Reverend Rachel Landers Vaagenes
Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church
Washington, DC
Date of Prayer: 08/16/2024
One Minute Speech Given in Recognition of the Guest Chaplain:
Opening Prayer Given by the Guest Chaplain:
Lord, still our hearts and minds from the busyness of the world for just a moment and turn our attention to the eternal and the transcendent.
Holy God, who loves us, Your love is always nearer than we know. We seem to only see weariness and strife with victories hard won and failures too many to number. We thank You for Your grace and forgiveness in the midst of our struggle, and we thank You for sharing Your vision of a world beyond partisan struggle, beyond violence, beyond division.
We pray, Lord, that this vision might be made real here and now: Peace over victory. Forgiveness over pride. Love over all.
I pray for the House Members and their constituents, who work together to be citizens of a better world.
I pray for their staff and families, especially, who support them in this extraordinary responsibility for our country. I pray for all of Congress, the court, and the executive office, that all may see beyond ideology and self–serving ends and work for the common good of the country that is made up of so many different people.
Send us into our work with stilled hearts and clear minds and this vision of love ever before us. Amen.
To learn more about Members who have sponsored a Guest Chaplain, please visit the Congressional Biographical Directory