Reverend Alisa Lasater Wailoo
Capitol Hill United Methodist Church
Washington, DC
Date of Prayer: 08/09/2019
Opening Prayer Given by the Guest Chaplain:
Beloved God, we bow our heads as citizens of a country with many faiths but founded on the singular belief that out of many can come one. E pluribus unum.
We give thanks for each one of Your children serving in the people's House: Members, administrators, and support staff. Thank You for the unique gifts of each one.
We also repent that here and around the world, we turn against one another with words and even weapons. We let fear focus us on people "like us." We sacrifice the call to serve all upon the altar of party unity. God, forgive us.
Fill us with the words of Tony Morrison, beloved American saint, reminding us that "The function of freedom is to free someone else" and the purpose of our power is "to empower someone else."
God, free us to love and live for one another, for each person we represent, making us one not in ideology or identity, but in empathy and compassion, seeking the others' good as if it is our own. E pluribus unum.
Amen, and amen.
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