Dear People of St. David’s,
Today is my mother’s birthday. Mom would be 100 years old today! She would have liked to have reached that milestone, because there was nothing my mother loved more than a party. She always said that she loved having her birthday so close to Independence Day because she could imagine that all the fireworks were for her! Often enough her birthday party decorations were red, white, and blue and we would celebrate Mom’s number of years and our nation’s number at the same time. Mom died in 2002, but memory is a powerful force. Twenty-four years later, I still miss her so and I still think of her when I see Independence Day bunting and fireworks. What great fun Mom would be having this week when she turned 100 and our nation turned 250!
Many of you have shared with me your worries about our nation: divisive politics, fragile economics, an uncertain future. Last Sunday, as we read the Declaration of Independence as a community, we shared joy, too. As a proud American, I rejoice that we have made it to 250 years, and I share the same worries. So, how do we respond to personal sorrow? How do we respond to collective worry? Where does joy fit in?
I suggest that as followers of Jesus, we take a two-step approach: first, we give thanks. Then, we offer our sorrow and worry to God, trusting that God is in charge and we are not. There is joy in trusting that we are not alone in our feelings—that there is nothing too hard or difficult for God to bear. It sounds simple, but I know that it is not. We are so blessed in The Episcopal Church to have a great resource for times just like this, our Book of Common Prayer. When I am too sad or too worried to find the right words, I can often find them in our prayer book. What’s more, there are some great words for when we are grateful and joyful, too.
Thanksgiving for National Life: For the Nation gives voice to my love of country, my desires for our common life, and my reliance on God’s providence in good times and bad. You will find it beginning on p. 838. (To get your own Book of Common Prayer, visit St. David’s Gift Shop.)
Almighty God, giver of all good things: We thank you for the natural majesty and beauty of this land. They restore us, though we often destroy them. Heal us.
We thank you for the great resources of this nation. They make us rich, though we often exploit them. Forgive us.
We thank you for the men and women who have made this country strong. They are models for us, though we often fall short of them. Inspire us.
We thank you for the torch of liberty which has been lit in this land. It has drawn people from every nation, though we have often hidden from its light. Enlighten us.
We thank you for the faith we have inherited in all its rich variety. It sustains our life, though we have been faithless again and again. Renew us.
Help us, O Lord, to finish the good work here begun. Strengthen our efforts to blot out ignorance and prejudice, and to abolish poverty and crime. And hasten the day when all our people, with many voices in one united chorus, will glorify your holy Name. Amen.
Happy birthday!
Blessings,
Nancy+
The Rev. Nancy Webb Stroud
Priest Associate
Published on July 2, 2026.