Remarks and Prayer from Rev. Joseph Phillip Stobaugh
Pastor of the Day for the Texas House of Representatives
May 23rd, 2007
Greetings! It is truly a blessing and an honor for me to be with you all this morning, serving as the Pastor of the Day.
I am especially struck at this moment by what an incredible honor, privilege and responsibility that you all have in serving in this House. What a tremendous trust you hold! Because regardless of your party affiliation, or from which part of this state you come from, you all share together in a great calling.
Members of this House, your understanding of your calling is vital to the success of your work. Your calling is not a selfish one. You are called to truly be the House of the Representatives, the House of the people and this calling involves many things. So in the midst of all you must accomplish in these full days please always remember that you are called to be a voice for all people but that you are especially to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. You are called to restore hope to those who have lost hope and to help restore dignity and respect to those who have none. Your calling is a sacred covenant between you, God, and the people.
As a representative of the church it is a privilege for me to report to you that our calling as a church and your calling as representatives of the people have at times merged successfully in the past few years. I serve as one of the pastors at Travis Park United Methodist Church in San Antonio, where we have received funding from the state and federal government that has allowed us to develop a phenomenal ministry to those on the margins of society. Our ministry program will soon be merged with the new Haven for Hope Project in San Antonio. With the funding that you have recently authorized for the Haven for Hope Project the marginalized of San Antonio have been given a chance: a chance to reclaim their dignity, to gain respect, and have been granted new opportunities to become what God desires them to be. They now have a fresh opportunity to become fully human, engaged in good honest work, and a chance to be valued by their fellow children of God.
Truly there are times where the church and the state can work together for the common good without trampling over the very important wall that divides them.
Representatives of the people of Texas you have been called! You are called to work for the common good. You are called to help make the great state of Texas a blessing of a state that seeks to bless all of its inhabitants. This blessing looks like healthcare that is available to all, regardless of their economic background. This blessing looks like a healthy and sustainable environment where humanity works in partnership with the earth and not as its adversary. This blessing looks like quality education for every child in this state, regardless of where they live. This blessing looks like affordable higher education for all of those who desire it, not just for the wealthy and middle class. This blessing looks like the eradication of extreme poverty and of the HIV/AIDS virus. These things, brothers and sisters are for the first time in human history actual possibilities within not only my very young lifetime but yours as well! You have the possibility to change the world in ways the rest of human history has never known! Imagine the world that you can leave for our children, for my sixteen month old daughter Eleanor Grace, imagine what that world could look like. May she never know the trials and struggles that so many in this generation have known. So much of this is up to you.
Please remember this day and always the words of the prophet Micah: “God has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
As you go about your important work today, know that these words can serve to guide you. Know that as you finish this busy season that the people of Texas have great hope for you, we are praying for you to be wise, to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly.
Let us pray:
Eternally gracious and loving God, we come before you this morning seeking your presence in this place and striving to do the work that you have called us to do. Lord, as this body struggles with issues that affect all of us, we ask that you send your Spirit to be run amongst this House so that it’s inhabitants would be ever seeking to work for justice for all, towards dignity and respect for all of your Creation, from the smallest insects to the beasts of the fields, from the shallowest ponds to the deepest seas, from the plains to the mountaintops, guide these servants in taking care of your Creation. Yahweh, bring the concerns of your littlest ones to this body. Bring the dreams and hopes and visions of all who reside in this great state to the attention of these women and men. Inspire the hearts of all who legislate in this place to realize that we indeed are responsible for one another: we are our brothers keeper. Open our eyes to the greatness of this responsibility. As we search for security in this world, teach us the important truth that the fastest way to security is to have justice for all peoples. God, you called these your children to a great work: grant them your wisdom as they deliberate so that your Spirit of unconditional love and justice for all of your people might be made a greater reality, for it is we who are your hands and feet in this world. Be with these people today, God, give them an extra dose of your grace, your love, and your unrelenting passion for justice.
Let all of God’s children say: amen.
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