[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 14806]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

                                 prayer

  The guest Chaplain offered the following prayer:
  O God who made the rainbows in the sky, You made our land a rainbow, 
too: from purple mountain majesties to amber waves of grain, we marvel 
at the colors of our Nation, and the beauty of our land.
  Today, this week, and tomorrow in a special way--Flag Week, and June 
14, Flag Day--we set aside some time to honor special colors: the 
colors of our flag. We celebrate the values our flag in all its colors 
and its glory represents, and the memories and dreams our Stars and 
Stripes--our Star-Spangled Banner--still invokes. ``The grand old 
flag,'' as the old song goes, is still ``the emblem of the land I 
love''--we love--``the home of the free and the brave.''
  In a moment we will pledge our allegiance to the flag--and to the 
Republic for which it stands. As we take that pledge today, let us make 
that pledge a prayer. Let us pray that the colors of our flag, and the 
true colors of our Nation and our people--our dedication to the cause 
of liberty and justice for all; our courage and determination even in 
the face of adversity; and our faith--are forever represented by our 
flag. May it bring hope of better times to all the citizens of our 
land, and all the nations of our world. May it forever wave, o'er the 
land of the free, and the home of the brave.
  And may we say, Amen.

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