Blessings Abound

Thought I'd share my invocation from the 50th Annual Governor's Prayer Breakfast in Dover, DE. Interesting experience and quite meaningful, and nice to meet some people in service. In many ways what I said grew out of the comments left in response to a question posted on my Facebook.

Some of you may recognize some of the language pilfered from the Reform Movement's Gates of Prayer prayerbook.

Governor, Lt. Governor, esteemed servants of the People of Delaware past and present, fellow clergy, Friends of faith: let us pray:

Mkor Hachaim, source of life, we come to you today on this morning of prayer to ask your blessings. Today is a Jubilee, as we celebrate 50 years of prayer together. We are grateful for these 50 years of opportunity to bless you and praise your name, and those Governors past and present, who served with compassion and justice. We rejoice for those still with us in blessing and health, and remember those whose memory abides as a loving benediction.
We thank you for the sustenance you have given us this morning and those who have prepared it, allowing us to fulfill the words of your Scripture, that we have eaten and been satisfied, and now we bless.
We pray: Establish us, dedicated to your Holy name, so that we may be worthy of your greatness and love. May every heart which seeks you find it. Have compassion upon us. Preserve us from sickness, war and strife. Keep us from hatred and uncharitableness toward our neighbors and grant that, dwelling in safety and walking in uprightness, we may enjoy the fruit of our labors in peace.
We pray: be with all who spend themselves for the good of humanity and bear the burdens of others. Who give bread to the hungry, clothe the naked and provide shelter for the homeless. Establish O God the work of their hands, and grant them an abundant harvest of the good seed they are sowing.
We pray: Bless our children, O God, and help us so to fashion their souls by precept and example, that they may ever love the good and turn from evil, revere Your teaching and bring honor to their people. May they guard for future ages the truths revealed to our ancestors.
We pray, Grant us peace, Your most precious gift, and give us the will to proclaim it’s message to all the peoples of the earth. Bless our country and those who defend it, that we may always be a stronghold of peace and its advocate among the nations
Strengthen the bonds of friendship among the inhabitants of all lands, and may the love of your name hallow every home and every heart.
For all these and more O God, we praise you and offer our humble prayer to you. Blessed is the Eternal God, who gives us our life, who sustains us and brought us all to this moment filled with awe and radical amazement. Amen.