57th Presidential Inaugural Prayer Service Tomorrow

Heads up:  The Washington National Cathedral has announced the participants in the Presidential Inaugural Prayer Service scheduled for Tuesday, January 22, at 10:30 am. The interfaith service, including voices of faith from several Christian denominations, Islam, Judaism, and Sikhism, will bring Americans together to pray for the nation and for the second term of President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. The service, which is for invited guests, will also be webcast live at www.nationalcathedral.org.

I will be watching via webcast and hope to share some reflections.  

US National Day of Prayer

Today, to my surprise, I learned that it is the American National Day of Prayer. I found this out by a Google alert  USA Today article discussing how it prompts devotion and protest.  There is obvious debate about having a day of prayer in a country where there is a strong and clear rhetorical separation between church and state.

President Obama writes:

Prayer has always been a part of the American story, and today countless Americans rely on prayer for comfort, direction, and strength, praying not only for themselves, but for their communities, their country, and the world.

Prayer has also been a part of the Jewish story - perhaps that is the understatement of the century. Wishing everyone in the US a great day of davening and kavanah (intention/direction) and together we say, "Amen!"