Dear Hyde Park Family,

As our nation observes the inauguration of a new President this Monday, I offer this prayer, the same I have provided you on past Inauguration Days, regardless of who has been elected.

May we join in prayer, not only for our elected leaders, but for our own renewed commitment to God as followers of the way of Jesus.

A Prayer for Inauguration Day

Gracious and Holy God, whose mind conceived a world resplendent with beauty and goodness, whose heart envisioned a people governed by your love, and whose timeless eye has witnessed the rise and fall of history’s kingdoms, we pray to you as a nation humbled by the burdens of freedom.

This precious gift you have granted to us – the free will to choose our own destiny, to enjoy the fruit of our prudence, and to live with the consequences of our mistakes – summons us to a wisdom beyond ourselves, and to serve an interest greater than our own.

So, O Lord, on the day when we inaugurate a new term for the leaders of this land, clarify our commitment to you and the aims of your kingdom. Remind us that our primary citizenship is defined neither by borders or ideologies, but by a Love that called us into being, and calls us into service.

Grant to Donald Trump and J.D. Vance a wisdom to discern the common good from political expedience, the way of justice from the way of disparity, the embrace of self-evident equality from the division of harmful self-interest, and the currency of love from the gluttony of greed.

We are a people in need today, for too many yet sleep in hunger and wander the streets without shelter. There are those whose livelihoods are at risk from economic hardship and natural disasters. Our world is rife with conflict, and our cities are marred by violence. We yearn for the day when every valley will be raised up, every mountain brought low, and all our rough places made plain.

Yet, in all things, and even throughout the course of this inaugural day, remind us that our hope and promise rest not in manufactured systems of power, but in you alone. Forgive us, O Lord, for relying on our government to grant that which only you can provide: security from all harm, an ethic of love, and a mutual embrace of one another as your children.

Therefore, call us together, as your holy people and the living body of your son Jesus Christ, to live out your bidding as builders of your kingdom. As we pray for our President and all of our elected officials, lead us into new endeavors to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with you. Show us more opportunities to make your love real here and abroad. Empower us to effect change in, through, and even despite our systems of government.

And may the inaugural words of your son Jesus Christ be true in its telling today:

“Today, the Scriptures have been fulfilled in your hearing.”

In your holy name we pray, Amen.

Grace and Peace,