Noah and Kyle - my friends in dangerous places - and a bit from the Prayer Book.

For some reason  the following words from the 1662 (or maybe 1552/1549)  English Book of Common Prayer have been in my mind all day:

"And we most humbly beseech thee, of thy goodness, O Lord, to comfort and succor and all those who, in this transitory life, are in trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, or any other adversity."

It's been many moons ago since I heard or used these old-fangled words in church. 

Yet they have been in my mind for new-fangled concerns for my friends who are in dangerous places.

There is Kyle.  I got to know him when he and his mother worked in one of our local supermarkets. They were both amongst the cheeriest and most efficient workers there.

Now Kyle is in the United States Air Force.  He is serving a six month stint in Afghanistan.  I worry and pray for him every day.



There is Noah.  He is the oldest child of my very good Cambridge friends Elizabeth Keller and her husband the Revd. Steve Bonsey (they - and their other children Sam, Josiah and Annie -  were part of the parish community at St. James's Episcopal Church in Porter Square, Cambridge) .

I hooked up  again with Noah, and his fiancé Zehra, last year when they both lived in Tampa FL.

I hope to attend their wedding in Virginia later this year.

In the meantime Noah is enjoying his dream job as an analyst with the International Crisis Group ( http://www.crisisgroup.org/ )

This is a dream job which requires him to live in Beirut, Lebanon.   I worry and pray for him every day.

Back to the Prayer Book: "And we most humbly beseech thee, of thy goodness, O Lord, to comfort and succor and all those who, in this transitory life, are in trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, or any other adversity."

Please pray with me for Kyle and Noah who live and work in the shadows of  "any other adversity."


 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Shoe insults

Last year I consulted with a local podiatrist: Dr. Robert F Herbold Jr. D.P.M. 4717 Swift Rd., Sarasota , FL – 34231  because I was being bothered with a couple of bunions  (yes I am at that age). I was very impressed with this Doctor.  He agreed that I had bunions, but he ventured that it was much too soon for surgery. (Now there’s a first). Instead he recommended some “arch supports” to relieve the tension for my feet, a tension which was exacerbating the bunions. What’s more -  he told me that he sells these arch supports at the miserly sum of $2.50 each (about 1/5 of the price in the local pharmacies). He is an honest man, and I recommend him to anyone with foot problems. So, a couple of weeks ago, having purchased some new walking shoes, I knew that I needed to buy a couple of new arch supports I took myself to his office. Once there, my mind went blank. I wanted to ask his front desk Clerk if I could buy some “shoe inserts” , as I could not rem...
Read more

It began in Bristol U.K. "A man dies" and "Jesus Christ Superstar"

Image
I well remember the swirling controversy in Bristol, U.K. when a (Presbyterian) Minister the Revd, Earnest Marviin created a ":Rock Opera", called "A Man Dies"  in and for his congregation in the Lockleaze area of Bristol, U.K. Earnest Mrvin I was a sixteen years old member of the Plymouth Brethren Church back in those days, so I most likely disapproved of "A Man Dies" .  We, (the Plymouth Brethren),  disapproved of everything! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I had forgotten all about "A Man Dies" until earlier today when saw these pictures on the "Bristol, Then and Now"  Facebook page.   St. James Presbyterian Church, Lockleaze, Bristol  The Bristol Then and Now page includes the following commentary: Lockleaze, Bristol  -  'Jesus Christ Superstar' began at St.James (Presbyterian) Chur...
Read more

The background, the couple, my friends, the wedding ceremony, the Shaykh, the Priest,

Image
The background   I have known the Keller/Bonsey family since 2000 when I became the Rector at St. James's, Cambridge, MA. They (Elisabeth Keller and the Revd. Steven Bonsey with their four children Noah, Sam, Josiah and Annie) had come back to Cambridge from Hawaii where Steve had been the Rector of an Episcopal parish. Steve had just been appointed as a Chaplain at Tufts University (no Sunday morning duties) so the entire family was able to enrich our common life at St. James's - which they did with great love and joy. I count them as friends and have stayed in touch with them since my retirement.  Noah, the oldest son is eloquent in Arabic (he spent a year in Damascus when Syria was a safe place).  He has developed a super career as an analyst of social media in the near East.    Noah worked in Tampa for a while a few years ago, so he and I were a...
Read more