A Liturgy for Inauguration Day
Sadao Watanabe, “The Ascension” (1992)
(I’ve written here a liturgy for Inauguration Day that intentionally avoids the idiosyncrasies of this particular inauguration. I’ve done this so that the liturgy might become useful for future celebrations of the transfer of presidential leadership. I’ve focused the liturgy on the kingship of Christ, the mercy of God, the wisdom of the Spirit, the unity of the church, and the call of Christians to love their neighbors, regardless of their neighbor’s political persuasions. I’ve included YouTube links for the songs and Amazon links for the meditations. And unless noted, the prayers are mine.
I should also say that this isn’t a liturgy in the usual sense of the term. It’s an order of worship that includes a great deal of poetry and that is meant to be taken at a leisurely rather than a hurried and efficient pace. Neither do I intend for every part of the liturgy to be used; for example, only some of the songs might be sung. And a person should feel fully free to amend parts, such as, for instance, the specific Bible translates that I’ve used for each reading. Lastly, while most people will likely find it easiest to do this liturgy on their own, I might hope that, where feasible, people will look for opportunities to pray it together, because there is something singularly powerful when people sing and say things in one accord. May the Lord in his mercy hear our prayers.)
CALL TO WORSHIP
(via Psalm 9:7-11)
[LEADER]: The Lord reigns forever, executing judgment from his throne.
[ALL]: He will judge the world with justice and rule the nations with fairness.
[LEADER]: The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.
[ALL]: Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you.
[LEADER]: Sing praises to the Lord who reigns in Jerusalem!
[ALL]: Tell the world about his unforgettable deeds!
OPENING PRAYERS
O Lord, you who raise up kings and remove kings, we pray for a peaceful transition of power today and we ask that you would make wise the rulers of this country so that they might execute both justice and peace, both righteousness and mercy, both goodness and beauty on behalf of its people, so that we might be a nation that bears witness to the shalom of God. We pray this in the power of your Spirit. Amen.
O God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the only Savior, the Prince of Peace: Give us grace seriously to lay to heart the great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions; take away all hatred and prejudice, and whatever else may hinder us from godly union and concord; that, as there is but one Body and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may be all of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and one mouth glorify you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (via The Book of Common Prayer)
SONG OF WORSHIP
“All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name” (text and music 1/music 2)
A CALL TO CONFESSION
“The Psalm of Again and Again,” by Nicholas Samaras
I repent, repent, and repent of the same things
I’ve repented from, year after perpetual year.
Sick of myself, I despise the same things that trap me—
there are no locked doors in hell.
I struggle with the endless agony of repetition
without the symmetry of repetition.
Against the fallen human nature in all of crying,
can rededication be sincere, each tired time?
Me promising, this time I mean it, this time
I mean it more. Once more into the breach, I step
back from the precipice. For as long as I can hold
my frail resolve, let me lift my head again and walk
back to the Lord—each same time grimacing my vow:
I want to change. I do change.
Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your Name. Amen.
(Add your personal confession of sin here.)
A WORD OF PARDON
[LEADER]: May the Almighty God grant us forgiveness of all our sins, and the grace and comfort of the Holy Spirit.
[ALL]: Amen.
A WORD OF PEACE
(via David Adam, Power Lines)
Peace, Lord, Peace.
To all whom I meet
To all in the street.
Peace, Lord, Peace.
To all working here
To all who are dear
Peace, Lord, Peace.
To all who need pity
To all in this city
Peace, Lord, Peace.
To all facing defeat
Who feel incomplete
Peace, Lord, Peace.
To all unemployed
Whose hope is destroyed
Peace, Lord, Peace.
To all who lack mirth
To all the wide earth
Peace, Lord, Peace.
To all who need grace
To us in this place
Peace, Lord, Peace.
SCRIPTURE READINGS
· Psalm 47
· Romans 13:1-10 and 1 Timothy 2:1-6
[Silence]
MEDITATIONS
“Psalm 121,” by Zephania Kameeta, Namibian preacher and theologian
I look up to the powerful of the world;
Will my help come from them?
My help comes from the Lord,
Who from my childhood
Took my weak hand in his strong hand
And led me in his way to this day.
He will not let me be unfaithful;
For he is always awake and will protect me.
Yes, my protector never sleeps,
He will guard me;
He is by my side to protect me from all dangers visible and invisible.
He will protect me from all dangers
As I go away and come back to my home;
In his strong hands I will be safe.
With this assurance and faith I will live and die.
Let the Lord’s name be praised, now and for ever.
[Silence]
“Royalty,” by Luci Shaw, British-American poet
He was a plain man
and learned no latin.
Having left all gold behind
he dealt out peace
to all us wild ones
and the weather.
He ate fish, bread,
country wine and God’s will.
Dust sandaled his feet.
He wore purple only once
and that was an irony.
[Silence]
“A Blessing for Love in a Time of Conflict,” by John O’Donohue, Irish poet and priest
When the gentleness between you hardens
And you fall out of your belong with each other,
May the depths you have reached hold you still.
When no true word can be said, or heard,
And you mirror each other in the script of hurt,
When even the silence has become raw and torn,
May you hear again an echo of your first music.
When the weave of affection starts to unravel
And anger begins to sear the ground between you,
Before this weather of grief invites
The black seed of bitterness to find root,
May your souls come to kiss.
Now is the time for one of you to be gracious,
To allow a kindness beyond thought and hurt,
Reach out with sure hands
To take the chalice of your love,
And carry it carefully through this echoless waste
Until this winter pilgrimage leads you
Toward the gateway to spring.
[Silence]
"Lift Every Voice and Sing," by James Weldon Johnson, American writer and civil rights activist
Lift every voice and sing
Till earth and heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise
High as the listening skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us.
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
Let us march on till victory is won.
Stony the road we trod,
Bitter the chastening rod,
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;
Yet with a steady beat,
Have not our weary feet
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
We have come over a way that with tears has been watered,
We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered,
Out from the gloomy past,
Till now we stand at last
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.
God of our weary years,
God of our silent tears,
Thou who hast brought us thus far on the way;
Thou who hast by Thy might
Led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee,
Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee;
Shadowed beneath Thy hand,
May we forever stand.
True to our God,
True to our native land.
[Silence]
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
(via Jim Cotter, Psalms for a Pilgrim People)
“A Prayer For Those Who Govern” (from Psalm 20):
God of Abraham and Sarah, God of our ancestors,
Creating among us your realm and your glory,
Bless those who rule on the people’s behalf,
Give them strength in time of our troubles.
Refrain: Give your Spirit of wisdom and justice to those who govern and lead.
Send them the help of your light and your wisdom,
Give them support through the prayers of our hearts.
Remember their promise to serve all the people,
Take from them their lust for power and for wealth.
Refrain: Give your Spirit of wisdom and justice to those who govern and lead.
Remember our promise to serve others’ good,
Accept the sacrifice of lives that are broken.
Give to your people the desire of their hearts,
Fulfilling within them all that they cherish.
Refrain: Give your Spirit of wisdom and justice to those who govern and lead.
We shout for joy for your blessings towards us,
We lift high the Cross in the name of our God.
For you saved us with the power of unbroken love,
And indeed you fulfil what we deeply desire.
Refrain: Give your Spirit of wisdom and justice to those who govern and lead.
May rulers of the people acknowledge your name,
Serve the common good in the light of your justice.
Some put their trust in weapons of war,
But we shall trust in the power of your name.
They will decay, rust and collapse,
But those strong in God will endure through the days.
Refrain: Give your Spirit of wisdom and justice to those who govern and lead.
May those who lead us trust you, O God.
Give them wisdom to lead through laws that are just.
For you will answer our prayer in the day of our cry,
Fulfilling your nature and your own lasting name.
Refrain: Give your Spirit of wisdom and justice to those who govern and lead.
Amen.
(Add your own prayers here.)
SONGS OF WORSHIP
· “Servant Song” (Richard Gillard)
· “All Creatures of our God and King” (King’s College Choir)
· “Refugee King” (Liz Vice)
· “He is Among Us (The Least of These)” (Zach Bolen)
· “The Earth Shall Know” (Urban Doxology)
· “Hail to the Lord’s Anointed” (Indelible Grace/Sandra McCracken)
· “King of Kings” (Hillsong Worship)
FINAL PRAYERS
O Lord, you who deserve all our loyalties, we pledge allegiance this day to the Lamb of God and to the upside-down Kingdom for which he stands, one holy nation under God, the Servant King, the Prince of Peace, the Humble Judge and the Living Truth, with liberty and justice for all without remainder. In the Triune Name we pray. Amen.
O Lord, you who charge us to seek the welfare of the city, we pledge in your name to work for the good of our neighbor, the health of institutions that sustain our society and the vitality of organizations that contribute to the wellbeing of all people, so that the engines of culture in our country might become a reflection of your life-giving kingdom and bring healing to our land. In the name of the One who does all things well. Amen.
BENEDICTION
[LEADER]: May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones. (1 Thess. 3:12-13)
[ALL]: Amen.
DISMISSAL
[LEADER]: Go in peace to love and serve the Lord!
[ALL]: Thanks be to God!
An Illustrated Psalms Card: The Psalms of Love
An Illustrated Prayer for Life: A Prayer of Service.
Phaedra Taylor, “Thread the Needle” (36 x 48, encaustic on wood, 2017)
