A Concord Pastor Comments: NIGHT PRAYER: Thursday 8/25

This prayer is becoming one of my "annual" posts,

one for late August - here's this summer's version...

They say "time marches on," Lord,
- and it certainly does!

The passage of time is inexorable:

time tires me

but nothing tires time...

The march of time is unrelenting, unyielding,

unstoppable and implacable

so, why, Lord,

why am I taken by surprise

that August is almost history,

the summer's winding down

that fall's around the corner,

and Halloween is in the stores...

(I suppose if I didn't find it so hard to believe
that I'm ___ * years old,
I'd find it easier to accept the quickly fading days
of this eighth month of the year...)

Every year, Lord, and every month,
every week and every day,
every hour and every moment,
every minute and every second
brings me that much closer
   to the timeless,
   to my forever,
   to eternity,
   to you...

The grace in this is simple, Lord:
   you are in every moment,
   you are in every hour, week and day,
   you have walked with me
       through all my years
   and have never, not even for a second,
       left my side...

Time marches on, Lord,
   and sometimes I keep up
    and sometimes fall behind
   and sometimes I just stop
       in the middle of it all
but even then, time keeps its pace:
   an eternal tide,
   sweeping me from my life's shores
       out to the endless ocean
           of the mystery of your love,
           of your patient, always merciful
                and timeless love for me...

All time is yours

and in your kindness, Lord

we live on borrowed time:

'til you call us to the timeless,

to that peace that has no end,

'til you call us home to be with you

- all in your good time...

Stay with us, Lord, as this day ends
   and tomorrow waits its turn:
protect as we lie awake
   and guard us while we sleep
that awake, we might keep watch with you
   and asleep, rest in your peace...

Amen.