[In Haverford Township, the Board of Commissioners still ask our Havertown Ministerium to provide pray-ers for Commissioner's Meetings. My turn usually comes in July, since our Session meeting doesn't conflict in July. In the wake of the horrific loss of life in Baton Rouge, outside St. Paul, and in Dallas--this is what I shared:]
Commissioners,
it’s always a privilege and an honor to be with you and to offer an opening
prayer for your meeting.
The last
time I was here was back in October, and I asked you to indulge me in a moment
of silence because there had been a number of incidents of violence at
schools.
It took my
breath away that 9 months later, after another week of horrific violence, I
might need to do it again.
But,
silence hasn’t helped, or gotten us to where we’ve really wanted to go.
So, if
you’ll indulge me again, in the wake of Baton Rouge, St. Paul, and Dallas—take
a moment, not to look down or to look away, but instead, I ask you to look
around the room and look into the faces of those next to you and those across
the room.
Look into
the faces…. Christians believe that we
are all of us as human beings, made in the image of God. We all have a little bit of God in our faces;
we need each other, we are essential to each other—in all of our beautiful diversity.
Rather than
silence, when we’re looking for answers, we might try asking each other!
I invite
you to join me in asking for God’s Blessing:
Holy God:
We again we
have experienced that living is hard, that policing is hard, that governing is
hard.
We are polarized
by politics, name-calling, finger-pointing, hand-wringing, blaming, pointing of
guns, systemic failures, constantly having to pull ourselves up after another
injustice another unfairness.
We wish
that killing were just as hard; but it seems it comes all too easily.
May we be
reminded, O God, that we each share your image; that we need one another.
May we be
reminded that ALL life is all too precious, and far too fleeting.
May we be
reminded that we are all human, that we all make mistakes, but that we are
unsatisfied to just let them go, and that we will do all that is in our power
to make them right.
May we
disagree, in love.
May we
challenge each other, in love.
May we work
for reasonable solutions—even unreasonable solutions—in love.
So in this
meeting, may our commissioners meet civility and kindness and charity in each
other.
And may
those who come with business, meet kindness and charity, and know that we are all
doing the best we can.
May we
bless each other with smiles, being grateful for those who give of themselves
so that our lives are easier—for those who pick up trash and yard waste; for
those who run to the firehouse at the sound of a siren and check out smoke
alarms and smoking pots on stove, and unattended barbecue grills; for those who
patrol the streets stand in harm’s way, and rescue lost cats; and yes, for
those that must vote to make it happen by paying the Township bills and the
payroll!
All of this
is hard, but we can do it well. Smile on
us, O God.
AMEN.
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