A prayer for our new President from the BCP.

"O Lord, our Governor, whose glory is in all the world: We commend this
nation to your merciful care, that, being guided by your Providence, we may
dwell secure in your peace. Grant to the President of the United States,
Barack Obama, wisdom and strength to know and to your will. Fill him with
the love of truth and righteousness, and make him ever mindful of his
calling to serve the people; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

Sunday was Bishop Gene Robinson's invocation during the pre-show of Obama's inauguration. I've linked it below.


A transcript is here...and if it sounds familiar, he riffed off of a Franciscan blessing I've posted here.

Well done, + Gene.
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Yesterday, a friend of mine got to explain explain Martin Luther King Day to her 8 and 10 year old children with a bonus of putting Obama's inauguration in that context.

I listened to the full "I Have a Dream" speech, once again with the bittersweet realization that we have come so far but still have far to go. It, to me, somewhat functions as a checklist.

NPR had a wonderful interview with Joseph Lowery. I was touched.
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Also yesterday, St. Brigid's Community held a service event that we had planned through Obama's day of service website. We participate in IHELP, which is a coalition of Tempe churches to provide food and lodging for the homeless every night of the month. We are slotted 4th Fridays. Our service was to set up as a drop-off point and collect food and clothing for both IHELP and for St. Matthew's food bank.

In four hours, we collected, by conservative estimate, 1,000 lbs of food and 500 lbs of clothes. Just about everyone that came in to give wanted to know more about IHELP, some wanted a greater involvement. We'll probably ask those who signed up via the website if they wish to be put on a listserv about our part of the program, and maybe more about St. Brigid's.

A comparison was made to George Bush and his lack of asking us to service and Obama's calls to service. One person couldn't think of anything Bush had done but to call us to more shopping after 9/11. I respectfully begged correction. Bush's at least had the rhetoric, particularly in the first inaugural address. It might be more accurate to say that Obama is more serious in a call to service and made it so easy to help by networking people with events to people who wanted to participate.

But it also occurred to me that Bush called for people to pray more than he called people to service. Thing is, in this life and world we are all God has got. If we do not actively feed, quench, clothe, visit, and comfort, then who the hell will?

But in the end, I'm 1,500 lbs closer to realizing the Kingdom of Heaven than I would have been if I had simply hit my knees to utter words.


"Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words."
St. Francis of Assisi