[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 668]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

                                 PRAYER

  The Reverend Dr. Ronald F. Christian, Pastor, Evangelical Lutheran 
Church in America, Fairfax, Virginia, offered the following prayer:
  Almighty God, this day we acknowledge Your presence in our world, our 
Nation, and in our communities and lives.
  We are made aware of Your majesty through the arts, in music, and 
nature's beauty which surrounds us. We seek Your guidance for our work, 
for our decisions, and for our families. And we rely on Your mercy for 
our failures, for our greed, and for our selfish choices.
  This day, O God, may our concern be more directed to others than 
ourselves. May our help provide hope for any in despair. May our work 
for justice be blessed by Your righteousness. And may Your peace, which 
supersedes any treaty created by human will, be found in our lives and 
passed on to others through our deeds.
  Bless, we pray, peacemakers, artisans, poets, protectors, defenders, 
public servants, ministers, officials and all who heed the call to 
serve and to save the common good. Amen.

                          ____________________