“Amen & A-women”

[Scott Downey]

Let us pray.
Eternal God, [noiselessly] we bow before your throne of grace as we leave behind the politically and socially clamorous year of 2020. We gather now in this consequential chamber to inaugurate another chapter in our roller coaster representative government. The members of this august body acknowledge your sacred supremacy, and therefore confess that without your favor and forbearance, we enter this new year relying dangerously on our own fallible nature. God, at a moment when many believe that the bright light of democracy is beginning to dim, empower us with an extra dose of commitment to its principles. May we of the 117th Congress refuel the lamp of liberty so brimful that generations unborn will witness its undying flame. And may we model community healing, control our tribal tendencies, and quicken our spirits that we may feel thy priestly presence even in moments of heightened disagreement. May we so feel your presence that our service here may not be soiled by any utterances or acts unworthy of this high office. Insert in our spirit a light so bright that we can see ourselves and our politics as we really are, soiled by selfishness, perverted by prejudice, and [invaded/inveigled] by ideology. Now may the god who created the world and everything in it, bless us and keep us. May the lord make his face to shine upon us, and be gracious unto us. May the lord lift up the light of his countenance upon us and give us peace; peace in our families, peace across this land, and dare I ask, O lord – peace even in this chamber; now and evermore. We ask it in the name of the monotheistic god, brahma, and god known by many names by many different faiths. Amen ... and awoman.

The above represents a transcription I present (without comment now) of the Opening Prayer for the 117th Congress by U. S. House Representative Emanuel Cleaver II, a Democrat from Missouri’s 5th Congressional District, and also an ordained United Methodist minister. I think some of you will find it interesting. In the two bracketed places I am not sure what is said. I think this rest of it is correct.

How we know God is by the name of His Son the Christ.
If a person wont acknowledge the Son publicly before men that means they dont have the Father either. And Christ wont acknowledge them before the Father in heaven.
This guy is not saved. The world talks about God a lot as God, but refuses His Son Jesus Christ, they are nothing and are perishing and passing away

2 Corinthians 4
3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,

4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake.

6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

And that is why the world hates real Christians, because they tell them their works are evil.

 

[rlvaughn]

Let us pray.
Eternal God, [noiselessly] we bow before your throne of grace as we leave behind the politically and socially clamorous year of 2020. We gather now in this consequential chamber to inaugurate another chapter in our roller coaster representative government. The members of this august body acknowledge your sacred supremacy, and therefore confess that without your favor and forbearance, we enter this new year relying dangerously on our own fallible nature. God, at a moment when many believe that the bright light of democracy is beginning to dim, empower us with an extra dose of commitment to its principles. May we of the 117th Congress refuel the lamp of liberty so brimful that generations unborn will witness its undying flame. And may we model community healing, control our tribal tendencies, and quicken our spirits that we may feel thy priestly presence even in moments of heightened disagreement. May we so feel your presence that our service here may not be soiled by any utterances or acts unworthy of this high office. Insert in our spirit a light so bright that we can see ourselves and our politics as we really are, soiled by selfishness, perverted by prejudice, and [invaded/inveigled] by ideology. Now may the god who created the world and everything in it, bless us and keep us. May the lord make his face to shine upon us, and be gracious unto us. May the lord lift up the light of his countenance upon us and give us peace; peace in our families, peace across this land, and dare I ask, O lord – peace even in this chamber; now and evermore. We ask it in the name of the monotheistic god, brahma, and god known by many names by many different faiths. Amen ... and awoman.

The above represents a transcription I present (without comment now) of the Opening Prayer for the 117th Congress by U. S. House Representative Emanuel Cleaver II, a Democrat from Missouri’s 5th Congressional District, and also an ordained United Methodist minister. I think some of you will find it interesting. In the two bracketed places I am not sure what is said. I think this rest of it is correct.

A few random comments about Representative Cleaver’s prayer.

While this prayer may seem to be ecumenical, bipartisan, inclusive, and non-offensive, it really is not. Anyone who wants to be offended should be able to find something here!

The fact that this prayer is addressed to “Eternal god” should offend the atheists and agnostics. The fact that this prayer twice speaks of a god who is addressed in the masculine gender – “his face” and “his countenance” – should offend the feminists. The use of charged political terminology should be offensive to those with “tribal tendencies.” The mention of our “fallible nature” should offend those who reject the doctrine of a depraved sin nature. The mention of a “god who created the world and everything in it” should offend the evolutionists. The mention of the god of many faiths should offend all Bible-believing Christians (as well as his not praying in Jesus’s name, and, and…). Genderizing “amen” by adding “awoman” should offend all who support Nancy Pelosi’s gender-inclusive House resolution. The use of “inveigled ideology” (if that is what he said) should offend all who prefer plain speech over cute alliteration. Representative Cleaver’s later explanation that he added “awoman” as some sort of joke (“I concluded with a light-hearted pun”) should offend all who believe in the reality of prayer.

Something here for (or not for) everybody. Probably much more than I thought of.

 

[church mouse guy]

A few random comments about Representative Cleaver’s prayer.

While this prayer may seem to be ecumenical, bipartisan, inclusive, and non-offensive, it really is not. Anyone who wants to be offended should be able to find something here!

The fact that this prayer is addressed to “Eternal god” should offend the atheists and agnostics. The fact that this prayer twice speaks of a god who is addressed in the masculine gender – “his face” and “his countenance” – should offend the feminists. The use of charged political terminology should be offensive to those with “tribal tendencies.” The mention of our “fallible nature” should offend those who reject the doctrine of a depraved sin nature. The mention of a “god who created the world and everything in it” should offend the evolutionists. The mention of the god of many faiths should offend all Bible-believing Christians (as well as his not praying in Jesus’s name, and, and…). Genderizing “amen” by adding “awoman” should offend all who support Nancy Pelosi’s gender-inclusive House resolution. The use of “inveigled ideology” (if that is what he said) should offend all who prefer plain speech over cute alliteration. Representative Cleaver’s later explanation that he added “awoman” as some sort of joke (“I concluded with a light-hearted pun”) should offend all who believe in the reality of prayer.

Something here for (or not for) everybody. Probably much more than I thought of.

It’s cultic. It is like the RCC and the inclusion of the idol Pachamama at the Amazon synod. His bit about God being called by names says that Allah and all the other pagan deities are all the same god as the SBC president says that Allah and Hesus are the same.

 

[just-want-peace]

This guy is the personification of the old saw, "TIS BETTER TO KEEP QUIET & BE THOUGHT A FOOL, THAN TPEN YOUR MOUTH & REMOVE ALL DOUBT!"
Typica

 

[church mouse guy]

This guy is the personification of the old saw, "TIS BETTER TO KEEP QUIET & BE THOUGHT A FOOL, THAN TPEN YOUR MOUTH & REMOVE ALL DOUBT!"
Typica

He has been preaching for decades and is sacrilegious. Maybe he has a harem back in Missouri as Father Divine did in Philadelphia.

 

[Benjamin]

I think we should be highly offended that they’re calling it impeachment instead of impeachwoment.