Prayers, Diversity and Being Me

Two years ago, I was asked to offer the invocation for the Economic Club sponsored by WFYI. 

Of course I could do that and I'd be honored.  came floating out of my mouth when the request was made.

Then I began the process of thinking through what to pray and how to pray.

I am quite familiar with how my faith community prays but what about this group.

This group of 700+ community leaders and business professional would represent  a diverse audience representing all kinds of different faith backgrounds.
 Plus, I'd be sitting on the same stage with the guest speaker David Brooks, New York Times Op-Ed Columnist who writes about politics, culture and the social sciences.

You see I believe God hears our prayers.  Plus, what we pray and how we pray reveals our theology. This should be easy right?  Not so much.

After several reiterations, I wrote this prayer

WFYI – Economic Club Invocation                                     November 9, 2015

God, our father, I offer sincere thanks for this opportunity to meet together.   

I acknowledge and express gratitude for ALL you have provided.

May we listen to one another intently. 

Speaking less and listening more.

May we grow in wisdom and grace.

May we offer help where help is needed.

May we express love where love is needed.

May we extend peace and seek unity where peace and unity is needed.

May we use our influence with humility, considering how we might encourage one another.

God, again, I thank you for all you have given us.  

May our minds, our hearts and our hands be USED to make positive contributions to OUR world because YOU have ENTRUSTED it to our care.

Would YOU use THIS TIME to inspire us.

How would I close the prayer?  Knowing the diversity of the group. Do I simply close with Amen? That'd work.   But for me, I had the nagging sense that to close with a simple Amen would leave out the very reason I believe this prayer is more than words.  You see I believe this prayer is possible because of the very One I follow.  It felt disingenuous to change the way I usually end my prayers. 

I closed with this phrase: 

It is in Jesus Christ name that I offer this prayer.  AMEN.

I sat back down at my assigned seat at the head table on stage. 

In just a few moments a man made his way to the stage and motioned me over.  As I bent down to listen, he complimented me on the prayer.  Hmmm.  I thought that was nice.  

Then he graciously said something like "I really connected with your prayer until..."  The dreaded "until"...  "Until you closed in Jesus Christ name."  

He went on to inform me that his religion did not believe in Jesus Christ and that because of the diversity of the audience he felt I had made a grave error in judgment.  

I listened and considered again my approach to closing the prayer that day. I explained how I had contemplated that very thing and specifically chose to say "I offer this prayer."   I knew some would agree with my closing and others would not. So I intentionally chose to end with "I" offer this prayer in Jesus Christ name, not to be controversial but simply to be me.

We ended our brief conversation talking about what it looks like to embrace diversity.  

My question for that day and even now is this:   Don't we have to be willing to be ourselves to embrace diversity?  When a group has embraced diversity can't we sit side by side, work together, live together, agree and disagree with each other. 

I chose being genuine and I think he did too.

And I really hope the things I prayed for that day will become more and more true of the world we live in.  Starting with me.