[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 201 (Friday, December 30, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H10031]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 PRAYER

  Reverend Andy Walton, Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church, Washington, 
D.C., offered the following prayer:
  God of time and space, known by many names and sought through many 
traditions, another calendar draws to a close, yet we are reminded of 
Your eternal presence.
  As this representative body convenes, we remember that Your justice, 
Your love, Your grace, and Your presence transcend the measure of time 
and place. You fill these Chambers and the hearts and minds of those 
who work here, as well as the hopes of the countless people each one 
represents. Beyond this moment and this place, Your spirit bonds all 
creation in a tapestry of interdependence, transcending vested 
interests and personal privilege.
  Standing on the threshold of a new year, may we forgive the discord, 
mistrust, and disappointment of our past, as You have forgiven; and may 
we receive Your grace-filled future of promise and potential that 
awaits nothing more or less than our open minds, our loving hearts, and 
our open arms stretched out to one another and, thus, to You. Amen.

                          ____________________