Eloheynu velohey avoteynu veimoteynu, Our God and God of Our Ancestors: We ask Your blessings for our state – for its government, for its leaders and advisors, and for all who exercise just and rightful authority. Grant these citizen-leaders assembled here this morning who are ready to engage in the sacred work of our state, the wisdom to act in service to all the people of California, that they may administer all affairs of our State fairly, that peace and security, happiness and prosperity, justice and freedom may forever abide in our midst. Bless them with good health, compassion, wisdom and good fellowship in this new legislative session. Source of Creation, bless all the inhabitants of our country and this beautiful state with Your spirit. May citizens of all races and creeds, people of all ages and who have come to California from all over the world, forge a common bond in true harmony, to banish hatred and bigotry, and to safeguard the ideals and free institutions that are the pride and glory of our land. Imbue into our hearts the discernment that we are all created in Your image; people of all ethnic backgrounds, faith traditions, gender identities and sexual orientations, young and old. Place into the hearts of our State elected leadership the ability to understand, to see, to hear, to learn and to teach, to keep, to do and to uphold all that is sacred about the holy work of serving the people of California. Help us to remember that in this State which has been richly blessed by the bounty of Creation that You call on all of us to be Your partners in the repair and perfection of the world and the conservation of our natural resources, and to be Your hands in extending help to those in need as the Psalmist writes: Let the beauty of Creation be upon us and the work of our hands, upon us, O prosper it, the work of our hands! Bless these people assembled here, our Senators, their staffs and advisors, with the wisdom and understanding to write and pass legislation which will benefit all Californians. Let them fulfill the ancient call: tzedek tzedek tirdof lema’an tihyeh veyarashtah et ha’aretz asher adonay elohehah noteyn lah: “Justice, justice shall you pursue that you may thrive and occupy the land that your God has given you.” May God bless this State and the people therein. And let us say,--AMEN. (adapted from A Prayer for our Country, Siddur Sim Shalom, pg. 415)

invite you to turn your attention to the Presence of the One in whatever way you see the One. In whatever comforting form the One takes, whether it be Jesus or Buddha or Muhammad or Moses or the sacredness of nature, we allow the energy of love to fill these Senate Chambers.

We welcome Divine wisdom and compassion to fill the hearts and minds of Senators and their staff here today who search for solutions to California’s challenges. We pray that every Californian, regardless of whether they are rich or poor, black, brown, or white, young or old, gay or straight know that they count today. They count in the eyes of God and in the eyes of this state’s leaders.–AMEN.

Mary McLeod Bethune, a civil rights leader and educator, taught that "faith is the first factor in a life devoted to service. Without it," she said, "nothing is possible. With it, nothing is impossible."
O God of all humanity,
We turn to you with faith and ask that you guide us in our daily work. May you bless all who serve our State with wisdom, insight, and success in all of our worthy endeavors.
May this be God`s will.-AMEN.

O God of Justice and Mercy,
Your servant, the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., taught us that "the time is always right to do the right thing." Each and every day we are presented opportunities through our work and in our personal lives to "do the right
thing;" to perform acts of kindness, to treat others with dignity and respect, to make the world we live in a more just and compassionate place for all people.
May we be granted the wisdom and insight, the courage and strength, to always do what is right. May this be God`s will--AMEN.

Members and Guests:

We are here this morning before the national holiday celebrating the life of a great American leader, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King was born in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15, 1929. He would have been 84 years old this year. He championed a civil rights movement in the United States and the world, for just over twelve years.

He was assassinated on April 4, 1968, at the age of 39. Most of his accomplishments and quotes can be found in history books and online. In our Capitol Rotunda we have a display commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington, produced by the California Legislative Black Caucus. In the movement we say, “bullets can kill the dreamer, but they cannot kill the dream.” Last year, President Obama dedicated the monument to Dr. King on the Capitol Mall in Washington, D.C. This is the only monument on the Capitol Mall erected for an individual other than a president.

2013 marks several milestones in the civil rights movement. On January 1, 1863, 150 years ago, President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. A special account of this episode in American History is currently depicted in the movie Lincoln by Steven Spielberg. Unfortunately, no one told the slaves about their freedom until June 19, 1865. This historical event is the reason why we in the African-American community celebrate “Juneteenth.”

On June 12, 1963, 50 years ago in Jackson, Mississippi, civil rights leader, Medgar Evers was assassinated. Last year, I had the honor of being present for the launching of the United States Navy ship named in his memory in San Diego.

On September 15, 1963, also 50 years ago, we still mourn one of the more tragic events of the civil rights movement. On this day Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley and Addie Mae Collins, remembered by many simply as “4 Little Girls” made the supreme sacrifice in the name of freedom when their church, the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama was bombed.

Eugene Patterson, former editor of the Atlanta Constitution won a Pulitzer Prize for his famous column entitled, “A Flower for the Graves” for the “4 Little Girls,” when he said, “A Negro mother wept in the street Sunday morning in front of a Baptist Church in Birmingham,” Patterson began his column. “In her hand she held a shoe, one shoe, from the foot of her dead child. We hold that shoe with her.” Mr. Patterson passed away at the age of 89 on January 12, 2013. May he rest in peace.

2013 also marks the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington where Dr. King delivered his famous, “I Have A Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. On August 28, 1963, Dr. King proclaimed that the days of legal separation in the United States were numbered. I always want to remind people that the March on Washington was organized by Bayard Rustin, an African-American labor organizer who was also gay.

On April 3, 1968, Dr. King gave his last sermon. Speaking to a group of striking garbage workers in Memphis, Tennessee, he gave what I believe was certainly his most prophetic, if not most important sermon. Not simply because he referenced his own death, but because he drew a parallel to a famous biblical character with whom he would share a similar fate. The title of the sermon was, “I See the Promised Land.” Before I read a portion of that sermon I want to illustrate the parallel.

Reading from the NIV version of the Bible, Deuteronomy 34:1-5.

“Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the Lord showed him the whole land – from Gilead to Dan, all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, the Negev and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. Then the Lord said to him, ‘This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, I will give it to your descendants. I will let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it.’ And Moses the servant of the Lord died there in Moab.”

Dr. King, speaking in a church in Memphis, over two thousand years later:

“We’ve got some difficult days ahead, but it really doesn’t matter with me now. Because I’ve been to the mountain top and I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life, longevity has its place, but I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And he’s allowed me to go up to the mountain top. And I’ve looked over and I’ve seen the Promised Land. So I’m happy tonight. I’m not worried about anything – I’m not fearing any man Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”

And the next day, he was gone. Thirty-nine years after he was born in Atlanta, Georgia, this 20th Century Moses who led this nation away from Jim Crow segregation departed this Earth. Speaking to his friends, Dr. King said, “At my funeral don’t let them preach too long. Don’t tell them I won a Nobel Prize or any of those things. Sing just one song that sums up what I tried to do.”

If I can help somebody, as I pass along,
If I can cheer somebody with word or song,
If I can show somebody, how they’re travelling wrong,
Then my living shall not be in vain.
If I can do my duty as a good “Senator” ought,
If I can bring back beauty, to a world up wrought,
If I can spread love’s message as the master taught.
Then my living shall not be in vain.

May this be God’s will.
 

Creator of the Universe, The great philosopher, Plato, gave advice that was as fitting for his time as it is for ours. He counseled others to "be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."

So often it is easy for us to judge others by what we see or experience on a superficial level. But each of us has our own battles that we fight, issues that we wrestle with, loved ones whom we worry about. These are personal battles we so rarely share with those whom we work with on a daily basis, and yet they affect the way we walk through the world, and affects the way others experience us.

We pray to the Holy One, the Creator of us all, to grant us the ability to treat others with patience and understanding, and pray that others might be kind in their dealings with us as well.

May this be God`s will.-AMEN.

O Holy and Gracious God,
As we begin this new year, let us be open to the possibilities that lay before us to work together for the good on behalf of this great state.
May our citizens and our elected officials be strengthened by a sense of common purpose. May we find wisdom and inspiration in each others words.
May those who work in this chamber lead with the courage of their convictions and always serve with integrity. May they always find ways to work together and to overcome their differences so that they may create peace and prosperity, justice and opportunity for all who live in our State.
May this be God`s will. AMEN.

Creator of all, we praise you and thank you for your bountiful blessings.
Among them lies the great gift: responsibility of leadership. We understand
that true and honorable leadership demands, always, to place the good of
those who depend on us before our own good. Give us the wisdom and
integrity and honor to never fail in this charge. You endow each of us with
numerous and unique gifts, to be your hands in the pursuit of harmony,
peace, prosperity and love of neighbor. Almighty One, give us the strengthin the exercise of these personal gifts. Do not let us be discouraged but to
always look for your divine light in every endeavor and every person andthus find a path to great good. Molded by the hope of a harmonious andprosperous community we march forward under your guidance to carry
your creation forward. Thy will be done.--AMEN.

O God of wisdom and compassion,

The great 20th century theologian, Reinhold Niebuhr taught us that "nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in a lifetime; therefore, we must be saved by hope. Nothing which is true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history; therefore, we must be saved by faith. Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore, we are saved by love."

May it be Your will O God, to nurture our hope that our great works will continue on after we are gone. Bless us with the faith that what we find to be true, and good, and beautiful, will still be seen as such by those who come after us. And grant us O God, loving friends and companions along the way to help us find meaning and joy in the journey of life.

May this be God`s will.-AMEN.

O loving and gracious God,

On this upcoming weekend, we honor our shared heritage as Americans as we celebrate the Presidents who have served our nation. In his farewell address as President, George Washington desired to bring us closer together by reminding us that "Citizens by birth or choice, of a common country, that country has a right to concentrate Your affections. The name of AMERICAN, which belongs to You, in Your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of Patriotism, more than any appellation derived from local discriminations."

He reminds us that more than we are Republicans or Democrats, liberals, conservatives or moderates, we are all Americans, a shared legacy to protect, and a shared responsibility to cherish.

Holy and Loving God, we pray for the well-being of our Nation, and all who serve it. May the actions of those who lead us be guided with wisdom and compassion, for in their hands is a sacred trust. May the Holy One bring blessings and well being, and a sense of peace and security to the lives of all people.

May this be God`s will.-AMEN

Members and guests today I want to take just a moment to pray on the subject of faith. In the New Testament Book of Hebrews faith is defined; “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (HE 11:1) Faith is the foundation of our spiritual belief system. Since so much of what we believe is neither science or even provable, many things we simply accept on faith.

A few years ago in Chicago a father and his daughter were sailing on Lake Michigan in a small boat. It was a beautiful fall day and the lake was virtually empty, but for them. Suddenly a strong wind came up and capsized the little boat. The boat sank almost immediately leaving both of them adrift. The father realized that it would be dark soon and that his daughter could not swim back to shore. So he decided to swim back and told her to float on her back to keep her head above water. He kissed his child and told her I’ll be back for you.

When he got back he had a difficult time getting the rescue units to believe his story and begin the search for his daughter. With no identification and soaking wet he just didn’t look convincing. But after a lot of back and forth they dispatched a boat and a helicopter. They looked for a while and the rescue people were beginning to feel this was a scam. He pleaded with them to continue looking. As the sun was about to set with no lights on the lake the pilot said we are going to call this off, she must have drowned. Again the father pleaded can we take advantage of the last bit of sunlight?

Just as they were about to give up one of the guys on the boat spotted the little girl and pulled her to safety. When they got back to shore the media was there to film the episode as it had become a big local story. Wrapped in a blanket with a cup of hot tea the reporters asked the little girl, how she managed to stay afloat for so long? Did she ever worry that they wouldn’t find her?

She looked at them and said matter-of-factly, my daddy said he was coming back for me.

Author Eric Copage wrote in his book “Black Pearls” Most of us believe in a higher power, whether God, Allah, or a guiding spirit within. Faith in that higher power can help us to make the right decisions in our lives. Sometimes we stumble, but if we have faith, we can believe that things will work out for the best.

Even when adversity hits us, faith can buoy us up and carry us along to something better. We are born to succeed and flourish, to do our best, to make the right choices, and to reflect the goodness that is divine.

One of the founding beliefs of the Christian religion is found in the book of John and used in many funeral services, “ Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me. In my father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” (JN 14 1-3)

On this day I will take five minutes to remember that God (or the guiding spirit within me) wants me to succeed in my endeavors, and is at all times making opportunities available to help me in my life.

May this be Gods will.

Amen

O God of all Humanity,

You taught us in the book of Genesis that all of humankind is descended from a single person. There are those who say that you did this so that no one could say "my father is greater than your father." By this, we are taught that we are all brothers and sisters, all of us part of the same human family, with a shared destiny.

Our founding fathers affirmed this belief that all men are created equal in our Declaration of Independence. And yet, in each generation, we continue to be in pursuit of making this belief a reality, for men and women, of every color, every religion, and every ethnicity.

May we be ever mindful of all that binds us, finding compassion in our hearts for all people, and always striving to treat each other with dignity and respect.

May this be God`s will.-AMEN.

Brother David Steindl-Rast, a Benedictine monk, teaches us that "gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy-because we will always want to have something else or something more."
May the Holy One make our hearts open to receive and acknowledge the many blessings in our life. May we have a sense of gratitude and awe for all that we have been given, and may we find that we already possess all that we need to live a life of meaning and purpose.
May this be God`s will.-AMEN.

We are in the throes of the World Cup. My dear senators, in light of your deliberations and debates may you help each Californian reach their GOOOOOOAAAAL!

Let us pray.

Eternal God, we pray for our California Senate and may the decisions made here today be for the betterment of all Californians so that they may reach their goals. This prayer we pray.--AMEN.

In the spirit of Women’s History month, let us thank God for the hard work and dedication of the many women trailblazers who fought ardently so that we could have the endless opportunities we do today. Let us give thanks for the love and care of our mothers, sisters, daughters, and grandmothers whose ever-present support and words of advice gave us the courage to believe in ourselves and pursue our dreams.

Let us thank God for giving the women before us the strength to persist on the seemingly impossible road towards equality. Earning the right to vote was a pivotal moment in history and a tremendous milestone for all women. As First Lady Abigail Adams forecasted, “If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to forment a rebellion and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation.” Thousands of women showed that type of fearless dedication as they exercised the power of their voices and persisted until they reached their goal.

We give thanks and pray for the courageous souls of strong women throughout history like Susan B. Anthony who voted in the presidential election in 1872 and argued that women had the constitutional right to vote in federal elections. Let us not forget Elizabeth Stanton, who lead the early women’s movement, and convened one of the first women’s rights conventions in the country. We must always recall the tremendous bravery of Harriet Tubman who risked her life for liberty and also struggled for women’s suffrage. To the women trailblazers in our great State such as Grace Dorris who was the first woman to introduce a bill in California and Esto Broughton for being the first woman to preside over a full session of the Assembly. Let us pray for women civil rights leaders, Rosa Parks and Dolores Huerta for taking a stand in the name of freedom.

To the women who took America by storm in the 60s such as Betty Friedan, thank you for challenging the inequalities in our lived reality. And to the women who continue to lead the fight, thank you for your resiliency. Though we recognize that there is still work to be done, we cannot forget that we must all work together to strengthen our democracy.

As we continue to make strides, let us not forego the mindset that the status quo is nothing more than a step backwards. Let us pray for the continuing struggles of future generations, and recognize the importance of providing mentorship to our young women, the leaders of tomorrow. As Susan B. Anthony once said, “Forget conventionalisms; forget what the world thinks of you stepping out of your place; think your best thoughts, speak your best words, work your best works, looking to your own conscience for approval.” To the generations of women to come, remember to aim high, no dream is impossible, and always remember to exercise the power of your voice.

On this day, let us pray for God’s love to lead us all from intention to action, and possibility to reality. We pray for women everywhere against all odds, to create a good place, and find the strength to go on.

Amen.

Members and guests, the other day going through my mail I noticed a beautiful handwritten thank you card. The card was from a constituent who we were able to help with a State matter. She isn’t someone of great wealth but someone who genuinely appreciated what was done for her. Most people we serve don’t send notes so I am always touched when they do.

As children, many of our parents taught us to say please and thank you. Apart from being just good manners, humility and gratitude are good virtues. Forgetting to say thank you would be a painful experience for me when my mom was around. I am proud to say after a few short lessons I got the hang of it. Members, today I would like to take a few moments to pray on the virtue of gratitude.

The Roman philosopher Cicero said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.”

Poet, singer Maya Angelou put it this way, “Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer. And let faith be the bridge you build to overcome evil and welcome good.”

Alain de Botton, a Swiss writer now living in the United Kingdom and a member of the Royal Society of Literature added this perspective, “Paying taxes should be framed as a glorious civic duty worthy of gratitude - not a punishment for making money.”

Melody Beattie, an American author took still another view, “Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance and chaos into order, confusion into clarity, it makes sense out of our past brings peace today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

John Ortberg, the pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian added a spiritual element. “Gratitude is the ability to experience life as a gift. It liberates us from the prison of self-preoccupation.”

“You look inside a packed moving van, but you cannot find a place for the last box. You take a chance, climb over all the other boxes and find there is just enough room at the top. If there were only room for one at the top, we would have only one brand of chocolate chip cookies, one brand of tea and only one kind of potato chips. We must never allow ourselves to be guided or stopped by what everyone else is doing. We must never allow ourselves to think we can only go so far because others are already there. If we want to keep our hands full and the goodness flowing to us, we must never forget to say, thank you for every little thing,” said noted spiritualist, Iyanla Vanzant.

On this day, in spite of how busy you are or how important your work, take a moment, find a reason to say thank you to someone. We can all start by thanking God for waking us up this morning and allowing us to be alive at this time.

“For this is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalms 118:24

May this be God’s will.--AMEN.

Holy One of Blessing, We turn to you in faith and in gratitude for the blessings you have given us.
During women`s history month, we are particularly mindful that live in an ever evolving society. In 1776 our founding fathers loudly proclaimed that "all men are created equal" and since then, our nation has come to realize, as you teach us in the Bible, that You created all men and women, equally, and in your image, all of us
beloved in Your eyes.
Let us be grateful for the countless women and men who have striven to create a more fair and just society where each of us will be measured according to our character and accomplishments, and not our gender or appearance. Let us be grateful for all those who have fought for the right of all Americans to have their voices heard in the town square and through the ballot box. And let us be grateful
that we live in a nation where the voices of both men and women can be heard, together, in the halls of government.
May the Holy One grant all men and women the ability to value what makes our experiences different, even as we recognize how much we share in common.
May this be God`s will.-AMEN.
 

Many of us Irish forget that Patrick was not an Irishman. He was an Englishman who ended up in Ireland-twice. The first time he was there as a slave, tending sheep on the mountains of Antrim. The second time he came back voluntarily, to convert the very people who had earlier enslaved him.

It was a remarkable story of forgiveness, but also a story of cultural openness.

What is remarkable about him is that he became a hero among people who were very different from him-people who had a very different culture. And in today`s California, that is very relevant. Patrick would love the diversity of today.

And in that spirit, let`s say this prayer:

May people find you always a generous mind,

To people and culture of every kind.

To Blacks and Hispanics and Asians you meet,

People you don`t know, and don`t want to greet.

For Patrick was like that, he was open to others,

No matter what they did, he called them his brothers.

Even those who enslaved him, he forgave them all,

He forgave their injustice, `cause that was his call.

So Pat`s Day activity should indeed be a blast

For the Irish and all, both present and past.

So kick up your heels, have a fun celebration

To the God who made Patrick and all of creation!-AMEN.

As we continue our celebration of Women`s History Month, we come together this morning to honor the women who have come before us to recognize their determination, perseverance, dedication and sacrifice.

According to the book of Genesis, as the world came into being, women were created as the pinnacle of creation. Since that time, however, we have struggled for equity and fairness in what has been a man`s world.

The challenges of overturning the status quo can be daunting and yet, we continue the fight to realize a world of equality of opportunity, respect and fairness based on the content of our character, our accomplishments, and our contributions to our communities.

We give thanks for having lived in a time where women are encouraged to succeed and pursue their dreams. But we still reside in a world where men outnumber women significantly in key decision making positions-in legislatures, boardrooms, judicial office and other positions of influence and power. Violence against women continues to plague us in so many corners of the world (including our own).

But we do not give up, and we are inspired by those women who lead the way. We honored several of them on Monday-rocket-scientist, educators, researchers, community leaders from all parts of our Golden State. As former Secretary Hillary Clinton said, "it is past time for women to take their rightful place, side by side with men, in the rooms where the fates of peoples, where their children`s and grandchildren`s fates, are decided."

Holy One of Blessing, we give thanks to the women and men who continue to work toward a just and fair society, the trailblazers and foot soldiers and the everyday people who are committed to the belief that every person, regardless of gender, can pursue their dreams and fulfill their potential. And may we never forget that women hold up half the sky. It is only by rejoicing in that power that we will ever find the promise of justice and equality that we recognize today as part of our celebration of women and their extraordinary contributions to our world. We can make it a more just and peaceful world and we ask that as we pursue our work here today.-AMEN.

Our Gracious Heavenly Father,

We are grateful for this beautiful State of California where we live and serve. We ask you for wisdom to manage well the resources you provide and we ask you for bountiful provisions to care for all our neighbors. Show us the way to preserving our environment and being good stewards of all our natural resources.

We are grateful for the excellence of health care and we pray for good health for all the leaders in this room and their families.

We are grateful for those who serve our families in education and we ask for wisdom to improve the quality of education for those most challenged. Help us to provide an equal start for all our children.

We are grateful for the budget surplus and ask for wisdom in managing these resources for the improvement of conditions for all who dwell here. We ask for your hand of blessing upon the economy of our State and for job growth for those who are yet unemployed.

We are grateful for the freedom we enjoy in this great Country and we ask for wisdom for our leaders as they make decisions for those mired in conflict in other parts of our world. We long for peace where there is unrest.

And finally, we ask for success in our World Cup match against Germany. Strengthen our team and give them great skill.

We offer these prayers in a spirit of thanksgiving for your unmerited favor and blessing.--AMEN.

Eternal God, we come to You with thanks and praise for the women to be honored here this afternoon.

These are women, our women, women of California whose accomplishments have reached from the vastness of the cosmos, to the mysteries of the human brain and into the tiniest of our cells. They have kindled our imagination on the stage, on the screen and in the classroom. They have represented us as elected officials, they have organized and administered, they have studied and they have judged, they have served and they have led. They have changed the world.

And with their bravery they have broken the glass ceiling. They have shattered the glass ceiling and have scattered shards of promise colored glass to sparkle upon all women whose dreams are yet to be fulfilled.

We thank You for all they are and all they have meant to so many. We thank Ms. Wyman and Ms. Davis, Dr. Garcia and Ms. Dunning, Dr. Arnold and Judge Todd, Congresswoman Burke and Dr. Rogers, Ms. Butler and Ms. Trosper for what they have meant to all the women who journey alone along unfamiliar paths.

And in the same breath we thank all of those women whose courage and strength remain unseen. They have sat down so we could stand up. They have spoken when we remained silent. They have acted when we were paralyzed by a world which was not ready to welcome our gifts.

Continue to bless them in all they are and all they do even as we cherish their gifts which have enriched their communities, our great state and the nation we call our own.

In Your holy name we pray.-AMEN.

God of all,
When the Psalmist wrote "behold how good and how pleasant it is that brothers and sisters dwell together (Psalm 133:1)" he expressed an ancient yearning for humanity to come together in peace and fellowship, to reside side by side without discord or conflict.
Creator of us all, we pray that when we come together to discuss and debate we do so with a recognition that we are all brothers and sisters, all children of this esteemed house, working together for the betterment of our State, and all who dwell here. May this be God`s will.-AMEN.

O God of all that is beautiful and precious,

So often we run through each day, meeting to meeting, filling every minute with one commitment or another, with barely a second to catch our breath, and enjoy the moment.

Reflecting on his work, the great pianist Artur Schnabel once said "The notes I handle no better than many pianists. But the pauses between the notes — ah, that is where the art resides.”

The same is true in life, the difference between a good life and a meaningful life is remembering that the great moments often happen in the pause between the notes, in those moments of quiet or reflection, when we savor the moment instead of rushing through it.

Help us O God, to be able to be present and enjoy each blessing as it comes our way. The blessing of work. The blessing of friendship. The blessing of family. The blessing of life itself.

May this be God`s will--Amen
 

Members and guests, I come today with another message in a series on virtues. You may recall we examined the virtues of faith and gratitude. We recently celebrated two important religious holidays Passover and Resurrection Day. Passover commemorates the freedom of the children of Israel from bondage in Egypt. The actual “Passover” occurred when the Angel of Death spared the lives of the first born sons of the righteous in what became the last of the plagues brought by Moses from God. Resurrection Day often mistakenly called Easter, represents the most sacred day in the Christian faith. It is the day Jesus Christ was resurrected from death 72 hours after being crucified. It was this sacrifice that forms the foundation of the faith, Christ died for the sins of the world so that through belief in him we shall have everlasting life. Ironically the term Easter represents something totally different.

During the holy week, this year Passover and Resurrection Day were almost concurrent, the History Channel ran a mini-series simply titled “The Bible.” It was this series that inspired my topic for today, humility. In his final days Jesus did something that astonished his disciples, he washed their feet. Peter in particular was taken aback that the Christ, his rabbi was actually washing their feet, a humble task normally reserved for slaves or servants. As one of his first official acts, Pope Francis went into the prisons and washed the feet of the inmates.

Saint Augustine said it this way, “Humility is the foundation of all other virtues, hence in the soul in which this does not exist there cannot be any other virtue except in mere appearance.”

German Cleric Johannes Tauler added this, “In the school of Sprit man learns wisdom through humility, knowledge by forgetting, how to speak by silence and how to live by dying.”

Humility as a virtue is a major theme of both the Old and New Testaments. Why do qualities such as courtesy, patience and deference have such a prominent place in the Bible? It is because a demeanor of humility is exactly what is needed to live in peace and harmony with all persons. Humility dissipates anger and heals old wounds. Humility allows us to see the dignity and worth of all God’s people. Humility distinguishes the wise leader from the arrogant power-seeker.

By humility we acknowledge that God created us for his purposes and not for our-glorification. By humility we acknowledge the dignity of all God’s people. By humility we cool the angry passions of others. By humility we can turn enemies into friends.

A humble demeanor is not a denial of our worth as individuals. Rather, it is the tool that allows us, insofar as possible, to be on good terms with all persons. Senators, I say to you today remember this, in spite of this beautiful building and chambers in which we work, we are but servants, public servants. Everything here belongs to them; we are granted this opportunity at this time to make life better for them, not the other way around.

On this day open up your heart to the world, make a friend you didn’t have before-Amen.

O God of Hope and Compassion,

In July 1768, one of our founding fathers, John Dickinson, published his timeless words in the Boston Gazette, he called out to us saying: “Join hand in hand, brave Americans all! By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall!”

We stand in solidarity, united with our brothers and sisters in Boston, as they, and we, seek solace and understanding in the aftermath of the heinous attack this last Monday.

Those who caused this destruction seek not only to destroy life, but to instill fear and destroy our sense of safety and freedom. But instead of this act of terror dividing us, it has brought us closer together, reminding us of our shared destiny as Americans.

We pray for healing for those who were injured, we pray for eternal peace for those who were murdered, and we pray for consolation for their loved ones whose lives have been changed forever.

But even as we grieve, we also give thanks. We give thanks for those who acted with courage, rushing into danger to help others. We give thanks for those who opened their homes to offer refuge to those in need. We give thanks that our response to terror is not to shrink back in fear or to abandon our freedoms, but to pursue justice and enforce the rule of law.

May we always stand united as a nation, cherishing our freedom, protecting our liberty and running to help those who need us most.

May this be God’s will. Amen.
 

Almighty God,
We offer to You our thanks and praise for granting us this day to join our dear friends within the California State Legislature to collectively commemorate the 98th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. 
As we somberly remember the one and a half million victims who in 1915 were martyred for our faith and nation, we remember also all the innocent lives lost in similar atrocities throughout history. Today, we also renew our commitment and duty to continue our mission to raise awareness and bring acknowledgement to our history. With our united efforts, unwavering resolve, and the strength of our voices and prayers, we can be certain that justice will prevail and the souls of our martyrs can only then truly rest in peace.
We thank our elected officials for faithfully and courageously standing by our side in our common cause of human rights, dignity, and justice for all mankind, and for taking this time each year to pay homage to the sacred memory of our martyrs. May You bless them with many years of health and continued success in their meritorious service to the prosperity of this great state we are proud to call home. 
Lord, as we approach the Armenian Genocide centennial, more than ever we are in need of Your divine guidance. Grant us the vigor to continue on our path undeterred, and the strength to overcome obstacles and accomplish our ultimate goals. Grant wisdom to our world leaders and to us all so that we may at all times think, speak, and do that which is good and just in Your eyes. Save us from evil thoughts, words, and deeds; and have mercy upon us all.
We thank You for Your abundant blessings and gifts of love and mercy. 
May the souls of our faithful departed, through Your mercy, rest in peace. AMEN.

The great Californian, Jackie Robinson once said that “A life is not important, except for the impact that it has on others.”

The seemingly simple act of Jackie Robinson stepping out on a ball field 66 years ago continues to reverberate through our country, not only inspiring us, but also having opened up doors and opportunities, and changing the way we see each other.

Each of us has the opportunity every day to ask ourselves what impact our lives have on others. What legacy are we leaving through our work, our friendships, our family life?

We pray to the Holy One, the Creator of us all, that we may have the courage to make our lives a blessing, not only in our lifetime, but for the generations that follow us as well. May this be God’s will. Amen.
 

In Song of Songs, Spring is greeted with these timeless words: “Behold the winter is past, the rain is over and gone, the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing bird has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. (Song of Songs 2:11-12)”

O Creator of the Universe,

As we enter into this season of the earth’s rebirth, we give thanks for the bounty of the land we live in, we delight in the beauty that surrounds us, and we take hope in the renewal and reawakening of life.

May it be Your will O God, that we never take for granted the miracles and blessings we are presented with each day. May we be stewards of your earth, protecting all that you have given us.

May this be God’s will. AMEN.

God of all humanity,

We yearn to experience what is real and enduring, to be sustained and nourished b the work we do and the relationships we maintain. The American writer, Warren Walker observed that “there is deep-seated in the make-up of the ordinary person a craving for flowers that do not fade and pleasures that do not pass away. Deep downside of every human being there is a desire for the genuine – the lasting quality of real life.”

For those who choose a life of public service, opportunities abound to leave a lasting mark on our world, to have an affect on the quality of life for ourselves and for others, and to connect with the world in a deeper and more lasting fashion.

May the Holy One of Blessing grant us the ability to experience every day with a sense of wonder, and to find moments of transcendence were we can encounter what is Divine and Eternal in our world. May we be blessed to see the beauty that is sometimes hidden in our day to day lives and may we experience the lasting quality of real life in the work we do each day. May this be God’s will.–AMEN.

Today, on the 45th anniversary of the murder of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., let us remember and take to heart his enduring teachings, let his life and his example continue to inspire us to work together for the betterment of all humanity. Rev. King taught us that “darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

May it be Your will O God, that we find within ourselves faith and hope to sustain and nurture a desire to make the world a better place, a world where we see each other as brothers and sisters, all of us, children of God. May our lives be as beacons of light, banishing the darkness, and shining with goodness and love.

May this be God’s will. Amen.
 

O God,

We call you by many names, but one of the most beloved names we call out to you with is Father. We call you “Father” because we pray that like a father You will be loving and compassionate to Your children. We call you “Father” because we seek guidance and wisdom in how to live a good life.. We call you “Father” when we seek comfort and safety in troubled times. And when we call You Father, we are also expressing love, and respect, for all of the fathers who strive to live up to those ideals every day.

On this Father’s Day we give thanks for those who have been loving fathers in our lives, and we ask for God’s blessings on all who give, or have given, their love and time, energy and devotion to the sacred task of raising children. May they be blessed with patience, wisdom, and joy. May this be God’s will.--AMEN.

O God of all humanity,
You send us Your servants to teach and inspire us, to elevate our lives, and to bring us closer to Your truths. One of Your servants who worked tirelessly on behalf of others, Cesar Chavez, cautioned us that "It is possible to become discouraged about the injustice we see everywhere. But (he said) God did not promise us that the world would be humane and just. He gives us the gift of life and allows us to choose the way we will use our limited time on earth. It is an awesome opportunity."

May we use our time on earth wisely, so that when our time comes to meet the One who has created us, and we are asked how did we use our time, we can say by enriching the world with kindness and compassion, justice and peace.

May this be God`s will. Amen.

Creator of all humanity,

Great truths transcend time and place. In 1624, the British cleric, John Donne wrote: “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; ...any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.”

None of us go through this world separate from all others, our lives are intertwined with our loved ones, our neighbors, our community, our State, our Country, and the world itself. Government is a reminder to us of the interdependent nature of the society in which we live, as well as the responsibilities and the vulnerabilities that are inherent in being a member of society. When we engage in the work of government, we are recognizing that none of is an island. When we treat each life as dear and precious to us as our own, we are recognizing that each of us is part of something greater than just ourselves.

May it be Your will o God, that the responsibility that we feel from being part of humankind inspire us to live and act in such a way that when the bell tolls for us, others will remember our lives as having been a blessing to them. May this be God’s will.-AMEN.

Author of Life and Liberty:

Our understanding of freedom is an evolving one. You reveal to us throughout the ages, through sages and scholars, heroes and leaders, new understandings of the nature and responsibilities of this Divine gifts. Each generation learning from the generations that came before.

Justice Louis Brandeis wrote in 1927 that “those who won our independence...valued liberty both as an end and as a means. They believed...that the greatest menace to freedom is an inert people; that public discussion is a political duty; and that this should be a fundamental principle of the American Government.”

To be passive or quiet in a democracy is to relinquish one’s civic responsibilities, and one’s God given rights. Public discussion, on this floor, in the hallways and in committee rooms, in district meetings or in letters and emails to our elected officials;, when we speak our minds and voice our values, we are engaging in a sacred duty.

May it be Your will O God, that we never take for granted the blessings or the responsibilities of living in a free and democratic society. May this be God’s will.--AMEN.
 

God of life and laughter,

In 1928 a little mouse, in black and white, made his debut on the silver screen. He captured our hearts, but even more importantly, he captured our imaginations. And while he continues to entertain us, the world around him has changed dramatically.
His creator, Walt Disney, once observed that “times and conditions change so rapidly that we must keep our aim constantly focused on the future.”

This truth reminds us to keep our vision focused not on where we are, but on where we want to be.

May those who serve our state be ever aware of the changing times in which we live, may they be given insight and wisdom as we strive to create a better tomorrow for our State, and all who live here.

May this be God’s will.—AMEN.

Members and guests we recently celebrated Memorial
Day. The holiday was originally called Decoration
Day because this is when the graves of those who
died in the Civil War were decorated. Memorial
Day is a day of remembrance for the men and
women who died in service to our nation. The
tradition of the red poppy came about in 1915
inspired by the poem “In Flanders Fields” by
Canadian physician and Lieutenant Colonel John
McCrae describing a cemetery in Belgium. When
we celebrate Memorial Day we recognize the
courage demonstrated by those who made the
supreme sacrifice for our freedom. In the Bible New
Testament book of John 15:13 speaking to his
disciples Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than
this --that one lay down his life for his friends.”
Here in the United States we sometimes award them
the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Members you may recall that this year I have
presented messages on virtues. We discussed faith,
gratitude and humility. Today I would like to add
another to that list--courage. Courage is often
misunderstood. Many see courage as the absence of
fear. Fear is natural the absence of fear is lunacy or
serious drugs. Poet, Alexander Pope brought this
concept home in a poem “Fools rush in where
angels fear to tread.”1 Courage is the ability to
overcome fear. Courage is the will to go forward in
spite of fear.

One of my personal heroes is former South African
prisoner and president, Nelson Mandela he said it
this way, “I learned that courage was not the
absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave
man or woman is not the one who does not feel
afraid, but the one who conquers that fear.”

Poet and author Maya Angelou defined courage as
“The most important of all virtues because without
courage, you can’t practice any other virtue
consistently.” Senators -courage is achieved through
faith, gratitude or humility and in some
circumstances a combination thereof. “No matter
how long you train someone to be brave, you never
know if they are until something real happens,”
author Veronica Roth.

1 An Essay on Criticism, 1709

Courage is not only measured in physical terms,
Gandhi was courageous and non-violent. Arguably
non-violence requires more courage than violence.
Mark Twain observed, “It is curious that physical
courage should be so common in the world and
moral courage so rare.” Members, this year the
United States Post Office issued a stamp honoring
Ms. Rosa Parks. It is simply titled, “Courage.” I
knew Ms. Parks personally, she was a small woman
in physical terms, but on the courage scale she was a
true giant, which is why a statue of her stands in the
rotunda of the United States Capitol.

“I am old enough to know that victory is often a
thing deferred, and rarely at the summit of
courage….What is at the summit of courage, I think,
is freedom. The freedom that comes with the
knowledge that no earthly thing can break you.”
California poet Paula Giddings.

World War II hero Admiral Chester Nimitz wrote
this prayer, “God grant me the courage not to give
up what I think is right, even though I think it is
hopeless.” It may take years of struggle to achieve
the victory of which we daily dream. Some days can
seem overwhelmingly grim. Those are the days
when many of us drop out of the race.

But for those who are able to reach down deep and
grab hold of some bit of courage, it is just another
day. Challenging, yes. But in the act of rising
above our disappointments, figuring out a new game
plan, there is an emancipation of our spirit. We will
not be stopped. 2

2 Black Pearls – Eric V. Copage

So Senators and guests on this day, gather the
courage to do at least one concrete thing that will
advance you toward one of your goals. 2

Amen.

O God of Freedom,

In December 1776, Thomas Paine wrote about the fledging American enterprise and encouraged our founding fathers and mothers with these words, he said: “The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value...”

Our founders fought for us to have the right of self-governance, to have a democracy, a system that is inherently filled with conflict. The work of a democratic government is not easy, the battle of ideologies and beliefs verses practical needs and realities are reflected in budgets and bills and can often be daunting and difficult.

But it is through the back and forth of discussions and committee work, negotiations and compromises, that success will finally come. Each of us working to serve the common good, while staying true to our personal values and beliefs.

May it be the will of our Creator, to give us strength and fortitude to perform the tasks at hand, and to remind us that even the most mundane work of government was dearly fought for, and that the work we do, on behalf of our fellow Californians, is sacred work.

May this be God’s will.--AMEN.
 

O Author of Life and Death,

As we enter into this Memorial Day weekend, we remember the men and women who have fallen in defense of our nation.

In 1863, as America was at war with itself, President Lincoln eulogized our soldiers in what would become known as the Gettysburg Address. His words apply not just to those who died then, but to all of our soldiers who have fought for our ideals since our nation’s founding.

He said: “From these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion; that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom; and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

May the memories of our soldiers always give us the courage and the inspiration to cherish and protect that for which they fought to protect, and may we never take for granted the high price of freedom. May this be God’s will--AMEN.
 

Esteemed Senators,

Today almost 400 of us have convened from throughout the state to advocate for immigrant rights in many areas of policy making. I am honored to pray with you.

God of the journey, God of the traveler,
We pray for those who leave their homes in search of new beginnings and possibilities, may they know your presence with them.
We pray that those who seek to make a home in this country may find us welcoming and willing to help them find a path toward well being and citizenship.
We pray for our Senators -- as they consider legislation that touches lives of immigrants in all of our communities -- AND for our federal representatives, as they work toward comprehensive immigration reform, that they may find the wisdom and courage to enact new policies that do justice for our great state and for those who live in our midst.
We pray too that those who fan the flames of fear and discrimination against the undocumented may be touched with your divine compassion.
The arc of history does bend toward justice – we are bending it today, together, right now.--AMEN.
Amen.
 

God of eternity, creator of wisdom, we thank you for your
blessings upon our deliberations. We recognize California’s
eminent position in the world economy and the responsibilities of this legislative body to yield fairness, justice and peace to the
people of California and the world. We pray for your wisdom to help us focus on the true needs of the people we represent and the people who, in turn, are dependent on our California citizens for their economic enterprises. Never let us fall from your grace of service to our fellow men and women. Forthright and confident in your Presence in all that we do, we praise your holy name--AMEN.

O Holy and Gracious God,

Our nation was founded on the belief that You imbued in the souls and bodies of ordinary men and women certain inalienable rights. And it has been these ordinary citizens who have protected and cherished these rights for almost two and half centuries.

In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt reminded us that “the foundation stone of national life is, and ever must be, the high individual character of the average citizen.”

Each of us carries on our individual shoulders the shared burden and privilege of upholding our nation’s well being.

Creator of Life and Liberty, may You make us ever mindful that our personal choices and actions impact the society that we live in, affecting not only ourselves, or our local community, but our nation itself. May we never forget that since our country’s founding, it has been the sum total of our individual actions, our acts of courage, expressions of kindness and compassion, and a commitment to community, that has shaped, strengthened, and united us all. And may each and every one of us always remember that the wellbeing of our nation is not someone else’s responsibility, but it is all of ours. May this be God’s will-AMEN.

This Sunday many of us will take the time to honor and acknowledge the mothers in our lives who have influenced us, nurtured us, and inspired us.
In our country we speak of our founding fathers, in Israel Golda Meir was seen as a founding mother. And these wise words she offered sound more like advice she would have given to her children than to her constituents, wise sentiments that echo what many of us have heard from our own mothers.
She said: “Trust yourself. Create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement.”

May the Holy One of Blessing help us find the sparks of possibility that dwell in each of us. May we have the self awareness to recognize them, and may these sparks illuminate our life so that we might find true happiness. May this be God’s will.--AMEN.
 

Creator of the universe,

You delight in diversity. By looking at the world around us we can see the beauty of You varied creations in nature and in humanity.

You crated each of us in Your image, each of us a unique reflection of the holy and the good. It was once said that diversity is the one true thing we call have in common.

We pray to the Holy One, the Creator of us all, to grant us the ability to appreciate and learn from our differences. May the blessings that we each bring strengthen our nation, enrich our communities, and inspire us as we go about our daily tasks.

May this be God’s will—AMEN.

Creator of all Humanity,

Every religion has a variation of Your golden rule. Eric Fromm, the noted American thinker, believed that: “Do not do to others what you have them do to you is one of the fundamental principles of ethics. But,” he said, “it is equally justifiable to state: Whatever you do to others, you also do to yourself.”

People do not exist in isolation from one another. Rather, we live in a state of relationship with those around us. While we are very often aware of the impact that the behavior of those around has on our lives, we sometimes forget that the way we treat others also impacts and shapes who we are.

If we approach the world with kindness, compassion and joy, we will become more open to receiving it, and the more we accept the blessings that come our way, the more likely we are to share them.

May the Holy One of Blessing grant us the wisdom, strength and ability to create the world we wish to live in, and to become the type of people we yearn to be. May this be God’s will.—AMEN..
 

I recently met a woman by the name of Sister Claire. When she was young, there was a teacher at her school that wrote many, many questions from the week’s reading and the students had to pull a question out of a hat and answer it. Sister Claire became so frustrated because there were so many questions that she could not get the right answer, but her best friend could. She asked her friend, “How is it that you keep getting all of these answers right?” Her friend confessed that she would memorize one question and one answer and when she would pull a question out of the hat, she would not recite the question on the paper, but the one question that she had memorized. Therefore, she would always get the right answer. Sister Claire thought about this and realized that there truly is only one question and that is, “What is the meaning of life?” And there truly is one answer and that is, “Love.” My dear senators, there is only one answer. And may all your debates, deliberations and decisions be made from this one place.

Let us pray:
Eternal God, we pray for our senators today and as they discuss and deliberate in these chambers, we pray that all of the votes and decisions that are made in this room be made from the place of love and the love of this great state and love for the betterment of all Californians. This prayer we pray, --AMEN.

God of all grace and goodness, we come before you this day with thanks for this good earth, for our nation and state, and for the communities represented in this Senate. Give our lawmakers patience and stamina to meet the challenges they face. May they find the wisdom to act with fairness, justice and mercy, and may they always be guided by your compassion and generosity, this day and always.--AMEN

Good morning.

Let`s pray.

Holy one, within whom we all live, move and have our being, may our hearts be touched by the people that have allowed us to work within this chamber, our constituents, those people of California that we are here to represent.

May we look to these people as our inspiration and as our pole-star in the decisions we make. And within ourselves, may we work from a place of compassion for our fellow human beings, from all walks of life, culture, status and opinion. Help us see that our differences need not divide us, and that they can enrich us. May we recognize that, while there are differences among us, there is more about each of us that can unite all of us.

Within ourselves, may we find the wisdom to listen well; listening not to corroborate our own views, but to expand them; listening for the meaning behind words and actions; listening to the good, the holy and the beautiful that lives in the hearts of us all. And from our listening well, may we find understanding of each other, allowing that understanding to inform our work. And, today may we come from our hearts, humble, merciful, honest and passionate about the privilege we have been afforded by the people of our wonderful state.

God bless California. God bless you.-AMEN.

Gracious Creator, we come before you this day in your loving presence. Give us the eyes to see the possibilities others do not see and the ears to hear those who are seldom heard. Strengthen us with hearts to heal, and the wisdom to discern those who are hurting, who are out of work, who are out of hope. Help us to build this great state as a beacon to the world of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and may we always do so in gratitude for the abundance you give us. In this we pray--AMEN.

WHEN ASKED TO DESCRIBE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HIMSELF AND AN AVERAGE PERSON, ALBERT EINSTEIN EXPLAINED THAT THE AVERAGE PERSON FACED WITH THE PROBLEM OF FINDING A NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK WOULD STOP WHEN HE OR SHE LOCATED A NEEDLE. BUT EINSTEIN SAID HE WOULD TEAR THROUGH THE ENTIRE HAYSTACK LOOKING FOR ALL POSSIBLE NEEDLES.

MY DEAR SENATORS, ALL OF CALIFORNIA IS ASKING FOR YOU TO LOOK FOR ALL POSSIBILITIES TO MAKE THIS AN EVEN STRONGER AND BETTER STATE.

LET US PRAY:

ETERNAL GOD, WE PRAY FOR OUR CALIFORNIA SENATE TODAY AND MAY THE DECISIONS THEY MAKE HERE GO TO STRENGTHEN THE BETTERMENT OF ALL CALIFORNIANS. THIS PRAYER WE PRAY, AMEN.
 

Members and guests have you ever noticed how everyone seems to be in a hurry these days? Between smart phones email, Facebook and other social media it seems like everyone is trying to squeeze more out of every minute. People are texting while driving; most of us have devices at our bedsides. I have even seen guys on the phone in the restroom! At some point you must ask yourself, is it really that serious? During meetings folks will have two or three devices they are monitoring while trying to pay attention to the meeting. I don’t know if the new technology is making us more productive or less patient? Have you noticed that the jasmine is fragrant and in bloom around the Capitol building? You will only know that if you “Slo Yo Roll” or take your time. Now you might need some Zyrtec walking in Sacramento this time of year, but you get my point.

The other day I was listening to one of my favorite bands, named for my hometown they are simply known as Chicago. The song and my theme today is, “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” It is often said, patience is a virtue. In the book of Galatians the apostle Paul wrote, “But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness goodness and faithfulness.” But with all our high tech stuff, we seem to be spending more time and accomplishing less. In the song a verse says “As I was walking down the street one day, a preaching lady looked at me and said her diamond watch had stopped cold dead, and I said, does anybody really know what time it is, does anybody really care? If so I can’t imagine why we’ve all got time enough to cry.”

Members, patience is one of the virtues mentioned in all major religions. Patience and fortitude are prominent in both the Talmud and the Torah. The story of Micah for example, is that he suffers many challenging conditions and yet endures. The Christian Bible references patience in Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and several other places. Perhaps most prominent is in 1 Timothy “Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.”

In the Quran it is written, “Muslims should persevere in patience and consistency and be steadfast in patience.” Incidentally, the word Jihad is not used anywhere in the Quran to mean war in the sense of launching an offensive. It is used rather to mean struggle, the action most consistently called for in the Quran is the exercise of patience.
In Buddhism and Hinduism there is an emphasis on mindfulness that is conducive to patient, effective and well organized thought.

God teach me to be patient, teach me to go slow,
Teach me how to wait on You when my way I do not know.

Teach me sweet forbearance when things do not go right
So I remain unruffled when others grow uptight.
Teach me how to quiet my racing heart,
So I might hear the answer You are trying to impart.
Teach me to let go dear God, and pray undisturbed until
My heart is filled with inner peace and I learn to know your will.

So members, does anybody really know what time it is this morning? Does anybody really care? If so I can’t imagine why we all have time enough to die.
Amen

The English civil servant and philosopher, John Stuart Mill, when writing on the nature of liberty said that “the worth of a state, in the long run, is the worth of the individuals composing it.”

For all of the natural resources and beauty to be found in California, the true wealth of our State can be best found by looking at the special gifts and talents, the unique insights and understanding, the wonderful diversity and contributions, brought to the larger community by those of us who live here.

Good governance requires that we live in the paradox of two truths, one is that the whole is greater than its parts, and the other truth is that each individual matters, each life deserving to be valued and celebrated in its own right.

May the Holy One enable us to always balance the needs and rights of the individual with the values and concerns of the community, and may we be ever mindful that our ultimate value as a society rests on the singular contributions of each and every one of us. May this be God’s will. Amen.
 

O Source of insight and understanding,You help us to find inspiration in literature and theatre, art, and music. The
creativity of others can help uplift our souls, cause us to look inward, and to examine the human condition.
The great Irish playwright, George Bernard Shaw, cautioned us when he wrote in a play that "the worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them; that is the essence of inhumanity.
Those who choose a life of public service can not indulge in the sin of indifference.
The very nature of the work is to serve the needs of others. It is both a gift and a burden, and ultimately, a sacred task. For when we administer to the needs of our
fellow human beings, we are also serving the Creator of us all.
May it be Your will 0 God, that our hearts be ever open to understanding the suffering and yearnings of others, that our minds be wise in finding answers to the problems that come before us, and may we always care about those whom we
serve. May this be God`s will--AMEN.

The Rev. James Richardson
Holy and gracious God: we give thanks for this new day and for the new opportunities you have given us. We give thanks for this good earth, for this nation and state, and we give thanks for the people of this land and the trust they have placed in us, your servants. May our lawmakers risk something big for something good; may they remember that the world is too wounded for anything but compassion, and too small for anything but cooperation. May God kindle the hearts of our lawmakers, give them strength for their journey and courage to act with justice, fairness and humility in all that they do.-AMEN.
 

There is a saying that the U.S. Military Academy cadets have that applies to all of us. They say: "Risk more than others think is safe. Care more than others think is wise. Dream more than others think is practical. Expect more than others think is possible."
If we follow this advice there are two things that are likely to happen, first we are likely to achieve greater success in our endeavors, and secondly, we will become
personally invigorated from having dared to be passionate about what we do.
May the Holy One grant us the ability to be fearless in our dreams of what is possible, caring and compassionate in the actions that we take, and bold in our expectations of what can be accomplished. May this be God`s will.--AMEN.
 

O God of learning and of life,
President Theodore Roosevelt spent much of his life in service to our country. He was a man who understood big ideas and real problems. He once advised graduating high school students with these sage words: “Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars, but remember to keep your feet on the ground.”

Whether we are students heading out in the world, or are already well seasoned by life, this is good advice. Success in our personal life, in work, and in government all require a balance between idealism and practicality, generosity and skepticism. If we err too far on one side or the other we risk our ability to be effective.

May the Holy One bless in our ability to serve the people of California. May we be granted wisdom and compassion, and the ability to always find practical solutions for difficult problems. May this be God’s will--AMEN.
 

I invite you to turn your attention now to that one Presence by many names:
God, Allah, Elohim, Sacred Grandmother Tree, Divine Intelligence, Omnipresent Love. It is in this moment of turning our attention to this Universal Power for Good that the connection is made; and when the connection is made, corrections will come. Corrections needed to meet the growing needs of Californians young and old, those born here and those who came here for a better life. This day we make the connection with this Higher Power so that corrections can be made for economic challenges of
both labor and business. Our vision for Californians is one of freedom from all limitation and God never gives us a vision without a provision. That provision is, in part, called Senator. God is in the house this morning
blessing each and every one of you with wisdom, right action, and open hearts.--AMEN.
 

Good morning.
I would like to share with you this morning a prayer that is both well know and timeless; a prayer that contains within it the heart of all faith traditions; a prayer that addresses every moment in the span of our lives. Commonly known as The Prayer of St. Frances, this variation was spoken by Mother Teresa
to the gathering of the United Nations General Assembly in 1985. Just for today, may each of us allow this prayer to be the desire of our own hearts:
Let’s pray.

Make us worthy Lord to serve our fellow men throughout the world,
Give them through our hands, this day, their daily bread
and by our understanding love give peace and joy.
Lord, make me a channel of thy peace.
That where there is hatred I may bring love,
That where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness,
That where there is discord, I may bring harmony,
That where there is error I may bring truth,
That where there is doubt I may bring faith,
That where there is despair I may bring hope,
That where there are shadows I may bring light,
That where there is sadness I may bring joy.
Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted,
To understand than to be understood,
To love than to be loved.
For it is by forgetting self that one finds.
It is by forgiving that one is forgiven,
it is by dying that one awakens to eternal life.
Amen.

Gracious, loving Holy One, we give thanks for this new day, and for the opportunities you give us to be servants of your people. We are mindful today of those who are hurting and grieving, especially the victims and their families of the airplane crash in San Francisco. Watch over them, give them comfort and healing, and bring them safely home. We give thanks for the police officers, fire fighters and rescue workers who risk their lives each day in our state that all of us may be safe. Inspire all of us, especially our lawmakers gathered here, to work with compassion, generosity and courage that this world may truly become as you would have us make it. AMEN.

God of Freedom and Liberty,

Just as you gave the Israelites the patriarchs and matriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah, to lead and inspire them, you gave our country founding fathers and mothers, whose wisdom and example continue to guide and inspire us.

On July 2, 1776, with a legislative vote, our country was born. Reflecting on this historic moment, John Adams wrote his wife Abigail and said:

“You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. -- I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. -- Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will tryumph in that Days Transaction, even altho We should rue it, which I trust in God We shall not.”

As we enter into this festive weekend we give thanks for all who have come before us, all who fought to create, to protect and to preserve our nation. We give thanks for the courage of those who risked their lives to create what we enjoy. And we give thanks for the blessings this nation has bestowed on our own families and ancestors who came to this country in pursuit of living in freedom and with liberty.

May it be Your will o God, to always look upon our nation with compassion, and may the ravishing Light and Glory of which John Adams spoke, continue to shine brightly and forever on. Amen.
 

O God of all humanity,

We yearn for a sense of wholeness in our lives. But Leonard Cohen, the Canadian poet and musician, reminds us that beauty and meaning can be found even in what may appear to be broken, he wrote:

“Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That is how the light gets in.”

Too often we strive for the elusive goal of perfection, judging ourselves by ideals and standards that are difficult or impossible to achieve. But it is often through our struggles that we find strength, and through our difficulties that we find meaning.

May it be Your will o God that through the cracks enlightenment will shine through, banishing the darkness in our life. Amen.
 

Creator of the Universe,

In the Bible it is written that for six days You labored to create the heavens and the earth, and all that is in it. But on the seventh day You rested. With this You taught us by example that creation is a holy act, and You also taught us that resting from our labors is a holy act as well.

Your servant, the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. reminded us that "all labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence."

This coming Monday we take an extra day of rest, so that we can give thanks and celebrate the economic and social contributions of the American worker, their acts of excellence have elevated our nation, and given dignity to us all.

We turn to You and humbly ask that You bring blessings into the lives of all those who work hard, each and every day, to support their families, who are the foundation of our communities, and upon whose labor our nation became great. May this be Your will.-AMEN.

“For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”

The courts have recently figured into the lives of all Americans. The trial of George Zimmerman in the death of Trayvon Martin touched all of us in different ways. The United States Supreme Court recently concluded their 2012/2013 session, and as usual they ruled on many issues. Today I would like to focus on two decisions and the Zimmerman case that form the context for this message -- joy and pain. One day the Supreme Court eliminated some major provisions of the Voting Rights Act, and then on another they recognized some rights afforded same sex couples...

While I personally pain with the loss of portions of the Voting Rights Act. I know some felt joy because they believed there was never a need for a Voting Rights Act in the first place. I remember President Johnson signing the act with Dr. Martin Luther King, Dr. Dorothy Height and the other civil rights leaders standing with him as he said in his Texas drawl, “and we shall overcome.” I can’t forget the blood, sweat and tears it took to get the act passed, nor can I forget Medgar Evers and the many others who gave their very lives for a Voting Rights Act. On August 28, 1963, some 50 years ago, several hundred thousand people marched on Washington for a Voting Rights Act. This past Saturday tens of thousands appeared in Washington to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the march. Many of the participants were carrying signs in memory of Trayvon Martin, reflecting the pain of that decision.

On the other hand I appreciated the joy from the LGBT community on the recognition of their right to marry. Clearly, the elders in the American LGBT rights movement pioneers like Henry Gerber of Chicago, founder of the Society for Human Rights in 1924, Harry Hay of Los Angeles, founder of the Mattachine Society in 1950, along with Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon of San Francisco who founded the Daughters of Bilitis in 1955, along with all those who stood up to police brutality at the Stonewall Inn in New York in 1969, and of course the late San Francisco County Supervisor, Harvey Milk, all felt joy with the decision.

Anita Bryant, Rev. Jerry Falwell and others felt pain because they believe the Supreme Court overreached with respect to same sex marriage. Their view is that religious teachings and traditions should determine what marriage should be. Not the courts. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops said “it was a tragic day for marriage and our nation.”2

One of my favorite songs is “Joy and Pain” by the Bay Area R&B group, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly.3 The thesis of the song is that joy and pain are essentially the same emotion. “Joy and pain are like sunshine and rain.” Depending on your world view, you could have been happy or sad with either decision of the court. Frankie Beverly derives his main idea from the book “The Prophet” by the Lebanese philosopher Kahlil Gibran.

In a passage from the book Gibran describes Joy and Sorrow:

Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.
And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.
And how else can it be?
The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.
Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter’s oven?
And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives?
When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.
When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.
Some of you say, “Joy is greater than sorrow,” and others say, “Nay, sorrow is the greater.” But I say unto you, they are inseparable.4

Senators, every one of us had to win an election to earn the right to sit here. By definition someone lost. Your election brought simultaneous joy and pain, they are indeed, inseparable.

Frankie Beverly ends “Joy and Pain” with this catchphrase;

Over and over you can be sure
There will be sorrow but you will endure
Where there’s a flower there’s the sun and the rain
Oh but it’s wonderful they are both one in the same.
Amen.

What is life`s heaviest burden?" asked a youth of a sad and lonely old man. `To have nothing to carry," he answered. (E. Scott O`Conner)
To care for others, to carry their concerns with our own, is not one of life`s burdens, but a privilege. To stand separate and apart from the community, to carry none of the load in our arms, or in our hearts, is to carry the greatest burden of all. When we participate in both the struggles and celebrations of others, then we are able to live a life of meaning.
May the Holy One grant us the ability to see our burdens we carry for others as blessings, may our responsibilities to others give us strength, and may we always find our work to be a source of joy and value to our lives.
May this be God`s will. Amen.
 

Creator of all humanity, The work of government is an ongoing responsibility of representing and serving
the people. The work can sometimes feel daunting, and without end. There is always more than can be done, new issues that arise, another meeting to go to.
A Jewish sage once taught: "It is not your responsibility to finish the work, but you are not free to desist from it either."
Alone, each of us can not finish all of the work that needs to be done. But when each of us picks up our share of the load, we move forward together, ever mindful,
that even when our work is done, there will be more to do for those who come after us, just as we picked up the load from those who came before us. May it be Your will 0 God, that we find meaning in our work, ever mindful of the
great responsibility that has been entrusted to us. Amen.

The prophet Micah asks what does the Eternal One require of us? Only to do justice, to love goodness, and walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8). Then, we are taught, we will achieve a reputation for wisdom.
May we be known for the wisdom of our deeds and our quest to do what is right and good. May we act with love towards one another, and may we be ever humble before our Creator and all humanity. May this be Gods will. AMEN.

Author of Life and Death,

Some days seem to merge into the next, one day indistinguishable from the other, moments slipping through our fingers. Ralph Waldo Emerson spoke of the urgency to appreciate time. He cautioned us that “the days come and go like muffled and veiled figures sent from a distant friendly party, but they say nothing, and if we do not use the gifts they bring, they carry them as silently away.”

Each day we wake up is a gift, carrying with it both mysteries and blessings. The gift of time cannot be put on a shelf to be used at a later date. If used unwisely, it is lost forever. But when it is well spent, it can be savored for years to come.

May we live each day to its fullest capacity, creating for our future treasured memories of time well spent. May this be God’s will.--AMEN.
 

O God of all humanity,
Too often we approach our work as an onerous task and not a privilege, a
responsibility, but not an honor. Kahil Gibran expounded on the concept of what it
means when work is seen instead as a "labor of love." He wrote:
"And what is it to work with love?
It is to weave the cloth with threads drawn from your heart
even as if your beloved were to wear that cloth.
It is to build a house with affection,
even as if your beloved were to dwell in that house.
It is to sow seeds with tenderness
and reap the harvest with joy,
even as if your beloved were to eat the fruit.
It is to charge all things you fashion
with a breath of your spirit."
When we work without passion, the task become drudgery, and our work less
effective. But when we put ourselves into our work, and when we remember for
whom the buildings are being built, the bills being written for, the lives that are
affected and bettered by the labor of our hands and our hearts, then the work we do
becomes transformed, it becomes elevated because we have put ourselves into the
task.
May it be the will of our Creator that every task we undertake become a labor of
love, inspired by those who we have vowed to serve. May this be God`s will.
Amen.

had a friend in high school by the name of Suzanne who played golf. One day as she was getting ready to tee off, she accidentally tapped the ball and as you may know in golf, this is technically considered a stroke. However, she was at the first hole, and at the first hole this mistake does not count. You get a do-over; a second chance. Do you know what this is called? It’s called a mulligan. Guess what happened when she swung the golf club next? She got a hole in one. The glory could not have counted had she not received that mulligan. My dear senators, it is our hope that the decisions you make in this room today will help all Californians to have a second chance for a better tomorrow.

Let us pray:

Gracious and loving God, we pray for our senators today and for their deliberations. We ask for your blessings upon them and may they know the gratitude we have for their work. As they work through their agenda today may they feel your presence and give them guidance to strengthen this great state of California. This prayer we pray,-AMEN.
 

Twelve years ago this morning, America awakened to an unimaginable tragedy, changing all of our lives and the course of this great nation.
Let us remember all who were lost that terrible day -
the men and women, the selfless and heroic first responders, and also the brave soldiers who have sacrificed all to defend our precious freedom
in the years that have passed.
Please bow your heads and join me in a moment of silence.

Now let us pray:
Dear God
may it be Your will, in the not too distant future,
that all of Your children may live in peace, and may You preserve the great blessings you have bestowed on our country.-AMEN.
 

President Hoover said that “Wisdom consists not so much in knowing what to do in the ultimate as in knowing what to do next.”
The questions of right or wrong on the big issues of life are, ironically, often the easy decisions to make. It is the seemingly little questions, in the day in and day out of life, that determines who is truly wise.
As President Hoover said, wisdom can be found in simply knowing what to do next. Living in the moment, with the choices in front of you, with decisions to be made, now, in this moment, these are the times when we are tested, and this is when wisdom is demanded of us.
May the Holy One of Blessing guide us in our actions and give us the ability to make wise choices. May this be God’s will--AMEN.
 

In this day and age when we have access to what seems to be unlimited information, it can be tempting to believe that we also have access to unlimited understanding and comprehension. And yet, Goethe’s words from the past still ring true. He cautioned us that “doubt grows with knowledge.” What most scholars, and even experts find, is that the more we know, the less we have to be certain about.

We live in a complicated world. And the more we try to understand the world we live in, what we often find are not answers to our questions, but rather, more questions.

God of wisdom and insight, in our search for answers and meaning, may you help us find the right questions to ask, and may we find joy in the journey of discovery. May this be God’s will.-AMEN

Almighty Creator of all, with your abundant generosity you also give us dynamic responsibilities. Grant us wisdom through selflessness to find the path to peace, justice and harmony for all the people of California. We ask this through the knowledge we have of your Eternal Love for all of your creation.--AMEN
 

This evening at sundown, Jews around the world will be celebrating the holiday of Rosh HaShanah, the Jewish New Year. On this day we cease our work to celebrate and give thanks for creation and life itself. Jews will gather and pray for a year of health and goodness, life, and peace. We will pray that over the last year, our good deeds have out weighed our mistakes. And most of all, we will pray that God will look upon all humanity with kindness and compassion, and judge us all with mercy.

May the Holy One of Blessing, grant each of us, and all of our loved ones a year filled with the joy of friendship and the comfort of family. May we be blessed with enough prosperity so that we are able to share our good fortune with others. And may we blessed with a hear filled with health and with peace. May this be God’s will. Amen.

After the crucifixion of Jesus the Apostle, Paul traveled the known world spreading the “Good News.” One of the places he established a church and spent some time was the City of Corinth in what is now Northern Greece. He wrote three letters to the Corinthians giving them guidance on how to conduct their lives. The New Testament of the Bible includes two of Paul’s letters. An often used passage of comfort comes from the 2nd Letter to the Corinthians where he says; “We are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to him.” The passage is most often stated like this, “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.”

A while back I was holding a town hall in my district and I was asked about the perks of being a legislator. They were expecting me to discuss the travel and dinners with the dreaded lobbyists. That week I had attended four funerals. So I told them that one of the perks is season tickets to funerals. In Southern California I have been to almost every venue for a funeral service. I have been to some unusual places for services as well as services of different beliefs and for people with no beliefs at all. As a season ticket holder I have come to know all the funeral directors, the motorcycle traffic officers and most of the ministers. This comes in handy when you see a printed program that looks like War and Peace or you need a parking space. I’ve been to services that were so long I was able to go to another funeral have lunch and make it back in time to present my memorial resolutions.

I have been to the funerals of slain children and people who were accomplished and had full lives. I have been to funerals where people were glad to see the dead guy gone and literally came to make sure he was dead. The saddest part of any service is seeing the faces of those who lost a family member or close friend where a lifetime relationship has been established. Today I would like to take a few moments and focus on losing lifetime relationships.

Noted spiritualist and author Iyanla Vanzant in her book Acts of Faith had this perspective, “Lifetime relationships are a bit more difficult to let go of. When a parent, child, spouse, sibling or close friend is involved, the wounds are very deep. When the end of a lifetime relationship comes, you may feel that you would be better off dead. The pain seems to grow, the memories linger, and a part of your life is dying. You relive every painful moment in an attempt to understand. Your job is not to understand. Your job is to accept. Lifetime relationships teach you lifetime lessons; those things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. They are the most difficult lessons to learn, the most painful to accept; yet these are the things you need in order to grow. When you are facing a separation of the end of a lifetime relationship, the key is to find the lesson; love the person anyway; move on and put what you have learned to use in all your other relationships.”

A new life begins when a part of life ends. AMEN

Amen

Frank Outlaw, a noted 20th century businessman, reflected on the nature of human character. He said:

"Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become your character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny."

May the Holy One of Blessing help us recognize the power in even the smallest of our acts, and the freedom we hold in determining our future. May this be God`s will.-AMEN.

Margaret Deland, an American novelist from the turn of the 20th century, observed that "faith . . . is not the holding of certain dogmas; it is simply [the] openness and readiness of heart to believe any truth which God may show."

The purpose of faith is to open us up to the wonderful myriad of possibilities that our souls and minds might show us, not to close us off from all but what our eyes can see for themselves. With faith, the world becomes larger, and the possibilities-limitless.

May the Holy One allow us to be open to a vast world of ideas and may we be so blessed to be open to experience God`s truths in its numerous manifestations. May this be God`s will.-AMEN.

William James, a pioneer of American psychology and a respected philosopher, taught that "the great use of a life is to spend it for something that outlasts it."
Each day we are given the opportunity to affect the world around us, to truly spend our lives in a way where we can create a legacy of meaning. This is the ultimate inheritance we will leave to future generations. While it might lack the tangibility of property or possession left in a will, it gives us a chance to allow our short time here to be felt throughout eternity.
May the Holy One view our work with favor and grant us the blessing of living a life rich in meaning and filled with purpose. May this be God`s will. AMEN

Lord,
Society teaches us that it is important to have a healthy
self-image. What can happen however, is that a healthy
self-image can turn into a sense of self-importance and self-
centeredness. But, as long as we think of turning to You
during the day, no matter what we may be doing, our heart
can be filled with humility and our self-image can be
strengthened by Your power and grace. Fill our minds,
Lord, with thoughts of You today and bless us in Your `

We live in a fast paced world, offering a constant barrage of challenges.
H.G. Wells once advised: “Adapt or perish, now as ever, is Nature’s inexorable imperative.”

“Adapt” does not mean that we need to create something completely anew, rather it means that we can revisit past decisions while we address the future with daring new ideas.

“Adapt or perish” – What is demanded of us is action. Nature requires us to respond to the world that confronts us with creative thinking, and at times the physical stamina to endure the long hours of work that are often required until a solution is found.

May the Holy One of Blessing grant us the ability to see our challenges as opportunities, and to look at old situations with fresh eyes and new ideas. May this be God’s will. AMEN

It seems to be a favorite pastime of many Americans to poke fun of politics and politicians. However, when we do that, we only mock ourselves. For as William Penn said: “Governments, like clocks, go from the motion that men give them.”

We the people are the government. If the government is running well, it is because of the effort that we put into it. If it is not working well, then we must also take the blame. Those who are elected into office, those who work for the state, as well as those of us who serve simply as citizens, we are the motion that makes this government run.

May it be the will of the Creator to grant us the ability to run our government with prudence, pride and responsibility. May this be God’s will. AMEN.

Creator of us all, you send us leaders to guide us and teach us both in difficult times and in good times. They bring Your truth into our lives, sometimes transforming who we are as individuals, or as communities, or even as a nation.

One of Your servants, the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. taught us that “an individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.” He was a messenger who brought us a reminder of Your eternal teaching that we are all our brother’s keepers.

May our ears always be open to receive your teachings of love and truth. May our hearts be big enough to care about all of your children. And may our hands be ever ready to do the work that needs to be done to bring healing and hope into our world. May this be God’s will. Amen

Members and guests, today we celebrate the life of civil and human rights leader, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. One of the often overlooked aspects of Dr. King’s life is how much he accomplished in such a short time. Dr. King was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. He was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis Tennessee at the age of 39. Sadly, Senator Robert Kennedy was assassinated just two months after Dr. King on June 5, during his victory celebration after winning the California Democratic Presidential Primary election at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. 1968 was also the year of the Olympics in Mexico City where my friends Tommie Smith and John Carlos held their black fisted glove protest on the victory stand.
Last year on October 16, 2011 President Obama dedicated a monument to Dr. King on the tidal basin of the National Mall in Washington, DC. This is the only monument on the National Mall honoring someone other than a president or a war memorial. The dedication had to be rescheduled because of two rare events in Washington: a hurricane and an earthquake! President Obama said, “An earthquake and hurricane may have delayed this day, but it was a day not to be denied.” The symbolism of Dr. King’s memorial being on the National Mall is that it represents a triumphant return to the site of one of his more famous demonstrations, the August 28, 1963, March on Washington, where he delivered the legendary “I have a dream” message. Incidentally, the actual monument is the work of a Chinese artist, Lei Yixin.
Another of the often overlooked aspects to Dr. King’s life was the fact that he was not only a gifted orator but also a skilled organizer and visionary leader. I mentioned that Dr. King was a young man at the time of his death; however, he recognized that he was not a one man band and frequently relied on others who are commonly unsung. Today I want to lift the names of some of those unsung heroes, without whom the movement may have taken a different course.
The March on Washington for example was organized by Bayard Rustin, a labor leader and close associate of the founder of the union representing Pullman Car Porters, A. Phillip Randolph. It was Rustin who conceived the idea of the march and then recruited Dr. King to speak. The FBI considered Rustin a subversive because he was black, gay and a communist. He was also brilliant. When President Kennedy and the FBI prevailed on Dr. King to cancel the march and renounce Rustin, Dr. King said, “absolutely not!” And the rest is history. By the way, it was Rustin who directed Dr. King to the teachings of Gandhi which would become the foundation of the movement.
While we often hear about the work of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) we seldom hear of the name of Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth who was one of its founders and on the front lines in Birmingham, Alabama having to confront the infamous Eugene “Bull” Conner, the racist Director of Public Safety in Birmingham. Unlike Dr. King, Shuttlesworth was not a believer in non-violence. However, he and Dr. King made a great team, like a good guy/bad guy duo. Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth died in October, 2011, at 89 years of age. Congressman John Lewis said of him, “When others did not have the courage to stand up and speak out, Fred Shuttlesworth put all he had on the line to end segregation in Birmingham and Alabama.” At the introduction of what became the Civil Rights Act of 1964, President Kennedy said “But for Birmingham, we would not be here today.”
Another major event in the movement was the famous Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955. The boycott was launched when Ms. Rosa Parks refused to give her seat on a public bus to a white passenger. She was arrested and charged with a crime. Dr. King used this incident to organize a boycott of the bus system in Montgomery which lasted 385 days. To sustain the boycott, the churches in the City of Montgomery organized transportation routes and car pools which financially crippled the bus system. The mayor of Montgomery actually ordered that tickets be given to car pools to try to break the boycott. The boycott ended with a Supreme Court ruling that ended segregation on public accommodations and reversed the charges against Ms. Parks. Today we refer to Ms. Parks as “the Mother of the Civil Rights Movement.”
Just this past November, in San Diego at the General Dynamics NASSCO Ship Building facility, the United States Navy launched the US Medgar Evers. His widow, Myrlie Evers christened the ship in the name of her husband with their children, grandchildren and thousands of witnesses looking on. Medgar Evers was assassinated on June 12, 1963, in the driveway of his home in Mississippi. Mr. Evers was the leader of the NAACP in Mississippi and was conducting voter registration drives in the state. A military veteran, Medgar Evers is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
From Ms. Viola Liuzzo, a white woman, the wife of a Teamster leader in Detroit who was murdered in Selma Alabama, March 25, 1965, to college students James Chaney, of Mississippi and Andrew Goodman, a Jewish kid from New York, and Michael Schwerner, also from New York, murdered together on June 21, 1964, in Philadelphia, Mississippi, to Rev. Ralph Abernathy to United Automobile Workers leader Walter Reuther, the civil rights movement was bigger than one man. It was bigger than one race or even one country. Lech Walesa in Poland and Nelson Mandela in South Africa credit Dr. King with the inspiration for some of their success. Members, today I just want to say that Dr. King was the leader of a movement that only grew more powerful with his assassination. That movement is why I am here now; and it’s why Barack Obama is President of the United States today.
Bullets can kill dreamers, but they don’t kill the dream.
God of our weary years,
God of our silent tears,
Thou who hast brought us thus far on the way;
Thou who hast by Thy might,
Led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee,
Lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee;
Shadowed beneath Thy hand,
May we forever stand,
True to our God,
True to our native land.
May this be God’s will--AMEN
 

There is a true story about a man by the name of Joe McVicker who was from central Ohio and he invented some “white goo” to clean soot from wallpaper from old fashioned heating. As gas and electricity came into place, it made his product defunct. His sister-in-law, who was a nursery school teacher, said that the kids enjoyed playing with his product than the hard modeling clay they were used to. So Joe added a little bit of color to the “white goo” and named it Play-Doh. And in the words of James L. Brooks, “This is proof that we are all one small adjustment away from making our life work.”
Please pray with me:
Eternal God, We pray for our California Senate today and through their deliberations may they make the small adjustments needed to make the lives of millions of Californians work. We pray for the deliberations, we
pray for their work, we pray for a better day for this great state of California.
This prayer we pray.—AMEN.

The Bible provides us with a bounty of stories about individuals overcoming adversity and challenges. With the story of Moses, we are shown the story of a reluctant leader, a man who did not pursue fame or prominence, but was called to it.

When Moses stumbles upon the burning bush, God calls out to him to take on the mantle of leadership, to serve his people, to question the powers that be, and to do what is right for the sake of others, even though what is right contains many risks, both for Moses, and for those whom he as been called upon to serve.

Scared of what is being asked of him, Moses resists, but finally agrees. After experiencing this miraculous event, Moses returns to his father-in-laws home, and tells him what has happened, and states that he must be with his kinsman, in their time of great need. His father gives him this simple blessing as he goes forth to meet his destiny. He says “go in peace.”

As this esteemed body continues on its journey of attending to the great needs of our State, we turn to the Source of All Blessings, and we ask that when we hear the call to lead and to serve, we will not turn away, but that we shall have the courage, the strength, and the wisdom to do what is asked of us. And as we move forward to face our destiny, may we go in peace. May this be God’s will. Amen.

Oh Author of Life: There is something about the turning of a calendar page to a new year that prompts us to reflect upon the meaning of our days. President Harry Truman offered these words of advice for us to consider about what truly matters. He said “fame is vapor, popularity is an accident, and money has wings. All that endures is character.”

It is sometimes difficult to remember that what is important is not only the work that needs to be done, but also the manner in which we do that work. At the end of the day, and at the end of all of our days, what we will be remembered for is how we treated one another as we tried to accomplish our goals. Were we kind? Were we fair? Were we honest? Did we live with integrity?

May it be the will of our Creator that we live each day as though it was our last, filling our years with meaning and with purpose.-AMEN

The American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr taught that “nothing worth doing is completed in our lifetime; therefore we must be saved by hope. Nothing true or beautiful makes complete sense in any immediate context of history; therefore we must be saved by faith. Nothing we do, however virtuous, he says, can be accomplished alone; therefore, we are saved by love.”

May the Holy One grant us enough hope to sustain us throughout our lives, a faith in the belief that what we do is of consequence and that future generations will one day enjoy the fruits of our labor, and the desire to work with one another to accomplish deeds that will be remembered as virtuous for the citizens of California.

May this be God’s will. AMEN.
 

Brother David Steindl-Rast, a Benedictine monk, teaches us that “Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy—because we will always want to have something else or something more.”

May the Holy One make our hearts open to receive and acknowledge the many blessings in our life. May we have a sense of gratitude and awe for all that we have already been given, and may we find that we already possess all that we need to live a life of meaning and purpose.
May this be God’s will.—AMEN.
 

We are taught in the book of Genesis that all of humanity descends from a single person. There are those who say that Holy One did this so that no person could say “my father is greater than your father.” By this, we are taught that we are all brothers and sisters, part of the same human family, with a shared destiny and shared responsibility for one another.
May we be ever mindful of all that binds us, finding compassion in our hearts for all people, and treating each other with dignity and respect.
May this be God’s will.—AMEN.

Nelson Mandela taught that “we must use time creatively, and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right.”
Every day is full of possibilities if only we are open to them;opportunities to perform acts of kindness and compassion, and to bring healing into our world.
May the Holy One open our eyes and our hearts to the needs of others,and inspire us to use every day to do what is good and just.
May this be God’s will.—AMEN.

O loving and merciful God, We turn to You for guidance in how to live our lives with honor and integrity. In Deuteronomy, your servant Moses instructs us that we should love You with all our heart, with all our soul and
with all our might. You teach us that the way that we can best show You our love is by treating each other with kindness, with justice, and with compassion.
But this is not always easy to do. So we turn to You to make our hearts sensitive to the needs of others, to help us see the spark of holiness in the souls of our fellow human beings, and to always remind us that our might
should be used to create a better world for us and for those who come after us. And when we do these things, we make manifest Your love in our world.
May this be God’s will.—AMEN.

O Creator of us all: You judge us both by how we meet life’s challenges as well as by life’s opportunities. It is at these times that our true values are illuminated and our character is laid bare before You.

For some, life’s difficult moments can create a personal crisis where we discover a gap between how we perceive ourselves and how we truly are. And for others, it is a moment of affirmation, when we behave according to our highest ideals, and respond to life with integrity and honor.

Oh Source of Strength, enable us to meet even our most difficult tasks with grace and with sincerity, and may You always judge us with favor and with compassion. May this be God’s will. AMEN
 

Quincy Jones, the greatest American record producer of all time and one of our national treasures, once aid, “Imagine what a harmonious world it could be if every single person, both young and old, shared a little of what he is good at doing.”
Let us pray:
Eternal God, We pray for our California Senate and for their deliberations here in these chambers. May their work today inspire all Californians to share what they are good at doing, to bring their best, so that this great state can flourish and be a place of inspiration and harmony. This prayer we pray.—AMEN.

The 20th century theologian, Abraham Joshua Heshel once said: “When I was a young man I used to value clever people. But now that I am old, I value kind people.”

So often the skills that get us where we desire to be are not the same thing that makes us of value as human beings. When we are younger we measure success by grades, by social status, by the size of an office or staff. But as we get older, if we are truly wise, we learn that success is measured by the type of life we live, the quality of interactions with those around us.

May it be the will of the Creator that our words always be kind, our hearts compassionate and our actions wise.-Amen.

Holy and Loving God, we pray for the well-being of our State, and all who serve it. May the actions of those who lead us be guided with wisdom and compassion, for in their hands is a sacred trust. May the Holy One bring blessings and well being, a sense of peace and security to the lives of all people.

May this be God’s will. AMEN.

Oh God, Who chose the Bishop Saint Patrick
to preach your glory to the peoples of Ireland,
grant that those who glory in the name of Christian
may never cease to proclaim your wondrous deeds to all.

Bless this day of Irish heritage celebration,
that peoples of all faiths in that culture
may seek justice, peace, and harmony,
for themselves and all the people of the world.

May the dedication of St. Patrick to his faith
inspire all people to do what is good
as they serve you and all humanity.
We pray in Your Holy Name.-AMEN.

Winston Churchill once said that “difficulties mastered are opportunities won.” Each of us in our own lives have many difficulties waiting for us to learn from them, to grow from them, and ultimately to transform them into opportunities.

May the Holy One give us light to guide our way, and grant us the ability to find possibilities where they might seem absent, may we overcome any stumbling blocks along the way and master the difficulties we find in our life’s path.

May this be God’s will. Amen.
 

The noted academic and business consultant, Keshavan Nair taught that "with courage you will dare to take risks, have the strength to be compassionate, and the wisdom to be humble. Courage," he taught, "is the foundation of integrity."
May the Holy One bless us with the strength to live according to our convictions, compassion for those whom we serve, the wisdom to understand the power we wield, and most of all the courage to act each and every day with integrity.
May this be God`s will—AMEN.

Mary McLeod Bethune, a civil rights leader and educator, taught that "Faith is the first factor in a life devoted to service. Without it," she said "nothing is possible. With it, nothing is impossible."

We pray to the Holy One to sustain our faith and guide us as we seek to serve. We humbly ask that You bless us with wisdom and insight, so that we might be successful in serving the people of this great state.

May this be God`s will. AMEN.
 

The 19th century American author J.G. Holland taught that "God gives every bird its food, but does not throw it into the nest."
All that we need to nourish us in life, physically, intellectually, spiritually, God provides for in the world. But it is for us to seek, to search, and to claim it for ourselves.
May we be blessed with the ability to find what we need to sustain us, to recognize it when it is revealed to us, and to accept even what we have worked hard to attain as though it were a gift from the Eternal One. May this be God`s will.-AMEN.