Evening Prayer, anticipating St Michael and All Angels, Sept. 27, 7 p.m.

The livestream may be found here.

An online copy of the order of worship is available here.

The Holy Communion on the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost, 10:30 a.m.

The livestream may be found here.

An online version of the bulletin can be found here.

Evening Prayer on the Eve of St Matthew's Day: September 20, 7 p.m.

The livestream may be found here.

The order of worship may be accessed here.

Sermon for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, September 17

When Peter asks Jesus how many times he should forgive his brother who sins against him, he thinks that seven is an incredibly extravagant mercy. Imagine his consternation when Jesus says, seventy-seven times (or seventy times seven, as some translations of the Bible have it.) This does not mean that Peter is to count to seventy-seven, and then to not forgive the seventy-eighth, or even the four hundred ninety-first, time. Jesus is proclaiming the heart of God his Father, his mercy beyond extravagance. 

The Holy Communion on the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, 10:30 a.m.

The livestream may be found here.

You may access a copy of the worship bulletin here.

Evening Prayer on the Eve of Holy Cross Day, Wednesday, Sept. 13, 7 p.m.

Please find the livestream here.

An order of worship may be found here.

Sermon for the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 18A)

'The word ‘corporate’ has to do with the body, for the Latin word ‘corpus’ means ‘body.’ This is why we refer to the statue of the crucified Christ as the ‘corpus.’ When our worship book names a service ‘corporate confession and forgiveness,’ it makes the point that what is happening is the bringing of the parts of the body back into healthy relation.'

 

The Holy Communion on the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost, 10:30 a.m.

The livestream may be found here.

An order of worship may be found here.

Sermon for the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 17, Year A)

'Now for most of us, who have been raised from childhood in the Christian faith, this is what a Messiah does. He dies and is raised from the dead. What could be easier to understand? But we’ve heard this Scripture so many times that we cannot possibly understand what a shock and a scandal this must have been to the disciples.'

Academy String Quartet at St Stephen, Friday, September 8, 7:30 p.m.

Check out WQED-FM 89.3 on Wednesday, September 6 at 8:10 a.m. for an interview with music director Warren Davidson, and get your tickets for Friday's performance! We are excited to be partnering with Academy Concerts.

The Holy Communion on the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost, 10:30 a.m.

The livestream may be found here.

An online copy of the order of worship may be found here.

Sunday worship time moves to 10:30!

Don't forget that this Sunday, September 3, worship returns to a 10:30 a.m. start time. Get here a little bit early and hear wonderful music! Blessings to all!

Join the Choir!

St Stephen choir season begins on Sunday, Sept. 10. 

Rehearsals are at 9:30 on Sunday, beginning September 3, followed by the 10:30 worship service.

You may email Doug Starr at Douglaspstarr@gmail.com with questions or for more information.

 

St Stephen Supports Water Mission: Walk for Water Pittsburgh 2023

 

 

St. Stephen is supporting the 2023 Pittsburgh Walk for Water. 

 

The walk will be at 10 a.m. on Saturday, October 7^th at Millvale Riverfront Park, Pittsburgh, PA.

 

 

• We are collecting bottled water and snacks for participants on the day of the walk.  Donations can be placed by the large table in the Narthex. 

 

• If you are interested in being a part of the St. Stephen Walk for Water team, you can sign up here:  https://rb.gy/jre85

 

• Don’t want to walk?  No problem.  The Walk for Water planning committee is looking for help with set up and walker registrations the day of the walk.  Contact Karen Colussi at karen.colussi@comcast.net for details.

 

• Care to donate?  We would love your support. https://rb.gy/openy

Sermon for the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 16A)

 'Many people might find it presumptuous, not to say blasphemous, for a human being to speak for God. And yet that’s what a pastor claims to be doing when, in the context of the rite of confession and absolution, she or he declares that a person’s sins are forgiven in the name of the Triune God.'

The Holy Communion on the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, 9:30 a.m.

 

The livestream may be found here.

An order of worship may be accessed here.

PLEASE NOTE: Next week, Sunday worship time reverts to 10:30 a.m.

Sermon on the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 15, Year A)

‘Oh, it is a living, busy, active, mighty thing, this faith. And so it is impossible for it not to do good works incessantly. It does not ask whether there are good works to do, but before the question rises, it has already done them, and is always at the doing of them…

…Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that a man would stake his life on it a thousand times. This confidence in God’s grace and knowledge of it makes men glad and bold and happy in dealing with God and all His creatures.'

- Martin Luther

The Holy Communion on the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, 9:30 a.m.

The livestream may be found here.

A copy of the service bulletin may be found here.

The Holy Communion on the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost, 9:30 a.m.

The livestream may be found here.

An order of worship may be found here.

The Holy Communion on the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost, 9:30 a.m.

The livestream may be found here.

A copy of the order of worship may be accessed here.

The Holy Communion on the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost, 9:30 a.m.

The livestream may be found here.

A copy of the order of worship may be accessed here.

Sermon, July 9, 2023: Proper 9 Year A

 ' We can see the difference between Jesus’ burdens and the burdens of oppression other powers would lay upon us. Jesus says to his disciples, ‘Come to me; take my yoke upon you.’ He is honest that there is a yoke which tethers the disciple to him. Compare and contrast that with the lies of the powers who promise total freedom but which produce only servitude.'

The Holy Communion on the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, 9:30 a.m.

The livestream may be found here.

The order of worship may be accessed here.

No live-stream this morning

Dear friends,

There is no livestream of this morning's service.

The livestream will be back up and running next week.

Grace and peace be with you.

 

Sermon, June 25, 2023

'We stand when the Gospel is read because when the Gospel is read in the midst of us, the living Jesus is addressing us in our time and place. It’s not simply a story about what Jesus did a long time ago, but it is Jesus’ message to us for today.'

The Holy Communion on the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost: June 25, 2023, 9:30 a.m.

The livestream may be found here.

The order of worship may be accessed here.

The Holy Communion on the Second Sunday after Pentecost

The order of worship may be found here.

The livestream may be found here.

Sermon - The Holy Trinity, June 4, 2023

 '(O)ur relation to Jesus is not simply of teacher to student,

but we are given the unimaginable privilege

of ourselves entering into the life of God the Trinity.

By sheer gift, not from any worthiness of our own,

in baptism we become sons and daughters of God the Father,

brothers and sisters of the only-begotten Son of God,

we are anointed with the Holy Spirit who dwells in the Church.'

Read the whole thing.

The Holy Communion on the Feast of the Holy Trinity, 9:30 a.m.

The livestream may be found here.

The order of worship may be found here.

Sermon, May 28, 2023: The Day of Pentecost

'Finally, after the gift is identified,

as it is being developed,

it is shared with others.

Jesus says,

No one after lighting a lamp puts it on a bushel basket, but on a lampstand,

and it gives light to the entire house.

So let your light shine before others that they may see your good works

and glorify your Father who is in heaven.'

Read the whole thing

The Holy Communion on the Day of Pentecost: May 28, 2023, 10:30 a.m.

The livestream may be found here.

Please worship with us! 

A copy of this morning's order of service may be found here.

Evening Prayer: May 24, 2023, 7 p.m.

The livestream may be found here.

The order of service may be accessed here.

Sermon, May 21, 2023: The Ascension of Our Lord

'The ascended, risen Christ, who cannot be contained, whom we cannot pin down, nevertheless is present in his Word and Sacraments. We may show our devotion to him in his poor and needy ones, these who are with us in this place and in other places. When we look at an unlit Paschal Candle, we may be reminded of both of these things. But I would also say that we should be filled with longing.'

Read the whole thing.

The Holy Communion on the Seventh Sunday of Easter (Ascension of Our Lord, Observed), 10:30 a.m.

The livestream may be found here.

Order of Service for the Day

Evening Prayer, May 17, 2023: Erik, King and Martyr, 1160 (transferred from May 18)

The livestream may be found here.

Link to the order of service

Sermon for the Sixth Sunday of Easter: May 14, 2023

'Paul’s appeal worked, the Gospel bore fruit, even in the place where Greek philosophy held sway. And it bore fruit because Paul came to common ground with his hearers, piqued their curiosity, and made his confession, encouraging them that what he was saying really wasn’t so different after all. They could then see, if they had the vision to do so, that the confrontation to which they were called was not a face-off with an angry man, but with a merciful, just, and loving God.'

The entire sermon may be read here.

The Holy Communion on the Sixth Sunday of Easter: May 14, 2023, 10:30 a.m.

 

The livestream may be found here.

You may access the order of service here.

Evening Prayer: Wednesday, May 10, 7 p.m.

The livestream may be found here.

The order of worship may be accessed by clicking here.

“O God, of your goodness, give me yourself, for you are enough for me… If I do ask anything less, I shall always be in want. Only in you I have all.” - Julian of Norwich (1343-1416), Anchoress

Julian lived in Norwich, England during the dark days of the Black Death in Europe. Falling ill at age 30, Julian experienced a series of visions so profound that she devoted the remainder of her life to contemplating them. Julian recorded these visions and mediations in a book titled Revelations of Divine Love and her writings are the earliest known works in English by a female author. Julian lived in a small cell on the side of the Norwich cathedral, keeping only a cat for company. She devoted her life to prayer and meditation and discipled those who sought her counsel and wisdom. (From 'Our Church Speaks' on Facebook)

Sermon for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, May 7, 2023

'These images (for the Church) of body and temple are important for us today, but they might be hard for us to understand. In our age of what the philosophers call ‘the sovereign self’ we have almost completely rejected the idea that meaning in life is to be found beyond the satisfaction of individual desires, the exercise of our individual freedoms, the achievement of individual goals, and the fulfillment of individual aspirations... It is almost as if we believe that a field full of separated, disparate, disjointed rocks is a more beautiful and noble thing than a place where the stones are molded and shaped and joined together into a place fit for habitation.'

Click here to read the entire sermon.

The Holy Communion on the Fifth Sunday of Easter: May 7, 2023, 10:30 a.m.

 

The livestream may be found here.

You may view a copy of the worship bulletin here.

The Holy Communion on the Fourth Sunday of Easter: April 30, 2023, 10:30 a.m.

The livestream may be found here.

You may view a copy of the worship bulletin here.

Evening Prayer: Wednesday, April 26, 2023, 7 p.m.

The livestream may be found here.

Please access today's order of worship by clicking here.

Daily Bible Readings: Wednesday, April 26, 2023

 

O God of mystery, out of death you delivered Christ Jesus, and he walked in hidden glory with his disciples. Stir up our faith, that our hearts may burn within us at the sound of his word, and our eyes be opened to recognize him in the breaking of the bread. Grant this through Jesus Christ, the first-born from the dead, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

The Holy Communion on the Third Sunday of Easter: April 23, 2023, 10:30 a.m.

The livestream may be found here.

You may view a copy of the worship bulletin here.

Daily Bible Readings: Sunday, April 23, 2023

  

O God of mystery, out of death you delivered Christ Jesus, and he walked in hidden glory with his disciples. Stir up our faith, that our hearts may burn within us at the sound of his word, and our eyes be opened to recognize him in the breaking of the bread. Grant this through Jesus Christ, the first-born from the dead, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Daily Bible Readings: Friday, April 21, 2023

  

God of life, source of all faith, through the waters of baptism you have raised us up in Jesus and given us life that endures. Day by day refine our faith, that we who have not seen the Christ may truly confess him as our Lord and God, and share the blessedness of those who believe; through Jesus Christ, the Resurrection and the Life, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

  Amen

Daily Bible Readings: Thursday, April 20, 2023

  

God of life, source of all faith, through the waters of baptism you have raised us up in Jesus and given us life that endures. Day by day refine our faith, that we who have not seen the Christ may truly confess him as our Lord and God, and share the blessedness of those who believe; through Jesus Christ, the Resurrection and the Life, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

  Amen

Evening Prayer - Olavus and Laurentius Petri, Renewers of the Church: April 19, 2023, 7 p.m.

The livestream may be found here.

Please access today's order of worship by clicking here.

Daily Bible Readings: Wednesday, April 19, 2023

God of life, source of all faith, through the waters of baptism you have raised us up in Jesus and given us life that endures. Day by day refine our faith, that we who have not seen the Christ may truly confess him as our Lord and God, and share the blessedness of those who believe; through Jesus Christ, the Resurrection and the Life, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

  Amen

Psalm 1

READINGS

                Daniel 2:17-30

                1 John 2:12-17

                John 17:20-26

LORD'S PRAYER

APOSTLES' CREED

Martin Luther's Morning Prayer:

I thank you, heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ your dear Son,

that you have kept me this night from all harm and danger.

I ask you to keep me this day, also, from sin and every evil,

that my thoughts, words, and deeds may serve and please you.

Into your hands I commend my body and soul and all things.

Let your angel be with me,

that the evil one have no power over me. Amen

OR - 

Martin Luther's Evening Prayer

I thank you, heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ your dear Son,

that you have graciously kept me this day.

I ask you to forgive me my sins and the wrong I have done,

and graciously to keep me this night.

Into your hands I commend my body and soul and all things.

Let your angel be with me,

that the evil one have no power over me. Amen

Sermon - Second Sunday of Easter

 'Jesus addresses [Thomas,], not with anger, but with love. Jesus comes to him not in overpowering strength, but in weakness. ‘Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.’ The one who inherits the earth, the Lord of all, is meekest of all. He comes to Thomas and he makes himself vulnerable, just as he’d made himself vulnerable to the lepers, to the disciples, to the crowds, to the religious leaders and the soldiers, all the way to the cross. He invites Thomas to see and touch and to believe.'

Daily Bible Readings: Tuesday, April 18, 2023

 

God of life, source of all faith, through the waters of baptism you have raised us up in Jesus and given us life that endures. Day by day refine our faith, that we who have not seen the Christ may truly confess him as our Lord and God, and share the blessedness of those who believe; through Jesus Christ, the Resurrection and the Life, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

  Amen

Daily Bible Readings: Monday, April 17, 2023

God of life, source of all faith, through the waters of baptism you have raised us up in Jesus and given us life that endures. Day by day refine our faith, that we who have not seen the Christ may truly confess him as our Lord and God, and share the blessedness of those who believe; through Jesus Christ, the Resurrection and the Life, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

  Amen

The Holy Communion on the Second Sunday of Easter: April 16, 2023, 10:30 a.m.

 The livestream may be found here.

Thomas and Jesus, from the baptistry altar of the German Church in Stockholm

Daily Bible Readings - The Second Sunday of Easter, April 16, 2023

God of life, source of all faith, through the waters of baptism you have raised us up in Jesus and given us life that endures. Day by day refine our faith, that we who have not seen the Christ may truly confess him as our Lord and God, and share the blessedness of those who believe; through Jesus Christ, the Resurrection and the Life, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

  Amen

Daily Bible Readings - Saturday in Bright Week: April 15, 2023

   

O God, you gave your only Son to suffer death on the cross for our redemption, and by his glorious resurrection you delivered us from the power of death. Make us die every day to sin, so that we may live with him forever in the joy of the resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.   

Daily Bible Readings: Friday in Bright Week, April 14, 2023

   

O God, you gave your only Son to suffer death on the cross for our redemption, and by his glorious resurrection you delivered us from the power of death. Make us die every day to sin, so that we may live with him forever in the joy of the resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.   

Daily Bible Readings: Thursday in Bright Week, April 13, 2023

  

O God, you gave your only Son to suffer death on the cross for our redemption, and by his glorious resurrection you delivered us from the power of death. Make us die every day to sin, so that we may live with him forever in the joy of the resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.   

Evening Prayer, Wednesday, April 12, 2023, 7:30 p.m.

 The livestream may be found here.

EVENING PRAYER

Vespers

(Lutheran Book of Worship, page 142)

Commemoration of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Teacher, Martyr, 1945 (transferred from Apr 9)

Daily Bible Readings: Wednesday in Bright Week: April 12, 2023

 

O God, you gave your only Son to suffer death on the cross for our redemption, and by his glorious resurrection you delivered us from the power of death. Make us die every day to sin, so that we may live with him forever in the joy of the resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.   

Daily Bible Readings: Tuesday in Bright Week, April 11, 2023

O God, you gave your only Son to suffer death on the cross for our redemption, and by his glorious resurrection you delivered us from the power of death. Make us die every day to sin, so that we may live with him forever in the joy of the resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.   

Sermon - Easter Sunday: April 9, 2023

'It is at that point, when we understand our condition, face-to-face with our reality as it is and not as we wish it were, then we are at the point that we can hear the good news,that though we thought Jesus was dead, it is not so. Like the women, we hear the voice of a messenger, not for us an angel, but like for all others after the women, the voice of a flesh-and-blood human being saying he is not here; he is risen!'

The Holy Communion on Easter Sunday, April 9, 2023, 10:30 a.m.

The livestream may be found here.

Daily Bible Readings: Easter Sunday, April 9, 2023

O God, you gave your only Son to suffer death on the cross for our redemption, and by his glorious resurrection you delivered us from the power of death. Make us die every day to sin, so that we may live with him forever in the joy of the resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.   

Daily Bible Readings: Holy Saturday (before the Easter Vigil), April 8, 2023

O God, creator of heaven and earth, grant that as the crucified body of your dear Son was laid in the tomb and rested on the Holy Sabbath, so we may await with him the coming of the third day, and rise with him to newness of life, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. 

Daily Bible Readings: Good Friday, April 7, 2023

 

Almighty God, we ask you to look with mercy on your family, for who our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed and to be given over to the hands of sinners and to suffer death on the cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

The Holy Communion on Maundy Thursday, April 6, 2023, 7:30 p.m.

The livestream may be found here.

Daily Bible Readings: Maundy Thursday, April 6, 2023

 

Holy God, source of all love, on the night of his betrayal, Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment: To love one another as he had loved us. By your Holy Spirit, write this commandment in our hearts; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.   

Evening Prayer: Holy Wednesday, April 5, 2023

The livestream may be found here.

EVENING PRAYER

for Holy Wednesday

Vespers

(Lutheran Book of Worship, p. 142)

Daily Bible Readings: Wednesday, April 5, 2023

Everlasting God, in your endless love for the human race you sent our Lord Jesus Christ to take on our nature and to suffer death on the cross. In your mercy enable us to share in his obedience to your will and in the glorious victory of his resurrection, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.