Reverend Stephanie Vader
Capitol Hill United Methodist Church
Washington, DC
Date of Prayer: 08/29/2023
One Minute Speech Given in Recognition of the Guest Chaplain:
Opening Prayer Given by the Guest Chaplain:
Creator, here in the last few days of August, we are reminded that love and grace is as abundant as the miracle of summer squash.
God, You take a tiny seed, smaller than our pinky fingernail, and produce an abundance of squash the size of baseball bats.
God, You bless this world with overflowing abundance, but we often struggle to trust in Your abundance and act as if there is not enough for everyone to flourish.
Help us to trust there is enough.
We confess that although we love the good news of God's abundance, we often give into our belief in scarcity––a belief that makes us greedy and unneighborly.
We confess that we cannot say we love our neighbor while remaining indifferent to their suffering. Loving our neighbor means sharing so all can have their daily bread. Loving our neighbor means caring for the Earth because it is our common home.
May it be so. Amen.
To learn more about Members who have sponsored a Guest Chaplain, please visit the Congressional Biographical Directory