The Last Refuge of Scoundrels

Both patriotism and prayer have been described as the last refuge of scoundrels. Combining these, you might come up with the prayers offered at the opening of each day's session of the legislature. Now that the Senate Journals are online it is interesting to browse the opening prayers. If you know a theology student or a dual religion / poli sci major, you might suggest these as a thesis topic.

In the "when will the lightening bolts strike" category, here are some phrases I liked:

"We come to ask Your wisdom and guidance from above, that the things that take place here would be in accordance with your purposes and they they would result in blessings and good things for the people of this state." (3/15/06)

O holy and loving God, every one of our great religious traditions require us to remember the least, the lost, the lonely, the poor, the marginalized, and the disenfranchised among us. May we always keep in mind our children, young, and senior adults, for they are often the ones who have no voice and need to be heard. Help us remember those who are different from us in race or ethnicity, orientation, or ability, and may every citizen of Pennsylvania benefit from the work being done in this body today. (3/21/06)

and my personal favorite:

Lord, help us in our weaknesses, deliver us from jealousy, selfish amibition, and denial of the truth, but let us seek instead that wisdom which is from above, which is pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, and impartial, so that in finding this wisdom, we will see a harvest of righteousness, the righteousness which exalts a nation. (3/22/06)

and then you have this phrase:

We pray also for the Members of this Senate. We pray for their health, and we pray for any who are going through treatment for illness or injury. We pray for Your blessings upon them. We pray for their families. We pray for their other personal needs, financial and otherwise. (3/15/06)

I think some of those folks are praying for their financial needs enough themselves so maybe the public prayer can skip that part.