Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Opening Prayer for the Colorado House of Representatives: 3-26-23 "Screens"

 Our God and God of all humanity:

Yesterday, we received the gift of a small taste of the springtime that is ready to bloom. We basked in the sunshine. We felt the warmth of what is yet to come.  Even though, we know all too well, that this month of March can be cruel – with shirtsleeves one day, giving in to snow shovels the next.

And yet, on those mornings when we see Your glory resplendent in the budding tree and the blooming crocus…

At this time of hope and promise fueled by the warmth of the sun and the smiles on our faces

Remind us to go outside for a while…

Give us moments where we can turn aside from the tasks that confront us..

Allow us to appreciate the wonder and the beauty of Your creation.

Turn our eyes away from the screens that we depend on – the computer, the phone, the GPS, the tally board, the Television – and let us look at the scenes of wonder that play around us all the time.

Teach us that our task is not to be entertained – but to be intertwined – with one another, with those we love and those we fear and those we do not even see because our eyes are too focused on those little screens.

Help us to avoid screening ourselves – from both the beauty and the hopelessness that lie  just outside these doors. 

Show us - unfiltered  - the hope that gives us the courage to act and to make sacred change.

The psalmist teaches:  I lift up my eyes to the mountains – from there comes Your help.

Let us lift up our eyes – all of us – as we do our daily work.

Remind us of the sacred task of perfecting Your all too imperfect world.

Let the beauty of this day – this season – give us the courage to be brave – to be unscreened and unfettered by the bonds of politics and rivalry and focus instead on the possibilities of partnership.

AS we consider the beauty of the communities in which we are fortunate enough to live and serve, give us time to appreciate and give thanks.  And in thanking You, let us thank one another – for the chance we have to make a difference. 

AMEN

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