We can all feel the power in
this room: The power to make
change.
The power to legislate.
The power to denigrate – to
desecrate – to perpetuate – to change the fate
of our community…
But this power is
fragile: it is limited by term, tenure and
temperament.
It is also illusory – for
everything we do is relative to our situation and our ability to perceive the
world around us.
On this beautiful morning –
let us think about other kinds of power – the power that is not bestowed by the
ballot box, but rather by our ability to perceive the miracles that surround
us.
The rising of the sun is not
affected by the pounding of the gavel.
The winds that bring
desperately needed rain and snow are not dependent on rhetoric, reason or
debate. Our task is to listen and perceive:
· The laughter of small children
and the desperate cries of mothers and fathers who cannot feed them;
· The emptiness in the eyes of the
downtrodden;
· The optimism of those who work to
bring hope to the hopeless…
Help us all to make a
difference, O God.
We can feel the power in this
room – not because of our attempts to bring order into chaos – but because of
our passion for truth, righteousness and justice.
This past Monday, our Nation paused
to remember the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King – of blessed memory.
In 1964, while accepting the
Nobel Peace Prize in Stockholm, Dr. King said:
“I accept this award today with an abiding faith in
America and an audacious faith in the future of mankind. I refuse to accept
despair as the final response to the ambiguities of history. I refuse to accept
the idea that the "isness" of man's present nature makes him morally
incapable of reaching up for the eternal "oughtness" that forever
confronts him. I refuse to accept the idea that man is mere flotsom and jetsom
in the river of life, unable to influence the unfolding events which surround
him. I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the
starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and
brotherhood can never become a reality.”
Dr, King understood that true
power lies in our ability to see the inequities which surround us and our
passion for making healthy, faithful change. May his vision, optimism, activism
and spiritual depth become the measuring rod for of all our actions.
Bless this chamber, God.
Bless these legislators, advisors, clerks, aides and all who labor on our
behalf. May they work together to overcome the partisanship and apathy that
poisons the precious opportunities that they are granted to make a difference.
We thank you for the power of
partnership.
We are humbled by Your Grace.
May this be a day of change.
May this be a day of hope.
And let us say:
AMEN
