The Office of the Chaplain United States House of Representatives

Reverend Dr. Ronald F. Christian

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Fairfax, VA

Date of Prayer: 01/30/2004

Opening Prayer Given by the Guest Chaplain:

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.

To learn more about Members who have sponsored a Guest Chaplain, please visit the Congressional Biographical Directory