A Concord Pastor Comments: NIGHT PRAYER: Monday 5/16

I know you're present in all four seasons, Lord,

and in the shoulder seasons, too,

weaving all together, one grand seamless garment

spun of wind and weather, snow and rain,

warmth and light, heat and cold

and earth's revolving path around the sun...

And every season has apologists and fans,

each for different reasons, some of which remain

a total mystery to me...

I have some dear friends, Lord,

otherwise sane and stable folks,

who, to my annual bewilderment,

prefer the winter to the summer:

with all due respect, Go figure!

But it's mid-May now, winter's gone

and these past few days of spring

played a longed-for, welcome prelude

to the queen of all the seasons,

just around the corner, summer,

with all her light and warmth...

My affections and prejudice are clear, Lord:

in summer's time

I peel away the layers;

I bare myself to warmth, enveloping

my body, heart and soul;

I expose myself to heat, your heat,

seeping in, deep, to the bone;

baking me as a loaf of love

to be offered, broken and shared...

And should it get too warm, too hot, too humid

- that's but your Spirit's bold, intense desire

to prove me in the furnace of divinity,

to cauterize my wounds in need of healing,

to melt and soften me for you to shape, again,

in your image and your likeness...

And there's more, so much more, Lord!

Summer's also the season for

cool shade in leafy glades,

refreshing dips in oceans, lakes, ponds and pools,

ice cream cones on an evening's drive,

time to do what I never find time for,

reading that book I've been wanting to read,

gardens of vegetables, flowers and herbs,

tomatoes and corn from Scimone's farm,

cookouts with family, neighbors and friends,

the Fourth of July and fireworks,

ice-cold drinks after mowing the lawn,

getting away just to get away,

time to spend, Lord, with you, in prayer...

Summertime!

Bring it on, Lord!

Warm me with the grace and refresh me with the spirit

that only summer brings!

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.

A note about tonight's music:

Sumer Is Icumen In is a traditional English medieval round (not a sacred song) whose title might be translated as Summer has come in. Anonymous, although sometimes attributed to W. de Wycombe, it is the oldest extant piece of six-part polyphonic music, estimated to date from around 1260.