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54th Annual Prayer Breakfast continued...
This is a continuation of my previous narrative of the 54th Annual Prayer Breakfast...
After Salazar and Vitter had spoken, Lincoln Davis gave a brief history of the Prayer Breakfast. One item of note was that in 1970 the name changed from Presidential Prayer Breakfast to National Prayer Breakfast to reflect the focus on the gathering and not the individuals involved.
Lincoln Davis said that at this gathering we come together to celebrate faith. Again there was no mention of what we place our faith in.
Davis is a co-host of the weekly congressional prayer breakfast and mentioned that the weekly congressional prayer breakfast is a time to join in asking God for guidance.
Davis then introduced coach and now congressman Tom Osborne. Osborne told a short joke:
There are 3 politicians who are asked, "When you die and are lying in your coffin, what do you want those looking at you to say?"The first politician said, "I hope they say that I was an honest man."
The second politician said, "I hope they say that I was a good family man."
The third politician said, "I hope they say, 'Wait, I think he is still moving.'"
Osborne reflected upon the breakfast as a time to gather and see each other apart from party politics and instead as who they are as people. He said that the partisanship comes down and you are able to share one another's struggles. (I am not sure how true this is but that is what he said)
Osborne said that at this weekly prayer breakfast only the congressmen speak. But, on one occasion King Abdullah came to visit and the congressmen asked him to speak. Abdullah spoke about Jesus. He truly showed that despite our efforts we can't put him in a box. Jesus is not just a man associated with a single ideology.
When Osborne has finished his remarks, Joe Lieberman came to speak. Lieberman gave a Jewish blessing from Psalm 118. He said, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"
Lieberman went on to elaborate how in the creation account God breathed life into man (Genesis 2:5). He related this to how our founding fathers breathed life into the nation. They breathed life by recognizing the self evident truth that there is a creator. They recognized that we have certain inalienable rights as created human beings and it is the government's role to secure those rights. He said these rights extend not only to the borders of our nation but to all men, women and children in the world.
He then said we should pray that we would defeat evils in the world. He prayed for God's blessing on all Americans and that God would protect Americans and George W. Bush.
Lieberman then read from Isaiah 40:3-4:
A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.
When lieberman had finished, Kay Bailey Hutchison began to read from 2 Corinthians 4:16-18:
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
Then Mike Mullen, representing the Joint Chiefs of Staff, began to speak. He introduced himself as a Husband, Father, American, Sailor, Naval Officer, in that order. He said he is a son of hard working parents, born and raised a Catholic.
He said that he has seen enormous power of faith in the midst of being a sailor and as he has interacted with other sailors, soldiers, airmen and marines.
He then offered a short prayer for our nation.
Coleman then got up to speak and cracked a joke about Catholics. He said, "Man, there are a lot of Catholics on this program... I thought they were all on the Supreme Court."
He then introduced Bono who was the keynote. Bono received a standing ovation. Even people at my table who didn't really know who he was besides being a rock-star stood and gave him a standing ovation. I guess this was the mob mentality of that moment. His remarks have been posted on the DATA website. I will post some excerpts here:
Please join me in praying that I don’t say something we’ll all regret.That was for the FCC.
If you’re wondering what I’m doing here, at a prayer breakfast, well, so am I. I’m certainly not here as a man of the cloth, unless that cloth is leather.
One of the most powerful things he said was about caring for the least of these:
But the reason I am here, and the reason I keep coming back to Washington, is because this is a town that is proving it can come together on behalf of what the Scriptures call the least of these.This is not a Republican idea. It is not a Democratic idea. It is not even, with all due respect, an American idea. Nor it is unique to any one faith.
Do to others as you would have them do to you.’ (Luke 6:30) Jesus says that.
‘Righteousness is this: that one should… give away wealth out of love for Him to the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and the beggars and for the emancipation of the captives.’ The Koran says that. (2.177)
Thus sayeth the Lord: ‘Bring the homeless poor into the house, when you see the naked, cover him, then your light will break out like the dawn and your recovery will speedily spring fourth, then your Lord will be your rear guard.’ The jewish scripture says that. Isaiah 58 again.
That is a powerful incentive: ‘The Lord will watch your back.’ Sounds like a good deal to me, right now.
When Bono had finished speaking, there was another standing ovation. I good sign since his words were definitely challenging. I was surprised that he got that kind of reception. Maybe it was the mob mentality again.
During the applause, Bono and Bush exchanged words. From my perspective it looked positive.
When the applause had subsided Mark Pryor told us that one of the purposes of the prayer breakfast is to encourage the president. Eisenhower once said that he lived in the loneliest house of the world
Pryor then went on to thank Mrs. Bush for the comfort we have drawn from her personality and thanked the President for being a man of faith and prayer. He said we wanted to be like the people holding up the arms of Moses.
Bush then rose and took the podium. His remarks can be found in their entirety at the White House web site. Again I will post a few excerpts:
Thank you all. Please be seated. (Applause.) Thanks for the warm welcome. Laura and I are delighted to be here. This lovely personality said this morning, keep your remarks short.I appreciate this prayer breakfast a lot, and I appreciate the spirit in which it was formed. Ike said he was living in the loneliest house in America -- for what he got to say is, the rent is pretty good.
This paragraph was particularly strange. Bush bumbled over the word Hebrew:
In our country, we recognize our fellow citizens are free to profess any faith they choose, or no faith at all. You are equally American if you're a Hebrew -- a Jew or a Christian or Muslim. You're equally American if you choose not to have faith. It is important America never forgets the great freedom to worship as you so choose.
Bush closed his remarks by saying:
I want to thank you for the fine tradition you continue here today. I pray that our nation will always have the humility to commend our cares to Providence and trust in the goodness of His plans.
When Bush had concluded, he received a standing ovation.
More to follow...
UPDATE: Glenn Lucke has posted some comments at Common Grounds.
