One of the highlights from President Obama's inauguration was the prayer by Rick Warren. Here is a picture of the scene as Warren's invokes the blessings of God upon this president and the nation. Please read the text that follows...
"Almighty God, our Father, everything we see, and everything we can't see, exists because of You alone. It all comes from You. It all belongs to You. It all exists for Your glory. History is Your story.
"The Scripture tells us, 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one.' And You are the compassionate and merciful One. And You are loving to everyone You have made.
"Now today, we rejoice not only in America's peaceful transfer of power for the 44th time, we celebrate a hinge point of history with the inauguration of our first African American president of the United States.
"We are so grateful to live in this land -- a land of unequaled possibility, where the son of an African immigrant can rise to the highest level of our leadership. And we know today that Dr. King and a great cloud of witnesses are shouting in heaven.
"Give to our new president, Barack Obama, the wisdom to lead us with humility, the courage to lead us with integrity, the compassion to lead us with generosity. Bless and protect him, his family, Vice President Biden, the cabinet and every one of our freely elected leaders.
"Help us, O God, to remember that we are Americans, united not by race or religion or blood, but to our commitment to freedom and justice for all. When we focus on ourselves, when we fight each other, when we forget you, forgive us. When we presume that our greatness and our prosperity is ours alone, forgive us. When we fail to treat our fellow human beings and all the earth with the respect that they deserve, forgive us.
"And as we face these difficult days ahead, may we have a new birth of clarity in our aims, responsibility in our actions, humility in our approaches and civility in our attitudes -- even when we differ.
"Help us to share, to serve and to seek the common good of all.
"May all people of good will today join together to work for a more just, a more healthy and a more prosperous nation and a peaceful planet.
"And may we never forget that one day, all nations, and all people, will stand accountable before You. We now commit our new president and his wife, Michelle, and his daughters, Malia and Sasha, into your loving care.
"I humbly ask this in the name of the One who changed my life -- Yeshua, Isa, Jesus, [pronounced in Spanish], Jesus -- who taught us to pray:
"Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
"Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
"Give us this day our daily bread.
"And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."
Pastor Neal adds: And all of God's people said - AMEN!
2 comments:
Rick Warren lead a great prayer, which honored God and gave inspiration to many. However, Reverend Joseph Lowery, choose to end his prayer by blatantly insulting whites! I was and still am angered by this mans racially motivated comments! I pray for the day that every man, not just the white man become color blind!
Chris,
I completely agree. A lot of racism today is what I call reverse racism. It's no longer the "whites" against the "colored" but rather those of the black community who continue to spew this stuff. Lowery chose to do it through a prayer which, to me, is even more despicable.
Maybe they can one day understand that when Dr. King said to "judge a man on the basis of his character rather than the color of his skin" that it applies to all colors. Thanks for commenting.
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