A Day Marked by Prayer

Dear Friends in Christ -

What an amazing day! Over a million people made their way to Washington D.C. for the inauguration of President Barack Hussein Obama. How amazing that 45 years ago, most people of color couldn't vote, and now we call Mr. Obama "Mr. President."

Our Gospel call is a call to constant change, thoroughgoing transformation that puts love first, rights all wrongs and brings in Christ's reign of peace and justice. There's a lot of stuff in this world - in this country - that "needs fixin'," as my grandmother used to say. And the path to fixing these things won't be easy or quick, as Mr. Obama reminded us today. But if each of us does our part, it is possible.

And it's not just our joint efforts that bring transformation, but also the power of God. God was mentioned quite a lot today. It struck me that there were more and longer prayers than I remember from inaugurations past. That's no accident. Desperate times call for knowing what to hope for and Who to hope in.

The two "big name," some-what controversial pray-ers - Rev. Rick Warren and the Right Rev. Gene Robinson - both offered thoughtful, beautiful prayers. Unfortunately the prayer offered by Robinson was deleted from Sunday's broadcast of events on HBO because it got edited out of the video tape. HBO has since apologized for this, and has updated the on-line footage of the event to include it. And here's the text of Robinson's prayer, which I invite you to pray with me on this historic occasion:

O God of our many understandings, we pray that you will…

Bless us with tears – for a world in which over a billion people exist on less than a dollar a day, where young women from many lands are beaten and raped for wanting an education, and thousands die daily from malnutrition, malaria, and AIDS.

Bless us with anger – at discrimination, at home and abroad, against refugees and immigrants, women, people of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

Bless us with discomfort – at the easy, simplistic “answers” we’ve preferred to hear from our politicians, instead of the truth, about ourselves and the world, which we need to face if we are going to rise to the challenges of the future.

Bless us with patience – and the knowledge that none of what ails us will be “fixed” anytime soon, and the understanding that our new president is a human being, not a messiah.

Bless us with humility – open to understanding that our own needs must always be balanced with those of the world.

Bless us with freedom from mere tolerance – replacing it with a genuine respect and warm embrace of our differences, and an understanding that in our diversity, we are stronger.

Bless us with compassion and generosity – remembering that every religion’s God judges us by the way we care for the most vulnerable in the human community, whether across town or across the world.


And God, we give you thanks for your child Barack, as he assumes the office of President of the United States.

Give him wisdom beyond his years, and inspire him with Lincoln’s reconciling leadership style, President Kennedy’s ability to enlist our best efforts, and Dr. King’s dream of a nation for ALL the people.

Give him a quiet heart, for our Ship of State needs a steady, calm captain in these times.

Give him stirring words, for we will need to be inspired and motivated to make the personal and common sacrifices necessary to facing the challenges ahead.

Make him color-blind, reminding him of his own words that under his leadership, there will be neither red nor blue states, but the United States.

Help him remember his own oppression as a minority, drawing on that experience of discrimination, that he might seek to change the lives of those who are still its victims.

Give him the strength to find family time and privacy, and help him remember that even though he is president, a father only gets one shot at his daughters’ childhoods.

And please, God, keep him safe. We know we ask too much of our presidents, and we’re asking FAR too much of this one. We know the risk he and his wife are taking for all of us, and we implore you, O good and great God, to keep him safe. Hold him in the palm of your hand – that he might do the work we have called him to do, that he might find joy in this impossible calling, and that in the end, he might lead us as a nation to a place of integrity, prosperity and peace.
AMEN.

Amen.
Faithfully yours,
Janet+