It was 19 years ago that I first wrote the phrase, "Come summer with me, Lord..." I've tweaked this text a number of times over the years but it remains (and continues to become) one of my favorites... I offer it again this morning on the first day of summer 2026...
I remember childhood
summers
that seemed without horizon:
a time and place as close to
heaven
as any young
heart might hope to dream...
A child’s summer, filled with joy,
comes as gift from God;
a wondrous, timeless season
a wondrous, timeless season
of unending sun and fun
- perpetual play!
And who but you, O Lord,
might offer such a gift?
But where have childhood summers gone?
Have I lost my hope
in summer's peace and promise?
If I don't believe in
summer
- how can I hope for heaven -
where summer's joy
must surely never end;
Heaven:
where summer's sweet and timeless peace
heals every other
season's grief...
Come, summer with me, Lord,
come, summer with me
deep down in my soul…
Restore
my faith in summer’s time,
in
rest, in joy, in play, in you...
Come,
summer in my heart, Lord,
and
dwell there as
if summertime
would never ever fade or end,
as
if all time were child's time,
eternal time,
when school is always out
- and
joy is ever in...
Come, summer with me, Lord,
come, summer with me
deep down in my soul…
In
these long-awaited days, O Lord,
slow me down and give me time
slow me down and give me time
to be alone with you,
extra
time to seek and find you
always by my side...
Let
any summer doldrums calm
and call me to
a place of prayer,
of
meeting you again,
bumping into you, Lord,
on the streets of my vacation...
bumping into you, Lord,
on the streets of my vacation...
Come, summer with me, Lord,
come, summer with me
deep down in my soul…
Help
me relax, O Lord,
and find a place of peace
and find a place of peace
as when you
took your own rest,
leaving the crowds behind
and climbing to a mountain top,
leaving the crowds behind
and climbing to a mountain top,
or walking in the desert,
or sailing 'cross the waters
or sailing 'cross the waters
to find a quiet shore
where you could find some time for rest
in quiet groves
and in the blessed silence
find a place to pray...
Come, summer with me, Lord,
come, summer with me
come, summer with me
deep down in my soul…
Slow
me down, Lord!
Let the busyness that rules me
and the work that owns my time
and the work that owns my time
settle
to a pace that lets me be
- alone with you -
in a place where my heart speaks to yours
and your heart speaks to mine
- alone with you -
in a place where my heart speaks to yours
and your heart speaks to mine
where
in the silence, I can hear
the whisper of your
word...
Come, summer with me, Lord,
come, summer with me
deep down in my soul…
And if my summer's crowded, Lord,
with work and things to do;
if vacation time is really short
if vacation time is really short
or simply not
in sight;
if my problems bear down hard
if my problems bear down hard
like the season's
noonday sun
- even then, especially
then -
come summer with me,
Lord,
come summer deep down in my
soul...
When the sun comes up at morning,
when the stars shine bright all night,
when the temperature is rising
and when soft rains fall upon me:
Come, summer with me, Lord,
come, summer with me
deep down in my soul…
come, summer with me
deep down in my soul…
Send Us Your Spirit by Dan Schutte
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Send us your spirit, O Lord.
Evening enfolds us and holds us too near.
Wake the morning light. Make our living bright.
Shine on our darkness, O Lord
Teach us your wisdom, O Lord.
Shadows have clouded, have crowded our sight.
Give us hearts that see. Set our loving free.
Hear us and help us, O Lord.
Send us good summer, O Lord.
Winters have chilled us and stilled us too long.
Give us love's own fire. Be our true desire.
Send us your spirit, O Lord.
