Reverend W. Douglas Tanner, Jr.
Faith and Politics Institute
Washington, DC, AL
Date of Prayer: 06/21/2010
Opening Prayer Given by the Guest Chaplain:
Almighty God, our Creator, our Redeemer, and our Sustainer: On the first official day of summer, we ask your blessing on the lives of the Members of this House and on their work as Representatives. We remember that in this season temperatures in Washington rise in to the high 90’s and beyond. We remember they can be accompanied by humidity so heavy that it feels like 90 percent. The days become hazy, and we become lazy.
We remember also a comparable climate that can descend on this chamber, never mind the air conditioning. It comes with a haze that diminishes one’s ability to see across the aisle – and across the country. It brings a laziness that yields to familiar ideological formulas and worn out patterns of politics.
This summer, we pray, grant us some days of clarity to see new possibilities – and send us fresh energy to pursue them. Amen.
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