I watched the inagural concert We Are One three times looking for Bishop Robinson's invocation. Finally resorted to using the Google. No videos that I could find, but I did finally find a site with a transcription of his prayer.
http://www.boston.com/...
I have to say, I'm a little outraged that this wasn't part of the broadcast. One of the comments at the Boston.com site suggested that the microphone was off for all but the final sentence. I hope this was just a glitch; if not, it would be the only jarring note in a truly beautiful event.
The prayer itself was lovely, and I'm sorry more Americans didn't get the chance to hear it. I'm not completely sure how fair use applies in this situation, so I'm just going to include a little of it. He starts by welcoming everyone to Washington, and calls on the "God of our many Understandings" to Bless us.
Bless us with tears - for a world in which over a billion people exist on less than a dollar a day, where young women from many lands are beaten and raped for wanting an education, and thousands die daily from malnutrition, malaria, and AIDS.
Bless us with anger - at discrimiation, at home and abroad, against refugees, and immigrants, women, people of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.
In my opinion, that's the only... hmmm... inflammatory section at all. My tinfoil hat suggests that if he was left out intentionally, that section would be why. He goes on to ask us to be blessed with discomfort, patience, humility. I like this line a lot.
Bless us with freedom from mere tolerance - replacing it with a genuine respect and warm embrace of our differences, and an understanding that in our diversity, we are stronger.
Bless us with compassion and generosity - remembering that every religion's God judges us by the way we care for the most vulnerable in the human community, whether across town or across the world
I think any of us who have heard "I love you even though you are gay," or "You're such a good friend, I forgot you were black," agrees wholeheartedly with the hope for more than mere tolerance. And I like that he invokes every religion's God in the next sentence. Very inclusive. In the end, he asks God's blessing on our President-Elect. This made me cry, for like the fifteenth time today (and only once was for my beloved Eagles losing).
And God, we give you thanks for your child Barack, as he assumes the office of President of the United States. Give him wisdom beyond his years, and inspire him with Lincoln's reconciling leadership style, President Kennedy's ability to enlist our best efforts, and Dr. King's dream of a nation for ALL the people... snip... And please, God, keep him safe. We know we ask too much of our presidents, and we're asking FAR too much of this one. We know the risk he and his wife are taking for all of us, and we implore you, O good and great God, to keep him safe...snip
The whole thing is just beautiful; follow the link to read it in its entirety. It would have made a wonderful beginning to the festivities.
http://www.boston.com/...
Update: I guess I missed the earlier diary. Here's the link:
http://www.dailykos.com/...