Prayer for the City

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I offered this prayer at the January 4, 2010 Roanoke City Council Meeting.

Here it is, God; the first agenda items on one of the first days of this new year.

Here they are, God; the elected leaders of this great city, and the professional staff who work to make our local government run.

Help these leaders—and each of us—begin this year well, because beginnings are important. We know that how we begin often determines where and when we end, so on this day, and in this place, our God, we ask that you would help each of us to begin this new year well.

We ask because there are challenges ahead, O God. Some are known all too well. Others are unknown, waiting to be revealed. May the good beginnings we ask you for today lead us to courageous thinking in time of challenge.

But we also ask because we know that there are interesting opportunities ahead. These we cannot see, or perhaps only see vaguely. Again, we ask that the good beginnings we seek today would lead us to bold, creative thinking when the time to seize opportunity comes.

Help us, O God, and hear this, our prayer.

Amen.