[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 71 (Monday, April 26, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H2111]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 PRAYER

  Reverend Michael Wilker, Lutheran Church of the Reformation, 
Washington, D.C., offered the following prayer:
  Creator, Shepherd, Sustainer of Life, thank You for the gifts of this 
day, of these our bodies, of this our government, and of Your good 
Earth:
  for our waking breath and final heartbeat;
  for our eyes and ears, all limbs and senses;
  for honest and trustworthy officials,
  for the people of every State, territory and Tribe;
  for the spring Sun and full Moon, for redwoods, turtles, and bison.
  Even as we praise You, we recognize and grieve the wounds on our 
bodies and upon every part of the creation we have touched.
  Sustain every body that is oppressed by sin, racism, sexism, 
homophobia, and ableism, like a good shepherd who carries her sheep and 
leads them home, like a good shepherd who lays down His life for us.
  Then grant us compassion to be shepherds for others, loving them not 
simply in words and speeches, but in truth and action.
  Amen.

                          ____________________