Morning Prayer Every Day on Facebook Live;
An Experiment with Evening Prayer on Zoom.
FR. DAVID’S BLOG OF 4/24/2020 — Saying Morning Prayer is an activity I look forward to each day during this stay at home time. I am saying Morning Prayer on Facebook Live every morning (yes, every morning) at 7:00 AM. This is one small way that I am able to connect with members of SsAM but also folks I do not know who are joining us for daily prayer. I encourage you to join me for Morning Prayer if you have access to a computer or tablet when you are able to.
Also, I am offering worship services on Sunday at 10:00 a.m., also on Facebook Live.
The daily recitation of the psalms and the reading of the scriptures from the Old and New Testaments have been profoundly timely during these times, especially the readings for Holy Week. The Psalms have been timely as they have offered a mixture of lament as well as hope that God is present in the midst of so much uncertainty.
This week there is talk from President Trump to get America back to work again soon which is contrary to the medical doctors who are advising him to not move too fast. In my mind, this rush to get back to what was normal is not going to happen, and we might never return to life as we knew it before the onset of COVID-19. This reality is painful and difficult to comprehend as many of us long for some type of stability in the midst of the pandemic.
These are difficult and painful times for many people around the country and the world who have lost loved ones and friends to COVID-19 as well as for those have lost their jobs. The suffering is palpable and is overwhelming. And yet this crisis is inviting us to have a discussion about what it means to be church, which may likely mean more than Sunday morning gatherings. This gets me back to prayer.
Evening Prayer, Mondays and Thursdays at 5:00 p.m. using Zoom.us video conferencing.
I invite you to join me via Zoom.us for Evening Prayer. Click here to learn how you can participate in Evening Prayer from your computer, tablet, or phone. I hope you will join us! Most of us will be able to see one another in real time as we pray together, and everyone will be able to hear each other. This is a way for us to be church even when we are not physically together. Again, this is using the Zoom.us app, not Facebook Live.
Peace,
Fr. David
Click here to learn about our video worship services.
Prayer for People Critically Ill or Facing Great Uncertainty
God of the present moment,
God who in Jesus stills the storm
and soothes the frantic heart;
bring hope and courage to all
who wait or work in uncertainty.
Bring hope that you will make them the equal
of whatever lies ahead.
Bring them courage to endure what cannot be avoided,
for your will is health and wholeness;
you are God, and we need you.
-Adapted from New Zealand Prayer Book, p. 765
