Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Worship, Prayer, and the Presidency

 

He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
    and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
    and to walk humbly with your God?

                                  Micah 6:8

This is Inauguration Day for President Joe Biden and by the time he places his hand on a bible to be sworn in he will have already attended a morning worship service, along with the top The top four congressional leaders, Speaker Nancy Pelosi,  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell,Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. Tomorrow there will be another, virtual prayer service with representatives from most major religions taking part. 

I have no doubt about Biden's sincerity as a practicing Roman Catholic, and he has already invoked scripture and quoted from hymns and St. Francis as he addressed the nation. I will readily admit that I found Donald Trump's insincere pandering to conservative Christians stomach-turning, and the dissonance in regard to what he said and what he did was clanging. And when Trump claimed that if Biden was elected "there will be no more God", well...

While I believe in the separation of church and state, I'll be paying attention to what President Biden models and the actions he takes in the days ahead. As his term commences I am praying that the migrant children who were effectively orphaned and incarcerated as though they were criminals will be treated with compassion and reunited with families.

I fervently hope that the tone of American discourse will shift toward decency and goodwill, and that the ecumenical and inter-faith spirit on display in these two days will inform the policies of this administration will carry into the challenging days ahead. 

2 comments:

roger said...

It's a sunny day today, both weather-wise and politically. I am SO glad we don't have to face four more years of that evil Trump. I do worry that one of his equally evil offspring will run in the next election, but for four years I believe we will finally have some decency and predictability at the helm of the America.

I'm glad Biden takes climate change seriously and that he will bring the US back to the Paris Accord. And I'm impressed with Harris too. My hope is that America has a good four years and that Harris becomes the President in the next election. She really seems to have a good head on her shoulders.

Judy said...

I am with you, David - I hope the Mexicans and others incarcerated at the southern border will be treated fairly, re-united with families, and set free. Such a travesty over the last 4 years ! And, although I realize Albertans are angry about the pipeline, I still believe oil companies should have been transitioning to cleaner energy sources decades ago.