A Prayer for the House

Last Friday I was invited to serve as the Guest Chaplain for the House of Representatives. It was a gift that brought my life full circle. Never in a million years would I have imagined when first coming to the Hill as a Scheduler to Congressman Eric Fingerhut in 1994 that I would return in this capacity.

The opportunity has also reminded me of the importance of praying for our Members of Congress and the incredible weight of responsibility and privilege we place upon them when we elect them to office. I am so grateful to be a pastor in the city of Washington and especially thankful for the gift of being able to offer this prayer on Friday. You can also watch the short video on C-SPAN here.

Loving God, thank you for the women and men you have called and equipped to be members of this body – people we criticize while not knowing what we would do if we walked in their shoes, individuals we say need our prayers while regularly forgetting to pray for them, citizens we often tear down instead of seeing your image upon them.

Grant each Member and their staffs the capacity to dream new dreams for our nation and then give them courage to legislate in a way that ensures peace, values every person, promotes sound stewardship, and moves our country forward without leaving anyone behind.

Heal that which is broken.

Restore relationships that are separated by party lines.

Surprise the cynical.

Awaken the exhausted.

Humble the exalted.

Unbind those who are tied to anyone but you.

And when the road seems rough or too divided, unify us once more.

Amen.