A reflection on one speech and two prayers

When I first heard that Reverend Rick Warren was going to give the opening prayer at the inauguration, I must admit, I was a bit nervous and upset. My first thought was, what is Obama thinking? I thought we were supposed to be bringing the country together, not grinding salt into wounds. But once again Obama shows his genius. His inclusion of two individuals on opposite ends of the religious spectrum (Revered Rick Warren and Revered Joseph Lowery) in his inauguration ceremony models a best practice for our country. We must reach across the lines of political party, religious belief, race, class, sexual orientation, and ethnic group in order to find a solution to the problems facing our nation and world today.

When I turned on the T.V. Tuesday morning, I was curious to see how the prayers were going to sound- would they be inclusive, or would they push a “Christian” message? I also thought, why are there prayers at a government function, anyway? What about the people who choose not to subscribe to a religious belief? But that is for another discussion…

Overall, the words and message of Revered Warren and Revered Lowery were tasteful ,and kept with Obama’s goal of bringing the nation together. Each prayer highlights our need as a community to work together, despite our differences, to be held responsible for our actions and asks for forgiveness for our collective mistakes and selfishness. Below you will find a few quotes from each prayer that I thought were important to remember as we work together to tackle the issues of today:

“Help us, O God, to remember that we are Americans. United not by race or religion or by blood, but by our commitment to freedom and justice for all…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.” ~ Reverend Rick Warren, opening inaugural prayer.

“We thank you for the empowering of thy servant, our 44th president, to inspire our nation to believe that, yes, we can work together to achieve a more perfect union. And while we have sown the seeds of greed—the wind of greed and corruption, and even as we reap the whirlwind of social and economic disruption, we seek forgiveness and we come in a spirit of unity and solidarity to commit our support to our president by our willingness to make sacrifices, to respect your creation, to turn to each other and not on each other. And now, Lord, in the complex arena of human relations, help us to make choices on the side of love, not hate; on the side of inclusion, not exclusion; tolerance, not intolerance. And as we leave this mountaintop, help us hold on to the spirit of fellowship and oneness of family. Let us take that power back to our homes, our workplaces, our churches, our temples, our mosques, or wherever we seek your will.” ~ Reverend Joseph Lowery, benediction inaugural prayer.

To echo Obama’s words, I hope that our nation and community recognize that the patchwork of our heritage is a strength, not a weakness. And that we as a progressive congregation can help hope and virtue flourish even in the winter of our hardship.