Welcome to this moment of prayer. We gather in the presence of the Holy One, who has called us to be co-creators of our future in this Golden State of California.
Gracious God of Many Names, You have said in Isaiah 43:18:
See, I am doing a new deed,
Even now it comes to light: can you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
And streams in the wasteland.
Holy and Mysterious One, as we begin this session of the legislature, we pause to acknowledge that this moment has been in process for eons, through our ancestors, their movements and migrations, their dreams and life-changing decisions. Today, we thank You for our new senators, re-elected senators, and experienced senators-all endeavoring to bring new hope and new energy to the work of leading our State.
We ask You now:
Open their eyes to see clearly and courageously the opportunities that lie before them;
Inspire their imaginations to create new solutions to recurring and emerging situations;
Enliven their hearts to love the work of each day- the pleasant and the difficult.
We pray that each constituent of this State will embrace our civic duty to work for the common good, that together, we all make a commitment:
to act a little more justly;
love a little more tenderly;
and walk a little more humbly, with You, our God, and with each other.—AMEN.