Searching For God in the Legislature - Opening Prayer at the CO State House - February 7, 2019

Our God and God of all people:

God of the rich and God of the poor.
God of the haves and God of the hopeless.
God of the frightened and God of the fearless.
God of our certainties and God of our doubts…..
Throughout the Centuries men and women have sought your presence.  They have asked:   Where are You, God?
Some of us can find You in our churches, synagogues, mosques and Temples.
Some of us can feel Your presence in our sacred halls of governance.
Some of us catch glimpses of Your caring in the flotsam and jetsam of our daily lives:

·        in the faces of our loved ones

·        in the beauty of art and music

·        in the ever-changing majesty of the mountains that stir us with reflections of both immanence and transcendence

·        in the hopes of those who have sent these elected officials to sit in these assigned seats

·        Even in the scribbled margins of the pages stacked neatly on these desks.....You are here - now…If we but look with intention

You are present in moments of supreme Joy.
We long for You in times of shock and sorrow
We find You in our certainty and even in our doubts
Some of us ask if You are necessary.

·        Some deny Your existence – and yet live lives filled with meaning, purpose and value.

·        And others claim to know You intimately – to represent You - but whose actions and prejudices make a mockery of Your holiness.

Throughout history, we have looked to You to provide hope, courage and compassion for all Your creatures.
On this day of deliberation, we pray that those who seek meaning and purpose in their lives and through their work will find you in the potential to make a difference in their actions.
At this moment filled with possibility, may Your presence guide even those who do not seek You.
We pray that you might be present to those who labor on behalf of our community.
We pray that You might be found in the relationships that are forged within these chambers.
Thank you for all Your blessings.
AMEN.