newsletter. Thank you.

Tomorrow morning August 16th at 9:00am, join us for the celebration of Holy Eucharist at St. Stephen’s Church. To help you understand what to expect please click on this link: https://youtu.be/2iu_mbwXF4s.

Tomorrow morning, August 16th 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.

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.

Remember – Dennie and I are here. Please keep us posted on how you are doing. 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+

James Ross McDonald
rector, St. Stephen’s Episcopal
Schenectady, NY

Saint Stephen’s Daily Prayers, Friday, August 14, 2020

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

Half-starved of soul and heartsick utterly,
Yet lift I up my heart and soul and eyes
(Which fail in looking upward) toward the prize:
Me, Lord, Thou seest though I see not Thee;
Me now, as once the Thief in Paradise,
Even now, O Lord my Lord, remember me.

   -   Christina Rossetti, 1894 

Christina Rossetti was a prominent nineteenth century poet who is acknowledged with a feast day in the Episcopal Church on April 27th. She produced a great wealth of poetry – with over 500 poems dealing with obviously Christian themes and subjects. The Christmas carols “In the bleak midwinter” and “Love came down at Christmas” take their lyrics from her words. Christina was a part of an artistic family; her father was a poet and her brother was a poet and painter.

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: Dave Crates’ parents, Charles, Joe, Doug, Debbie, Cindi, Doug, Hugh, Debby, Joan, Hank, Joan (names are rotated daily from the “Prayer Chain List” – if you have people for whom you would like us to pray, please contact Suzanne Taylor- popage@aol.com or 518-393-9035; Louise – peakelouise@gmail or 374-0480).

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, Joe

For all the blessings of this life.

For our dioceses in the Anglican Communion: Oke-Ogun (Nigeria), Bukavu (Congo).

For all who have died: especially Justin, Scott, William, Elmer, Marilyn.

For one another.

Something to share

The road in the end taking the
path the sun had taken,
into the western sea, and the
moon rising behind you
as you stood where ground
turning to ocean: no way
to your future now but the way
your shadow could take,
walking before you across
water, going where shadows go,

no way to make sense of a
world that wouldn’t let you pass
except to call an end to the
way you had come,

to take out each frayed letter
you had brought
and light their illumined
corners; and to read
them as they drifted on the
western light:

to empty your bags; to sort this
and to leave that;
to promise what you needed to
promise all along,

and to abandon the shoes that
had brought you here
right to the water’s edge, not
because you had given up
but because now, you would
find a different way to tread,
and because, through it all,
part of you would still walk on,
no matter how, over the waves.

  ~David Whyte 

Yom Kippur Sonnet, with a Line from Lamentations

Can a person atone for pure bewilderment?
For hyperbole? for being wrong
In a thousand categorical opinions?
For never opening her mouth, except too soon?

For ignoring, all week long, the waning moon
Retreating from its haunt above the local canyons,
Signaling her season to repent,
Then deflecting her repentance with a song?

Because the rest is just too difficult to face–
What we are–I mean–in all its meagerness–
The way we stint on any modicum of kindness–
What we allow ourselves–what we don’t learn–
How each lapsed, unchanging year resigns us–
Return us, Lord, to you, and we’ll return.

   - Jacqueline Osherow 

News & Updates

The recent massive explosion at a warehouse in Beirut killed hundreds of people, injured thousands, and left approximately 300,000 people homeless. All Saints Episcopal Church in Beirut, located about a mile from the blast, was damaged but not destroyed. The Anglican Archbishop of Jerusalem, The Most Reverend Suheil Dawani, has issued an appeal to the international partners of the Diocese of Jerusalem for contributions in support of a relief effort. Donations towards this appeal will allow the Diocese of Jerusalem to make repairs to All Saints as well as to engage in a larger outreach effort to those members of the communities in Beirut most stricken by this tragedy. Thank you for any gift you are able to give.

You can write a check payable to St. Stephen’s Church and add “August Outreach” on the memo line, and mail it to us at the Church Office:

St. Stephen’s Church Outreach
1229 Baker Ave
Schenectady, NY 12309

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.

Remember – Dennie and I are here. Please keep us posted on how you are doing.

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+

James Ross McDonald
rector, St. Stephen’s Episcopal
Schenectady, NY

Saint Stephen’s Daily Prayers, Wednesday, August 12, 2020

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

To Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love
All pray in their distress;
And to these virtues of delight
Return their thankfulness.
For Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love
Is God, our father dear,
And Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love
Is Man, his child and care.

For Mercy has a human heart,
Pity a human face,
And Love, the human form divine,
And Peace, the human dress.

Then every man, of every clime,
That prays in his distress,
Prays to the human form divine,
Love, Mercy, Pity, Peace.

And all must love the human form,
In heathen, Turk, or Jew;
Where Mercy, Love, and Pity dwell
There God is dwelling too.

      – William Blake, 1827

William Blake, the poet and artist, was a man out of kilter with his times. Born in London in 1757, he grew up in a culture that prized reason, order, and moderation. For Blake, who from early childhood reported visions of angels, these were values to disdain. Instead of reason he valued the power of imagination. By this, he did not mean simply creative fancy, but insight, the ability to see reality in its full spiritual dimension.

For Blake, his poetry and art were the expression of his own spiritual vision – a protest against everything acceptable in the worlds of art and religion in his day. He deplored the moralism that passed for virtue; the hypocrisy and dogmatism of organized religion; the ugliness and cruelty of industrialism. He was in some sense a spiritual anarchist, a kind of biblical prophet who looked at the world in light of the coming judgment. Perhaps not many who sing ‘And did those feet . . .’ realize what is meant by the ‘arrows of desire’, and that the dark Satanic Mills are probably not just the industrial revolution, which was only beginning, but also a sharp commentary on the state of the Church.

At the very least, those who spend much time in the company of Blake may be influenced to become conscious of the fact that the only way to live is to live in a world that is charged with the presence and reality of God.

On this day, August 12, 1827, at the age of 69, William Blake entered paradise, the holy city, the new Jerusalem, where God wipes away every tear, and where mourning and crying and pain are no more.

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 her husband   (names are rotated daily from the “Prayer Chain List”

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 Woodcock, Vicki Hoshko, Jean Stefanski, Cindi Love, Mary Frances Hatfield, Debbie Trawick, Joe White

For all the blessings of this life.

For our dioceses in the Anglican Communion: Oji River (Nigeria), British Columbia (Canada).

For all who have died:  especially Justin , Scott , William , Elmer , Marilyn .

For one another.

Something to share

Jerusalem

And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon Englands mountains green:
And was the holy Lamb of God,
On Englands pleasant pastures seen!

And did the Countenance Divine,
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here,
Among these dark Satanic Mills?

Bring me my Bow of burning gold:
Bring me my arrows of desire:
Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold!
Bring me my Chariot of fire!

I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand:
Till we have built Jerusalem,
In Englands green & pleasant Land.

       –  William Blake

News & Updates

One thing we’ve been talking about as Schenectady Clergy Against Hate is that Schenectady’s census count is well under 2010 in the midst of COVID. The census that takes place every ten years affects all of us when it comes to government programs, representation and justice. If you haven’t already filled out the census for your household, please do so today at https://my2020census.gov!

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. 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. 

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.

Remember – Dennie and I are here. Please keep us posted on how you are doing. 

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+
—
James Ross McDonald
rector, St. Stephen’s Episcopal
Schenectady, NY

Saint Stephen’s Daily Prayers, Tuesday, August 11, 2020

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

Teach me your ways, O Lord;
make them known to me.
Teach me to live according to your truth,
for you are my God, who saves me.
I always trust in you.

Remember, O Lord, your kindness and constant love
which you have shown from long ago.
Forgive the sins and errors of my youth.
In your constant love and goodness,
remember me, Lord!

Because the Lord is righteous and good,
he teaches sinners the path they should follow.
He leads the humble in the right way
and teaches them his will . . .

Turn to me, Lord, and be merciful to me,
because I am lonely and weak,
Relieve me of my worries
and save me from all my troubles.
Consider my distress and suffering
and forgive all my offenses.

           - Psalm 25:4-9, 16-18 

This psalm, an individual’s prayer, is made up of alternating petitions and expressions of trust. It resembles wisdom literature in its concern with learning and finding the right path, but has the religious concerns of Psalms in its hope for forgiveness and deliverance from distress.

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: Dave Crates’ mom & dad, Charles, Joe, Doug, Debbie, Cindi, Doug, Hugh, Debby, Joan, Hank (names are rotated daily from the “Prayer Chain List” .
For those who are homebound: Stephen Gray, Pauline Northrop, Joan Halstead, Janet Schlansker and Marilyn Causey.

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, Joe

For Timothy Grimason – today is his birthday!

For all the blessings of this life.

For our dioceses in the Anglican Communion: Ohio (The Episcopal Church), Bristol (England, Katanga (Congo). especially For all who have died: especially Justin Northrop, Scott Moss, William Burrows, Elmer Kidder, Marilyn Regula.

For one another.

Something to share

My heart leaps up when I behold
A rainbow in the sky;
So was it when my life began,
So is it now I am a man,
So be it when I shall grow old
Or let me die!

The child is father to the man;
And I could wish my days to be
Bound each to each by natural piety.

   -   William Wordsworth 

News & Updates

Our own Vincent is now Corporal Avila in the New York Army National Guard. Congratulations, Vincent, on your hard-earned recognition.

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.

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.

Remember – Dennie and I are here. Please keep us posted on how you are doing.

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+

James Ross McDonald
rector, St. Stephen’s Episcopal
Schenectady, NY

Saint Stephen’s Daily Prayers, Sunday, August 9, 2020
Staying Safe and Staying Connected

Good Morning Saint Stephen’s Church,
We continue our life of daily prayer. The Lord be with you!
Today is the nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

The Collect for the Day Grant to us, Lord, we pray, the spirit to think and do always those things that are right, that we, who cannot exist without you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Gospel: The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew: Matthew 14:22-33

Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”

Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son 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 Luca, Brittney, Mary Alice, Mia, Wim, Corrie, Doris, Judy, Anne, Louise, Gertrude (names are rotated daily from the “Prayer Chain List”

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 k, Joe.

For Frank – today is his birthday!

For all the blessings of this life.

For our dioceses in the Anglican Communion: Pray for the Province de L’Eglise Anglicane au Rwanda.

For all who have died: especially Justin, Scott, William, Elmer, Marilyn.

For one another.

Something to share

Miracle

It all happened on the water
Jesus’ walking
the fishermen watching
from their boats.

When they picked up their nets
they half expected
a miraculous catch
but it was as ordinary
as the rest of the day.

Only some of them understood.
This is how it always is
with a vision.

Jesus walked on the water
only once.
This wasn’t science.
What was it the fishermen were
supposed to see.
A man moving over the surface
of the sea as if it were
some other substance like ground.

Was this all there was?
Picture yourself
you are out there on the water
you look at the horizon.
You are so used to seeing that part
of the sky it’s become
part of your eyes.
Then you blink, staring
you turn to shake your companion.

This was not what you expected to see.
Not even what you wished for.
What difference does it make
a man walking on the water?

But even so the day
going on as it usually does
is cut with a certain clarity
and you, you feel an inexplicable
happiness, the water
beneath you, the
bright air above.
– Susan Griffen

A Prayer in this time of our Eucharistic Fast

My Jesus, I believe that you are truly present in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. I love you above all things, and long for you in my soul. Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. As though you have already come, I embrace you and unite myself entirely to you; never permit me to be separated from you. Amen.
– St. Alphonsus de Liguori, 1696-1787

News & Updates

This 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: https://youtu.be/2iu_mbwXF4s.

This 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!

Rector’s Homily: https://youtu.be/DMnPwItX4IQ

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.

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.

Remember – Dennie and I are here. Please keep us posted on how you are doing.

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+

James Ross McDonald
Rector, St. Stephen’s Episcopal
Schenectady, NY