A Concord Pastor Comments

7/7/26

Pause for Prayer: TUESDAY 7/7

I love all the little things others do

to lighten my load and brighten my day

but I often miss, I overlook,

all the little things, Lord, you do for me

in the course of my day-to-day...

While I wait some dramatic intervention

in the story of my humble life,

I miss each day the scores of ways you:

whisper your word in my heart,

open my eyes to beauty,

lead my mind to truth,

invite me to walk by your side,

open my ears to music,

lift me up when I'm down,

give me a second chance,

guide me when I'm lost,

touch my grief with joy,

catch me when I'm falling,

mend some broken part in me,

spark my will to move on,

shine your light in my darkness,

help me find reason to hope,

nudge me when I'm really stuck,

give me good cause to smile,

steady my faltering step,

calm me in my anxiety,

give me a second wind,

share a bit of your wisdom,

heal my heart with your mercy,

comfort me in my sadness,

lead me to trust in your love,

counsel me in my confusion

- and a hundred other little things, Lord,

many more than I can count...

Open me up to know you, Lord,

in all the small ways

you fill my day

with your presence,

your peace

and your promise...

And help me, Lord, find my true joy

in the little things

I do for others...

Amen.

OK - some might think this song a little to precious- but I'm going with it! I hope you'll give it a listen - and a look-see!

Little Things by Forever Be Sure

If a video doesn't appear below - click here!

Tweet

SUBSCRIBE HERE!

7/6/26

NIGHT PRAYER: Monday 7/6

On another post, a reader asked if I'd be posting prayers reflective of my time here in Colorado - here's my first one!

I'm grateful, Lord, that I arrived in Colorado

while the Harison yellows are still in bloom!

I've been looking forward

to taking in their simple beauty

and the random way they grow:

here, there and all around,

requiring no special care,

just stopping by to visit

and to share

their spicy, musky scent...

I can't resist this, Lord:

It's time to stop and smell the roses!

But then, it's always time...

to stop and smell the roses,

to bathe in old Sol's summer warmth,

to be surprised by sudden joy

and trust it comes from you...

to breath in deep the evening air,

to try to count the heavens' stars,

to see a soul in someone's eyes

and reverence what I see...

to find the face that masks the moon,

to watch the waves that lap the shore,

to hear a silent cry for help

and find the words I need to say...

to wonder at a mountain's heights,

to wander through a forest's depths

to find the pulse of someone's love

and learn its gentle rhythm...

Lord, it's always, time...

to look for you in every place,

especially in just that place

I least expect to find you...

to wait for you and trust you'll come

when and where and how you choose

to make your presence known...

to stop and spend some time with you

who wait for me to join you,

who wait to hold and keep me...

It's always time

to stop smell the roses,

and to open wide my eyes and ears,

my heart and soul,

my mind's imagination

to the power and the presence,

the brilliance and the beauty

the grace, the peace and joy,

of all the ways you bless me, Lord,

in every time and place...

Protect me, Lord, while I'm awake

and watch over me while I sleep

that awake, I might keep watch with you

and asleep rest in your peace...

Amen.

Tonight's song is not from a hymnal but its lyrics pair well with our prayer tonight...

Smell the Roses by Garrison Urich

If a widget doesn't appear below, click here!

There's a long and winding road ahead

A few black clouds lay over head

And the shining sun is nowhere to be seen

But with every step and fall you take

All your thoughts and leaps of faith

There's a silver lining somewhere in between

Close your eyes

Breathe in slow

Then let it go

Stop and smell the roses

when your journey's getting long

When you feel your life's against you,

when your energy is gone

'Cause not everybody knows

when it's just time to catch a break

When you're draining

and you just don't wanna show it

Stop and smell the roses

Today has found another way

To turn right into yesterday '

Cause time has taken all the light again

But if I fiddle with reality

To try and change who I should be

I'm tucking my own destiny in bed

Tweet

SUBSCRIBE HERE!

Monday Morning Offering: 7/6

Coffee in the Morning by George Mendoza

Lord, I offer you the day ahead

whether I'm dreading it

or looking forward to it:

may it be a day I look back on

in peace...

I offer you this day

because it's the one you've given me,

the only day I have,

the day I hope you'll walk with me,

the day I want to walk with you...

I offer you this day's burdens, Lord:
large and small, heavy and light,
and I pray you'll help me carry them...

I offer you this day's mistakes
- even before I make them:
help me avoid them, Lord,
and, please, when I make them,
pardon and forgive me...

I offer you,
this day's work: may it be fruitful;
this day's rest, may it be peaceful;
and this day's time, may it be blessed...

I offer you this day's smiles and joys
and pray you make sure
I don't miss even one of them...

I offer you this day's worries and fears,
the real and the imagined,
and I pray you'll be, through all of them,
my courage and my strength...

I offer you my tears this day
and pray you wipe each one away:
heal the hurt from which they flow,
the brokenness and pain...

I offer this day's challenges,

the ones I can expect

and those that will surprise me:

be with me, Lord,

and help me make my way through every one...

I offer every chance I have
to comfort and heal, to pardon and forgive,
to lift up any who, in need,
may reach out for my help...

I offer this day's quiet times

when in my mind and heart

I might turn to you in prayer, in praise,

and find you by my side...

I offer what little I might have
and pray, Lord, I'll be open
to all you offer me...

Amen.

Be With Me, Lord

by Marty Haugen

If a widget doesn't appear below, click here!

Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble,
be with me, Lord, I pray!

You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord most high,
who abide in the shadow of our God,
say to the Lord, "My refuge and fortress,
the God in whom I trust!"

Be with me, Lord...

No evil shall befall you, no pain come near,
for the angels stand close by your side
guarding you always and bearing you gently,
watching over your life.

Be with me, Lord...

Those who cling to the Lord live secure in God's love
lifted high those who trust in God's name
Call on your Lord who will never forsake you,
God will bring you salvation and joy.

Be with me, Lord...

Tweet

SUBSCRIBE HERE!

7/5/26

NIGHT PRAYER: 7/5

In 2020, my friend, John Hudson, pastor of Pilgrim Church in Sherborn, MA, created the video below for his congregation's prayer. I'm pleased to share it here as our Night Prayer as this holiday weekend comes to a close. (Note that our usual order of prayer is reversed this evening: the song comes first and then the prayer!)

If a video doesn't appear below, click here!

Oh beautiful, for heroes proved
In liberating strife
Who more than self, our country loved
And mercy more than life

America, America, may God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine

And you know when I was in school
We used to sing it something like this, listen here

Oh beautiful, for spacious skies
For amber waves of grain
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain

But now wait a minute, I'm talking about
America, sweet America
You know, God done shed his grace on thee
He crowned thy good, yes he did, in a brotherhood
From sea to shining sea

You know, I wish I had somebody to help me sing this

(America, America, God shed his grace on thee)
America, I love you America, you see
My God he done shed his grace on thee
And you oughta love him for it
Because he, he, he, he, crowned thy good
He told me he would, with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea
Oh Lord, oh Lord, I thank you Lord
(Shining sea)

..................................................................................

Protect our nation day by day

and guide us to your truth, Lord;

set our hearts to work for justice

for the poor and all in need...

Guide this independent nation, Lord,

with wisdom, strength and purpose;

keep us mindful of your law of love

and all that it demands...

Keep vigil while we sleep, Lord:

be our sentry through the night;

be the night light in our darkness,

the fulfillment of our dreams...

Give us rest, sleep and peace, Lord,

'til the the light of day breaks through

and prepare us for tomorrow's course

of sorrows, joys and grace...

Amen.

Tweet

SUBSCRIBE HERE!

Leo's July 4th Letter to the USA

Here's a link to Pope Leo's Independence Day message to the United States of America. As we have come to expect, his words here are wise and compelling.

Note: this is a different message than the one I posted yesterday with Leo's words upon receiving the Freedom Medal from the National Constitutional Center.

Tweet

SUBSCRIBE HERE!

Where's my homily? Good question!

I am in Georgetown, Colorado and I did celebrate mass yesterday at Our Lady of Lourdes - but - the pastor double-booked, leaving me AND a missionary priest for this weekend and next. Since the missionaries are fundraising - they get to preach. So, my next homily will be on July 19.

Tweet

SUBSCRIBE HERE!

Character

Here's the video of Doris Kearns Goodwin's interview today on Meet the Press. This is not a partisan, political polemic but rather the Independence Day reflections of an acclaimed, Pulitzer Prize winning presidential historian and biographer. I hope you'll watch the whole video but if you deem it too long - at least skip ahead to 08:59 for her concluding comment on character.

(If a video doesn't appear, click here.)

Tweet

SUBSCRIBE HERE!

Pause for Prayer: SUNDAY 7/5

This weekend, Lord,

we celebrate our nation's birthday

and our independence

from those who would oppress us...

Independence:

a freedom declared by claiming the right

to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,

calling on you, Supreme Judge of all,

to witness our righteous intentions...

But this year's 4th is shadowed, Lord,

by discord, strident and angry,

by betrayal wounding our unity,

tearing the fabric of mutual trust,

each time we default to selfish folly

and ignore your wisdom and grace...

Hear our prayer, Lord!

Give us reason to hope and cause to rejoice!

Wash away the many faults and sins

that betray our unalienable rights

to life, to liberty and the pursuit of happiness...

Restore our good will and integrity, Lord

til we learn again and earn the right

to be called a godly nation...

Make us worthy of gifts which you endow

and by which we struggle to build and be

one great nation, under God,

with sweet liberty and justice for all...

Amen.

Pray for America
by Old Crow Medicine show

If a widget doesn't appear below, click here!

When sorrows are befallen
And shadows darken her door
When the fever spreads and a silent scourge
Outshines her golden shores
When a cry for comfort reaches forth
Like you've never heard before
Pray for America
Our promised land

America, to thee
May God's hand outreach
Lord, have mercy on America

When the tears just keep falling
And the glory light's gone dim
And the barren ground is full of holes
We hasten to fill in
When the firmest faith is shaken fast
By a fear that's creeping in
Pray for America
Our promised land

America, to thee
May God's hand outreach
Lord, have mercy on America

Where the peaceful hour is broken
By the pounding tumult quake
And all is torn asunder
What we thought could never break
Well, all your saints come marching
Through hell for heaven's sake
Pray for America
Our promised land

America, to thee
May God's hand outreach
Lord, have mercy on America
Oh, pray for America
God, set Your grace on thee

Tweet

SUBSCRIBE HERE!

7/4/26

On this 250th anniversary of the United States I've been waiting to hear some words about my homeland that might stir my heart to gratitude for all America has been for me, given me - and, I hope - will continue to be. In this video, I've found a world leader whose words have touched and blessed that place in my heart where love for my country is deeply rooted.

Yesterday (7/3), the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia awarded Pope Leo XIV its 2026 Liberty Medal.

Speaking on the ideals of the Declaration of Independence, he praised America's enduring commitment to life, liberty, human dignity, religious freedom, and the pursuit of happiness, while urging the nation to remain faithful to its founding principles.

Calling America 'the land of the free and the home of the brave,' Pope Leo emphasized that unity, justice, peace, and respect for human dignity must continue to guide the nation into its next 250 years. His speech highlighted the importance of protecting freedom of conscience, safeguarding every human life, strengthening national unity, and renewing the values that have shaped the United States since 1776.

The pope's remarks here are thoughtful, wise, challenging: his words made me proud to be Catholic and American...

(If a video doesn't appear below, click here!)

Tweet

SUBSCRIBE HERE!

NIGHT PRAYER: Fourth of July

Once again we're celebrating Independence Day- and that's a good thing for which I'm very grateful - but perhaps today we should also remember our DEpendencies and the many ways and many times when what we're dependent on is even more important than what we're independent from...

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! 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.