Inaugural Prayer (from 1933)

A prayer for the Inauguration of the President, offered by ZeBarney Phillips, Episcopal priest and Chaplain of the Senate, in 1933.
March 4, 1933

Eternal God and Heavenly Father, before whose face the generations rise and pass away, who through all the ages hast led Thy children with the fire and cloud; hearken to our prayer and turn the heart of every citizen of the Republic unto Thee in this fateful hour of our own and the world’s great need. Bestow Thy choicest blessings upon these Thy servants , who under Thee have been called to be President and Vice-President of the United States. Give unto them the grace of true humility, the heart that knows no guile, the courage born of innocency of life, the gentle patience of the Christ, and, above all, the spirit of love that believes and hopes and endures, that they may be true leaders of Thy people.

Bless every Member of the Congress and all others in authority, that they may be a glorious company, the flower of men, to serve a model for this mighty world and to be the fair beginning of a time when, with every root of bitterness cast out, the good work of all shall be the goal of each. Let Thy blessing rest upon the retiring President, Vice-President, and Members if the Congress, to whom we pay our loving tribute. Bring the nations of the world, through an ever-increasing sense of fellowship, into one great family; hasten the time when war shall be no more, and may we never be content with any peace save that of Him who won His peace by making the world’s His own, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

From: An American Prayer Book, Morehouse Publishing, 2008