St. Alban's Episcopal Church, El Cajon, CA

09/15/2026

Good night friends and neighbors, let us pray together ...

We thank you, Lord, for the today and all we’ve experienced. We pray that as we lay our heads to sleep tonight, may Your eyes, Lord guide and protect us, keeping us safe throughout the vulnerable hours of the night. Amen

09/15/2026

09/15/2026

A prayer to slow down and be.
Slow us down O God, slow us down.
From the need to be needed, slow us down.
From the drive to be busy, slow us down.
From the many small things, slow us down.
From the idol of doing, slow us down.
From the meandering of mind, slow us down.
From the voice of restlessness, slow us down.
Slow us down O God, slow us down.
Slow us down, to be still,
And know that you are God.
Slow us down. Amen.

09/14/2026

Finding Refuge

You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm. Isaiah 25:4

My wife and I once stayed in a lovely old seaside hotel with large sash windows and thick stone walls. One afternoon, a storm ripped through the region, churning up the sea and pounding our windows like angry fists on a door. Yet we were at peace.

Those walls were so strong, and the hotel’s foundations so solid! While storms raged outside, our room was a refuge.

Refuge is an important theme in Scripture, starting with God Himself. “You have been a refuge for the poor,” Isaiah says of God, “a refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm” (Isaiah 25:4). In addition, refuge is something God’s people were and are to provide, whether through Israel’s ancient cities of refuge (Numbers 35:6) or by offering hospitality to “foreigners” in need (Deuteronomy 10:19). These same principles can guide us today when humanitarian crises hit our world. In such times, we pray that the God of refuge would use us, His people, to help the vulnerable find safety.

The storm that hit our hotel was gone the following morning, leaving us with a calm sea and a warm sun that made the seagulls glow. It’s an image I hold on to as I think of those facing natural disasters or fleeing “ruthless” regimes (Isaiah 25:4): that the God of refuge would empower us to help them find safety now and a brighter tomorrow.

By Sheridan Voysey2022

Thoughts ...
When have you taken “refuge” in God or found it through His people? How can you play a part in helping those facing a crisis today?

09/14/2026

Dear God,
Some days, some weeks
we struggle to serve you.

We are flat out of steam.
We are grieving
for lost colleagues,
friends and family.

We lament decisions
by authorities and
individuals.

We wonder at the rise
of certain kinds
of people.

We know too well
why your gifted ones
languish.

We are dismayed,
disheartened,
flat out of steam.

Our fires burn too low
to keep us
going.

We need you, Lord Jesus,
and the gasp
of recognition.

We need you, Great Spirit,
and the heat of
Holy Flame.

We need you, God of all,
for the stoking
of our hearts.

Light your fire in us
and under us,
we pray.

Amen.

Author unknown

Image is of abandoned French Church