A Concord Pastor Comments: NIGHT PRAYER: Fourth of July

Once again, Lord, we're celebrating our independence - and that's a good thing for which I'm grateful - but keep us mindful of those DEpendencies which are just as good and are, in many ways and many times, even more important than our INdependence...

Keep us dependent on you, Lord,
the source of our life
and every good gift that's ours...

Keep us dependent on you,
   our only reason for being...

Keep us dependent on your wisdom, Lord,
   especially when our own folly and foolishness
       tempt us to think that we know more than you do...

Keep us dependent on your love for us:
   the purest, gentlest, kindest, most merciful love
       we shall ever know and have...

Keep us dependent on your word, Lord,
   the word of your truth;
keep us dependent on a truth so much greater
   than our own assumptions and delusions...

Keep us dependent on your voice, Lord,
always calling us to love with no strings attached,
calling us to forgive one another

as freely as you forgive us,
and to welcome the stranger and care for the helpless...

Keep us dependent on your grace, Lord,

your Spirit alive within us

without whom we can do nothing

and with whom we become all you made us to be...

Keep us dependent on your promise, Lord,
your pledge of life forever;

keep us faithful to your promise

   especially when we prefer
       things to people,
       ourselves to others,
       and death to life...

Keep us dependent on your generous mercy, Lord,

and generous in the mercy we have for all,

remembering we're always in debt to you

for compassion, forgiveness and pardon...

And keep us dependent on one another, Lord,
    remembering our need for our neighbors
       and our neighbors' need for us:
keep us interdependent your grateful people,
    together always dependent on you...

Protect us, Lord, while we're awake

and watch over us while we sleep

that awake, we might keep watch with you

and asleep, rest in your peace...

Amen.

Three musical selections to choose from this evening - OR pray with and enjoy all three!Plenty of variety here! The first is a rousing South African freedom song, the second a simple chant composed by a Jewish cantor, and the third a jazz offering from Oscar Peterson.