It was a whole new pastoral experience for me.
The most humbling part of it is that I forgot my sports coat. Leave it to me! I had on my tie and my carefully printed prayer folded in my freshly ironed pocket, but when I decided to change out of my sweater (think “Mr. Rogers”), it was nowhere to be found in my car.
Thankfully, this has happened before and capital security knew what to do. A blue blazer appeared, and it was just my size.
In a sense, by the time I got to the microphone, I was already humbled. But nothing is more humbling than knowing I had precisely two minutes to do something I would probably never have the opportunity to do again. What do I say?
It was an honor and I did not take it lightly. I love my home state and sincerely pray for our leaders, who face volatile and difficult times. I had no idea how long it would take me to write that two minute prayer.
So I thought I’d share it with you here. Please join me in praying for our leaders in Montgomery.
Steve
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Let us pray,
God of all creation, since the very founding of our nation, countless legislatures have begun public sessions with prayer. We continue that tradition today, not just for history’s sake but because of incredibly high stakes. The matters that come before us are of vital importance, and the women and men of this esteemed house do not take our duties lightly.
So we pause, and we pray, and we acknowledge the Sovereign One who is above all things and imbued in all things.
We confess, oh Lord, our propensity in politics to work against each other instead of with one other, to speak our minds without engaging our hearts. Forgive us, we pray. May we set aside needless ideology for the common good, knowing that only in the sharing of differing voices can we tease out the truth. This is the very principle our government is founded on, that no one corners the market on what’s right. What we do is represent the people of every corner of this great state. May we represent them faithfully and diligently today.
We ask that you “grant us wisdom, grant us courage for the living of these days.” The state of Alabama has come a long way, but like any state, we still have a long way to go. Not far from this legislative gathering is both the pulpit of Martin Luther King’s preaching and the step of Jefferson Davis’s inauguration. Their proximity is a visceral reminder of the confluence of wheat and tare in our history. May we nurture the fine wheat and trust you for the tare.
May we serve Alabama the beautiful, and with our whole hearts sing, “we will aye be true to thee.”
And now, with deep respect for diverse faiths that might be represented here, I offer this prayer in the name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
