Prayer Error
Much has been said about Obama's awful choice of Rick Warren to give today's opening Inaugural prayer, the official invocation of Warren's god's blessing on Obama's first term.
So much has been said, in fact, so loudly and with so much despair, that Obama invited openly gay bishop Gene Robinson to give the opening prayer at the "We Are One" concert event at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday. Robinson was to be the salve on the open wound inflicted by Warren; instead, the accidental or intentional censorship of his appearance has been salt.
HBO was to broadcast the entire event for free in return for exclusive rights to film. The problems seem to originate with HBO's understanding of "entire" and "free." First, the "free" broadcast didn't start until at least nine minutes after the event began. Those of us watching along on MSNBC or CNN could see the moment at which the HBO jumbotron screens lit up right on time-and then wait in vain for the same to show up on our television screens.
When it did show up (via Verizon at my house) a large gray rectangle in the center of the screen appeared to tell me that I was not an HBO subscriber. I could hear the event, but see nothing but a rim around the rectangle. Okay... I was able to sign up for HBO via twiddling my remote, and I was able to record the event in full at a later re-broadcast. I don't know if the gray rectangle was unique to Verizon, or if HBO inflicted it on all the "free" viewers.
But when I cancel HBO, as I will tomorrow, that is only part of why. My main complaint is that HBO did not broadcast the opening prayer by Gene Robinson. This from Cathleen Falsani, religion reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times:
UPDATE: Per Reuters, HBO now says they will add the prayer to the streaming video on their website and to future broadcasts of "We Are One."
Robinson left out people with disabilities Sunday, but President-Elect Obama didn't. Thank you, Mr. President:
Many thanks to Sarah Pulliam of Christianity Today, who was able to capture the invocation on tape and put it up on YouTube; and to whomever transcribed it for publication in the Chicago Sun-Times.
So much has been said, in fact, so loudly and with so much despair, that Obama invited openly gay bishop Gene Robinson to give the opening prayer at the "We Are One" concert event at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday. Robinson was to be the salve on the open wound inflicted by Warren; instead, the accidental or intentional censorship of his appearance has been salt.
HBO was to broadcast the entire event for free in return for exclusive rights to film. The problems seem to originate with HBO's understanding of "entire" and "free." First, the "free" broadcast didn't start until at least nine minutes after the event began. Those of us watching along on MSNBC or CNN could see the moment at which the HBO jumbotron screens lit up right on time-and then wait in vain for the same to show up on our television screens.
When it did show up (via Verizon at my house) a large gray rectangle in the center of the screen appeared to tell me that I was not an HBO subscriber. I could hear the event, but see nothing but a rim around the rectangle. Okay... I was able to sign up for HBO via twiddling my remote, and I was able to record the event in full at a later re-broadcast. I don't know if the gray rectangle was unique to Verizon, or if HBO inflicted it on all the "free" viewers.
But when I cancel HBO, as I will tomorrow, that is only part of why. My main complaint is that HBO did not broadcast the opening prayer by Gene Robinson. This from Cathleen Falsani, religion reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times:
- Robinson was there, but where was his prayer?
HBO, which had exclusive rights to air the nearly two-hour concert, didn’t broadcast Robinson’s invocation, saying it was the Presidential Inaugural Committee’s call to keep it in the “pre-show.”
PIC spokesman Josh Earnest’s explanation: “We had always intended and planned for Rt. Rev. Robinson’s invocation to be included in the televised portion of yesterday’s program. We regret the error in executing this plan - but are gratified that hundreds of thousands of people who gathered on the mall heard his eloquent prayer for our nation that was a fitting start to our event.”
A source confirmed that highlights from the concert - including Robinson’s invocation - will be shown on jumbo screens on the Washington mall during today’s inauguration.
UPDATE: Per Reuters, HBO now says they will add the prayer to the streaming video on their website and to future broadcasts of "We Are One."
Robinson left out people with disabilities Sunday, but President-Elect Obama didn't. Thank you, Mr. President:
- ...if we could just recognize ourselves in one another and bring everyone together - Democrats, Republicans, and Independents; Latino, Asian, and Native American; black and white, gay and straight, disabled and not - then not only would we restore hope and opportunity in places that yearned for both, but maybe, just maybe, we might perfect our union in the process.
“O God of our many understandings, we pray that you will...
Bless us with tears - tears for a world in which over a billion people exist on less than a dollar a day, where young women in many lands are beaten and raped for wanting an education, and thousands die daily from malnutrition, malaria, and AIDS.
Bless this nation with anger - anger at discrimination, at home and abroad, against refugees and immigrants, women, people of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.
Bless us with discomfort - at the easy, simplistic answers we've preferred to hear from our politicians, instead of the truth, about ourselves and our world, which we need to face if we are going to rise to the challenges of the future.
Bless us with patience - and the knowledge that none of what ails us will be “fixed” anytime soon, and the understanding that our new president is a human being, not a messiah.
Bless us with humility - open to understanding that our own needs as a nation must always be balanced with those of the world.
Bless us with freedom from mere tolerance - replacing it with a genuine respect and warm embrace of our differences.
And bless us with compassion and generosity - remembering that every religion's God judges us by the way we care for the most vulnerable.
And God, we give you thanks for your child Barack, as he assumes the office of President of the United States.
Give him wisdom beyond his years, inspire him with President Lincoln's reconciling leadership style, President Kennedy's ability to enlist our best efforts, and Dr. King's dream of a nation for all people.
Give him a quiet heart, for our Ship of State needs a steady, calm captain.
Give him stirring words - we will need to be inspired and motivated to make the personal and common sacrifices necessary to facing the challenges ahead.
Make him color-blind, reminding him of his own words that under his leadership, there will be neither red nor blue states, but the United States.
Help him remember his own oppression as a minority, drawing on that experience of discrimination, that he might seek to change the lives of those who are still its victims.
Give him strength to find family time and privacy, and help him remember that even though he is president, a father only gets one shot at his daughters' childhoods.
And please, God, keep him safe. We know we ask too much of our presidents, and we're asking far too much of this one. We implore you, O good and great God, to keep him safe. Hold him in the palm of your hand - that he might do the work we have called him to do, that he might find joy in this impossible calling, and that in the end, he might lead us as a nation to a place of integrity, prosperity and peace.
Amen.”
Many thanks to Sarah Pulliam of Christianity Today, who was able to capture the invocation on tape and put it up on YouTube; and to whomever transcribed it for publication in the Chicago Sun-Times.
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