A frightening invocation

The State Legislature of one of the mid-western States opened its legislative season with the customary invocation by the chaplain. Usually the invocation is banal, and one wonders if the legislators even listen to it. But this particular occasion was an exception. We are told that the invocation angered (or frightened) the legislators so much that most of them walked out during the prayer. It was not a long invocation, but by the time it ended, it is said that only 25 of the members remained in the hall.

But if the legislators were too cowardly to remain in the hall while that invocation was being delivered, the people who were listening to the broadcast were thrilled by it. Before long (it is said) the chaplain was deluged by thousands of telephone calls asking for copies of the invocation.

A friend of mine saw this Invocation on the Internet and passed it on to me. Here it is:

Invocation before start of any legislative session

Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance.

We know your Word says, "Woe to those who call evil good" but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.

We confess that we have ridiculed the absolute truth of your Word and called it Pluralism.

We have worshipped other gods and called it multiculturalism.

We have endorsed perversion and called it alternative lifestyle.

We have exploited the poor and called it lottery.

We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.

We have killed our unborn and called it choice.

We have neglected to disciplines our children and called it building self-esteem.

We have abused power and called it politics.

We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ambition;

We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.

We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us, Oh, God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free.

Guide and bless these men and women, who have been sent to direct us to the center of Your will.

We ask it in the name of your Son, the living Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.