Prayer Offered for January 4, 2016

As we begin the work of the new year, I invite you to ponder the words of Howard Thurman (1899–1981):

When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
Then the [real work] begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nation, [and the State],
To bring peace among people,
To make music in the heart.

This is the work that you are about in this Senate; and for the days to come, I pray:

May the Lord bless you and keep you.

May God’s face shine upon you, and be gracious to you.

May God look upon you kindly and give you peace.—Amen.