Pre-inauguration Prayer

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President-Elect Biden has asked religious communities across the country to ring their bells in memory and honor of those who have lost their lives to during the pandemic. The First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston honors this request. In a moment I will ring this bell. Before I do, let me offer these brief words of prayer:

Spirit of life,
that some of us name God
and others understand
as the breath of life itself,
bless the peoples of the world,
which is to say inspire our hearts
to compassion
and our hands to action,
as the United States undergoes
a peaceful transition of power.

Spirit of life,
inspire us to heed the call
of the incoming President of the United States
and express our care and concern
for others
by wearing masks
and practicing physical distancing.

Bless the healthcare
and essential workers,
which is another way of saying
inspire each of us to show them
consideration, appreciation,
and kindness,
so that they might oversee
the successful distribution of vaccines
and the continuing care for all who need it.

Open us,
and especially open the incoming administration,
to the lessons of the hour,
so that we might learn
never to repeat the horrors
of the last year again,
that future pandemics will be prevented
and the dreadful serpent of white supremacy
crushed into the Earth forever.

Stir our memories
so that we may honor those who have died
here in the United States
and throughout the world
during this dreadful time
by doing what we can,
by doing what we each have been called to do,
to build the beloved community
and create a world where there is truly
peace, prosperity, justice, and health for all.

May it be so,
blessed be,
and Amen.

I now ring
this bell
of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston
in memory of all who have died
as a blessing upon the next years of our lives.

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