A Favorite Prayer

Breathe into Me the Courage to Make Something New

by Ted Loder

Thank you for all we forget are gifts, 
        not rights. 
Forgive us for all the grievances 
        we remember too well. 
Save us from the self-pity, 
        the self-seeking,
                the fat-heartedness
                       which is true poverty.
Guide us, if we're willing,
        (drive me if I'm not),
                into the hard ways of sacrifice
                       which are just and loving.
Make us wide-eyed for beauty,
        and for our neighbor's' need and goodness;
wide-willed for peace-making,
        and for the confronting power
                with the call to compassion;
wide-hearted for love
        and for the unloved,
                who are the hardest to touch
                        and need it the most.

Dull the envy in us
        which criticizes and complains life
                into a thousand ugly bits.
Keep us honest and tender enough to heal,
        tough enough to be healed of our hypocrisies.
Match our appetite for privilege
        with the stomach for commitment.
Teach us the great cost of paying attention
        that, naked to the dazzle of your back as you pass,
                 we may know we are always on holy ground.
Breathe into us the restlessness and courage
        to make something new,
                something saving,
                        and something true
that we may understand what it is to rejoice.

 

 

Inaugural Prayers

Before discussing the inaugural prayers of invocation and benediction, I would like to take a moment to thank Rick Warren for his great courage in standing up to the great threat posed to families, kittens, and democracy by homosexuality. Verily, he is a man who knows an abomination when he sees one. In the true spirit of Jesus he has chosen hate over love and intolerance over acceptance. I personally can think of no one I would rather have representing American Christianity to the world than he. 

Furthermore, on behalf of white preachers everywhere, a community long characterized as inarticulate in word and bland in delivery, I would like to thank Mr. Warren for not being at all dull or uninspiring and for using a tone entirely appropriate to the gravitas of the historic moment the inauguration represented. 

That is enough from me - I could go on about how amazing this guy is all day. Without further ado, I present to you Rev. Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in California delivering the prayer of invocation at President Obama's inauguration: 



Little needs to be said about the benediction. The Right Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowery is simply not a person of note. Sure, he loitered about with that Martin Luther King Jr. fellow. Sure, he was was a lead orchestrater of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. But seriously, civil rights - so cliche. Who wants justice and compassion when you could be hating on homosexuals? Not I, for one. Also, what's up with his words being all poetic and the cadence of his speech being pleasing to the human ear. Nancy boy. My fellow white preachers, DO NOT TRY TO PRAY LIKE THIS GUY. It will be the end of your career.

Here he is:

One Down, Five to Go

After a good deal of study and an even greater deal of worry, my first semester at Harvard drew to a close this past Wednesday with a 3-hour Japanese test and the handing in of a 15-page paper analyzing the connection between churches' definitions of community their levels of social engagement (it was as interesting as it sounds, I assure you). Although these 6 days off will be relaxing, we jump right back into classes next Wednesday so I've been spending many an hour poring over the course listings. My schedule thus far is shaping up to be pretty packed:

Theories and Methods in the Study of Religion (mandatory)

This course, required of all first-year MDiv students but open to all, serves as an introduction to various approaches to the academic study of religion, from the anthropological and sociological to the philosophical and theological. May only be taken for a letter grade.

Christianity: The Liturgical Year

An introduction to Christianity by way of its liturgical calendar, from Advent through Pentecost and Ordinary Time, including biblical foundations, historical development, and contemporary theological, cultural, and artistic reflection on the annual pattern of Christian life.

The Apostle Paul: His Letters, His Cities, and His Legacy

The course addresses the entire Pauline Corpus. Beginning with the genuine letters of Paul in the New Testament it will demonstrate the developments attested in canonical and apocryphal writings that assumed the mantle of Paul's authority after his death. Archaeological materials will elucidate the cultural and religious world of Paul's cities.

Meaning Making

This course is designed for students currently in a field education setting and focuses on exploring the theological dimensions of students' field education experience.

The Ethical and Religious Thought of Martin Luther King, Jr.

A study of the life, thought, and actions of Martin Luther King, Jr. An ethical analysis of his primary concepts, ideas, and strategies based upon a reading and discussion of his writings and their sources.

Advanced Japanese

Having written that out for the first time I must say it looks more than a little bit daunting. Perhaps I should just altogether give up the hope of having a social life alongside my studies. 

God is good.