From Self-Interest to World Loyalty- Inauguration Day Prayer

From Self-Interest to World Loyalty- Inauguration Day Prayer January 17, 2025

An Inauguration Day Prayer

Like many people, I am not looking forward to January 20.  I am having difficulty celebrating the peaceful transfer of power to a person who denied a valid election and sought to overthrow the government and undermine democracy, and whose behavior since election day has that of a bully and thug. Yet, like the Psalmist, I believe that we must pray in our orientation and disorientation even as we hope for new orientation.

Thomas of Celano, Francis of Assisi’s first biographer, spoke of Francis’ life as being a prayer. As I ponder Francis’ spirituality and the history of contemplative activists, I wonder if my own life can be a prayer, not only in deeds but in the words and in the meditations of my heart. As I pray for my nation and the planet, I realize that, as the spiritual says, I too am “standin’ in the need of prayer.”

I must pray my anxiety, uncertainty, alienation, and anger.  I must take them to God, not out of denial or resignation, but to make them, along with my highest aspirations, somehow holy and to activate protest that is prayerful as well as realistic. To be whole, I must see all the currents of life, my own and the United States’, as opportunities for contemplation, compassion, and challenge.

I do not pray for Donald Trump’s success. For I believe that his success will be at the expense of planetary health, our democratic institutions, and the well-being of the least of these. Nor do I pray for our nation’s success any more than I would pray for the success of any other nation.  All God’s children are loved and need to be the object of my love and ethical consideration regardless of national identity. I pray for our nation’s alignment with God’s vision even if this means sacrifice and humility to heal the Earth.

The moral and spiritual arcs aim toward justice, and these are more important and more inclusive than any national success.  We can pray “God bless America, and God protect our troops,” as President Biden did, recognizing that our nation is blessed to be a blessing to our citizens and the citizens of other lands, and not for our self-aggrandizement or imperialism.  I stand with Abraham Lincoln, who stated that I pray that we be on God’s side, rather than God be on our side.  This will only happen if our president and citizenry, and that I, turn to the better angels of our nature and not retribution, alienation, destruction, and isolation.  I pray for a conversion of heart for the incoming president, a sense of contrition, and an awakening of compassion. I too need these things.  Nations matter, and borders matter, but there is only one world and world loyalty supersedes personal and national self-interest.

Our prayers must take us beyond ourselves and our interest, including our national interest, to turn to God’s will, God’s vision of Shalom, the Peaceable Realm, for us and the world.  And so, with humility, a sense of imperfection, privilege, and bias, my prayer on inauguration day:

God of all peoples, nations, and faiths,

Awaken and enlighten us to the better angels of our nature,

Challenge our self-interest and nationalism

With your vision of one earth and one humanity.

Awaken us to the spirit of humility and repentance

For the evils we have committed as a nation

And our complicity with evil,

even as we try to be faithful to your realm.

Give our leaders the spirit of humility,

Of broken hearts and contrition,

Remembering that God is God and they aren’t.

Give our leaders a sense of the whole

And the ability to turn from the love of power

To the power of love.

Let those who claim to be Christian,

Be Christian in caring for the poor,

Liberating the captives, providing healing for the sick,

And proclaiming God’s Jubilee of justice.

Let us be strong and fight for justice,

Protecting our borders,

But seeing holiness in those who come from other lands

Recognizing that no one is alien to you, O God,

And the stranger and foreigner is your beloved child

Bearing your divine image.

Let us follow the law but let the law be guided by compassion

And Justice for the weak as well as strong.

Remind us that we are not alone on this planet.

That we depend on nature and the non-human world

And the goodwill of other nations.

Let us live more simply to ensure the lives of our fellow humans

And the non-human world.

Let us abandon greed and embrace generosity

Sacrificing comfort and wealth for the greater good.

Let us live gracefully and gratefully

Seeing ourselves as but one nation,

Not the only nation on this good Earth.

Let our leaders welcome protest

And the correction of prophets

And be willing to change course

Putting God’s vision of Shalom

Ahead of self-interest, profit, and privilege.

We are one and we are many,

And the many need oneness,

And unity must be manifold

For our nation to grow.

Let every color, culture, language, and person

Be affirmed in the wondrous rainbow of divine love,

Give us, each of us, courage and faith for the journey

And let us see beyond our hate and fear.

And let our light shine, giving light to the world,

The Light of love, the light of partnership,

The light of reconciliation and forgiveness,

The light of a healed Earth,

And a world in which laughter of children

And contentment of the aged

Crown our good with full personhood

From sea to shining sea.

Amen.

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Bruce Epperly is Theologian in Residence at Westmoreland Congregational United Church of Christ, Bethesda, MD (https://www.westmorelanducc.org/) and a professor in theology and spirituality at Wesley Theological Seminary. He is the author of over 80 books including: “Homegrown Mystics: Restoring the Soul of Our Nation through the Healing Wisdom of America’s Mystics” (Amazon.com: Homegrown Mystics: Restoring Our Nation with the Healing Wisdom of America’s Visionaries: 9781625249142: Epperly, Bruce: Books) “Jesus: Mystic, Healer, and Prophet “(Jesus: Mystic, Healer, and Prophet: Epperly, Bruce: 9781625248732: Amazon.com: Books), Saving Progressive Christianity to Save the Planet”( Saving Progressive Christianity to Save the Planet: Epperly, Bruce G: 9781631999215: Amazon.com: Books), and his upcoming book, due out in February, “God of the Growing Edge: Whitehead and Thurman on Theology, Spirituality and Social Change.”

 


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