A Prayer for the Tennessee General Assembly

I was asked to offer the opening prayer for the March 25, 2019 gathering of the Tennessee General Assembly by Representative Bill Beck, who represents the district where both my home and church are located.

Gracious
God, 

   Creator of all things, 

   whose steadfast love is everlasting, 

   we gather tonight as a people called
and elected to the task of leadership 

   in the service of our neighbors. 

May
we come without the illusion

   that we are people of power, 

   but rather come with the humble
knowledge 

   that we are servants to all who live
around us. 

Help us this night O God, 
    to remember especially those 
     whose voices are often muted in our society:   
       those who are struggling to make their way;
       those who are just trying to make ends meet;
      those who, through no fault of their own,
          are judged as less deserving of our consideration.

Never
let us forget 

   that we are no more special than they
are,

   and that their voices are
just as important as ours. 

As we debate our positions tonight,
    help us to have the humility to listen,
    the grace to speak carefully and kindly,
    and the knowledge to recognize
    that we work for the common good;
    striving to make our state a place
      in which ALL are welcomed,
      in which ALL are kept safe,
      and in which the vision of a place 
      dedicated to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
      is open to ALL people. 

Help us to remember that the conviction of our beliefs
    does not mean that those who disagree with us are our enemies.

Help us to never forget
    that your call for love and justice
    applies to every part of our state,
       from the river bottoms in the west,
      to the mountains in the east;
      along the Tennessee River in the south,
      and the Cumberland as it travels through the Big South Fork. 

Remind us daily,
    that you are present in our large cities
    and in the farms and hamlets far off the main road. 

And may we always recognize
    that the citizens of this state,
    people of varied backgrounds,
    genders, ethnicities, and nationalities
    shall always carry with them 
    the volunteer heritage
    that says that we help when we can,
    serve when we must,
    and respect all as people created in your image. 

As we deliberate tonight,
    may we remember the teachings of our forebear, John Wesley
      to avoid doing harm,
      to do as much good as we can,
      and to stay in love with the one who created us. 

Speak tonight, O God,
    and give us your light in the midst of the darkness 
    that we will see your way
    and carry out your desires. 

We ask this in the name 
    of the one who created us in the beginning,
    who reconciled us to you when we tried to do things our own way,
    and who sustains us and empowers us to be people of light and love. 

Amen