Gene Robinson's Prayer for President -elect Barack Obama

+Gene Robinson's Prayer for President-elect Barack Obama

A Prayer for the Nation and Our Next President, Barack Obama
By The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire
Opening Inaugural EventLincoln Memorial, Washington, DCJanuary 18, 2009

Welcome to Washington! The fun is about to begin, but first, please join me in pausing for a moment, to ask God’s blessing upon our nation and our next president.

"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.

Moved to Tears

There are times in one's life when we are just mindful that we are in the presence of a very profound person. I had that experience yesterday. I was sitting in a woman's home, who is dying of cancer. She is an Holocaust Survivor, from Auschwitz. It seems that each time I speak to her I am keenly aware that this woman has so much wisdom, and can teach me far more than I can ever bring to her.

But yesterday, while speaking to her about our concern for her living alone as she weakens, she began talking about her thought process, that includes so much of her philosophy of life. I was suddenly aware that there were tears streaming down my cheeks, and believe me, the tears were as much a surprise to me as the team I was with. Unfortunately, the nurse mentioned it to the patient, which she wouldn't have been aware of, since she can hardly see as well. I didn't want the patient to feel burdened by my tears. She told me not to cry. I told her there are many reasons for tears; some for sadness or anger, and some just being touched by a heart moving incident, and others are being aware of the gift we have received by being in the presence of a very special person. I told her the latter, was the reason for my tears.

This woman has experienced the horrors of life that go so far beyond our imaginations, and yet she survived, not only physically, but spiritually. She came out, not as a bitter person, but an extremely compassionate person. She worked with extremely disabled children for over 30 years, and said if God were ever to give her another chance at life, she would do it again.

She has learned the wisdom of taking one day at a time, and making the necessary decisions when the time comes that they are needed. She has the courage to make those necessary decisions when they are needed, however difficult they may be.

She understands the wisdom in moving on after a traumatic experience and not allowing bitterness or anger to consume her. Thus, she took her trauma of the Holocaust, and moved on to give back, to make her life one of creative and loving response, as opposed to bitterness and depression. She is a glass half full kind of person.

She knows the wisdom and the ultimate value of sacrificial love. She can put aside her own desires if she knows that her desire would be detrimental to another.

She values honesty, and integrity, and the need to trust that someone is being truthful with her, no matter how difficult that information might be.

And because so much of what we are concerned about is making sure she is safe and comfortable, she is making decisions for herself to ensure that she will die in comfort and with dignity. And she will, because of her inner strength, her knowledge of herself, and her deep spirituality.

And so I was moved to tears, out of pure awe of someone who had experienced such horror and yet won, because she didn't allow it to kill her spirit. I was moved to tears, out of the realization that I have had the privilege of knowing this woman who has made all of our lives better. I will learn from her for many years to come.

"Take Time"

I received a little card to carry in my wallet, from one of the Hospice Nurses I work with. It is entitled "Take Time" and is published by Abbey Press, a Roman Catholic Publishing Company. It goes like this:

Take time to THINK-
it is the source of wisdom.
Take time to DREAM-
it is the fountain of the future.
Take time to PLAY-
it is the way to stay young.
Take time to REFLECT-
it is the way to know God.
Take time to SMILE-
it is the road to happiness.
Take time to LAUGH-
it is the music of the soul.
Take time to LOVE-
it is God's greatest gift.
Take time to PRAY-
it is the greatest power on earth.

I thought these reminders are for the New Year. Hope they are for you.