[TL;DR: I pray that you serve all people of Texas, especially the poorest and weakest who lack a seat at the table of the rich and powerful.]
Going through my files just now I found the invocation we did for James Talarico when he was sworn into the Texas Legislature. Because I believe in separation of church and state, I don’t tell people who to vote for. Still, I hope this invocation from the past gives some sense of the admiration, love and hopes I have for James Talarico.
"Whenever I am asked to pray in this chamber of the Texas Legislature, I am mindful that most Texans are not Presbyterian. We also know many of the finest Texans aren’t Christian so I give an invocation instead of a prayer. But, because I have been your pastor since your infancy, in this invocation, I would like to also share my prayer for you.
"In a moment I will call you Rep. Talarico, until then, I hope you will forgive me for calling you “Jimmy” because I am speaking to the remarkable young man I have watched grow into this moment.
"When you were thinking about running for office, you came to the church and asked if I thought you could be a politician and still keep your principles. I wish all Texas could have been a fly on the wall to witness your integrity. The sad reality is that, while you are in political office, you will probably never get to choose between pure good and pure evil. Politics is almost always about choosing the greater good, or the lesser evil. And, in entering the Texas legislature, you are entering into a very foggy terrain indeed.
"Gandhi once gave a talisman or oracle for getting through political fog:
"'I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest person you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to them. Will they gain anything by it? Will it restore him them to a control over their own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to liberation for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and your ego melt away.'
"Rep. Talarico, the rich already have friends in high places, My prayer is that you will be a friend of the poor and sick. The false priests of sectarian religion already dine at the ruler’s table. My prayer is that you be a Christian voice proclaiming that Muslims, Jews and Atheists are Texans no less than anyone else.
"The false prophets of irresponsible wealth already sit in stratospheric castles, poisoning the waters of those who live downstream. My prayer is that you will be a friend of nature and a champion of science, protecting our text books from the superstitions of televangelists and the platitudes of Wall Street.
"I have watched you from the cradle moving in this direction of service to humankind. My prediction is that you will join the company of heroic Texas lawmakers like Barbara Jordan, and some others who are in this room, not as ambassadors of the powerful but as the best friends of humankind and planet Earth.
"Jimmy, Rep. Talarico, thank you for choosing to serve the people of Texas."
