The origins of the National Prayer Breakfast are long and historic. The future Congressman, Abraham Vereide, of Seattle, Washington, would gather local business and civic leaders to acknowledge the importance of prayer in our civic life in the 1930’s. Coming to Washington as an elected member of Congress, he established similar groups with his fellow congressmen. In 1953, President Eisenhower together with the Rev. Billy Graham, at Vereide’s invitation, attended his prayer event. These gatherings of civic leaders of faith were initially called The Presidential Prayer breakfast. However, in 1970, the named was changed to The National Prayer Breakfast. Every president since Eisenhower has attended and participated in this annual event.
Much ink has been spilled, and rightly so, on this past week’s National Prayer Breakfast because of the unsettling remarks by President Trump, in the wake of his impeachment acquittal by the Senate. Following an inspiring talk by the guest speaker, Arthur C. Brooks, author of Love your Enemies, a powerful commentary on the core message of Jesus himself in the Gospels, the President weaponized this moment to castigate and extract vengeance on his detractors. While at least forewarning his audience that he ‘disagreed’ with the ‘presenter,’ or more precisely, the Savior, he launched into what can only be described as a diatribe of judgmental hatred toward the Speaker of the House who was seated only a few feet away as well as the lone Republican Senator who historically voted ‘guilty’ in the first article of impeachment. Aside from comments that were the exact antithesis of Love your Enemies, what was equally astonishing and disheartening, was the applause of nearly 3000 civic and religious leaders who were in attendance. Such enablement by those seduced by fleeting temporal power and prestige, will stand as an indictment of conscience for all those who turned this moment of ‘prayer’ and holiness into a moment decidedly unholy and immoral.
As Christians, we all stand under the judgment of God’s holy word, that refines our lives as a ‘two-edged’ sword. Gathering in worship this day, that word speaks the prophetic utterance of Isaiah, St. Paul and the Evangelist, Matthew. The word of God is always there to refine the quality of our inner lives by the perennial truth that it bears witness to. And so, my friends, to what does that life-giving word bear witness to this day?
Isaiah the Prophet, once again, challenges all of us to realize that the integrity of our inner lives will ultimately be judged by what we do for the ‘least among us.’ Share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless; clothe the naked when you see them, and do not turn your back on your own.
St. Paul reminds us that our lives must ultimately be built upon the ageless and enduring power of God and not fickle human wisdom that is fleeting and passing.
And finally, St. Matthew, challenges us to transform our lives by that power of God, so that each and every one of us can be an agent for good and transformation in the world in which we live. “Be salt…be light to the world!’
Being salt and light in our world today is never easy. Following the inner voice of conscience will invariably cost us prestige, the adulation of peers, and at times, even the forfeiture of our lives. But, that, my friends, is the inevitable cost of discipleship. Not the cheap grace of deforming the Gospel to meet our own narcissistic ends.
Ultimately, all of us will stand before the Lord of life and endless grace as the length and breadth of our lives is laid bare before God of justice and mercy. Let us pray that when that day comes, we will hear the words of the Savior, “Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the Reign I have prepared for you…”