Invocation for Colorado State Senate on MLKJan 19th, 2023

 

Invocation for Colorado State Senate on MLK

 Jan 19th, 2023 by Rabbi Eliot J Baskin

 

As we meet this week of celebrating Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr's birthday, grant, O Source of justice, that you Senators and staff be imbued with a spirit of mission, purpose and vision as you exercise power. 

 

May we heed King’s admonition that

“Power without love is reckless and abusive,

and love without power is sentimental and anemic.

Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.”

 

May we together bring bold and transformative ideas to fulfill his dream for the betterment of all, regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion, creed and color for as he said, "We may have come on different ships but we're all in the same boat now."

 

Let us heed King's words that "It's always the right time to do the right thing."

 

May that which bends the moral arc of the universe towards justice, guide you in legislating with love for all of us here in Colorado. 

 

Amen.

Invocation for State Senate Feb 17th, 2022 President's Day

Invocation for State Senate Feb 17th, 2022 President's Day

Seventy-Third General Assembly     STATE OF  COLORADO Second Regula

As our 2022 Legislature meets during this month of important birthdays: Frederick Douglass, the noted abolitionist who celebrated it after being freed on Valentine's Day, President Abraham Lincoln whose birthday was last week, President George Washington next week and, (shameless plug) yours truly on the 20th, grant, O God, that you Senators and staff be imbued with the spirit of mission, purpose and vision of our great American leaders.

 

During this time of pandemic anxiety and disenfranchised grief may we heed the words of  (Narrative of the Life of Frederick) Douglass who wrote in his autobiography, "...in the darkest hours of my career in slavery, this living word of faith and spirit of hope departed not from me, but remained like ministering angels to cheer me through the gloom.”

 

Let gloom and sadness give way to joy and happiness as Washington noted that

“Human happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected.”

May you heed the moral duty to help the widow, the poor, the orphan, and the strangers in our midst.

 

And finally,  Lincoln said, “When I do good, I feel good.”  May you all feel good after a session of doing good for all the people of our state.

 

May the Source of Wisdom, Chonein haDaat, continue to shower birthday blessings to all of you who legislate here in Colorado with inspiration, integrity and insight!

Invocation for Colorado State Senate Tuesday May 25, 2021

Invocation for State Senate by Rabbi Eliot Baskin Tuesday May 25, 2021 Seventy-Third General Assembly Tuesday, May 25, 2021 STATE OF COLORADO 102d Legislative Day

As we gather together this morning I'd like to share with you an archaic word, Respair, that I think merits rejuvenation.   It's coined from Latin roots meaning “again” and “hope.” Respair was last used in the Middle Ages following  the plight of the bubonic plague.   Respair means “the return of hope after a period of despair.”  I believe that "Respair" is  ripe for reviving during this period of emergence from our Covid pandemic

Let us pray:

Grant, Source of all Life, Makor Chayyim, that you Senators and staff be imbued with a spirit of respair as you reflect on your first 100 days of legislative work of healing and transformation.  May peace and harmony always prevail in your midst so that the challenging pandemic needs of our state receive your undivided attention, unhampered by personal differences and partisan animosities.

May the Fount of Wisdom, Chonain HaDaat, provide upon all in this chamber knowledge, understanding and intelligence tempered by compassion, righteousness and hope as you legislate during this time of respair for the good of all here in Colorado. 

Amen.

Invocation for Colorado State Senate May 18th, 2021 Shavuot

Tuesday May 18, 2021 Shavuot, Pentecost, Revelation Revealed

Seventy-Third General Assembly Tuesday, May 18, 2021 STATE OF COLORADO 95th Legislative Day

Let us pray:

As we  count this 95th Legislative Day, we pause to reflect on the sacred counting of the three Abrahamic faiths and their revealed timeless truths of human equality, social justice and prophetic transformation

Today marks the the end of the 50 day counting period for Jews who celebrate Shavuot, the revelation of the Torah at Sinai  50 days after Passover. 

For Christians, Pentecost which falls next Sunday is celebrated 50 days after Easter  (on May 23rd) and  commemorates the gift of the Holy Spirit.

For Muslims, Ramadan just ended with the celebration (Laylat al-Qadr or) “the Night of Destiny” — a time Allah sent the Angel Gabriel to Mohammad to reveal the Quran.

Ramadan, Pentecost and  Shavuot all celebrate the gift of  Revelation through the Quran, the Torah and the Holy Spirit.

The sanctity of life is central to these three  faiths and their revealed scriptures. 

We ask the Source of Wisdom to reveal to us all the ways we are the same and to honor the sacred paths we share.

At this auspicious time, we pray for all those here in our gorgeous state, in the Mid East and throughout the world of every faith (and those with no professed faith) to keep dreaming,  working for justice,  and pursuing shalom/salam/peace as we count on each other to make each piece of legislation count.

Amen

Invocation for Colorado State Senate March 11th, 2020 Purim

Rabbi Eliot J Baskin

Seventy-Second General Assembly Wednesday, March 11, 2020 

STATE OF COLORADO 64th Legislative Day 

Our Legislature meets this week when the Jewish world celebrates the holiday of Purim, which marks the salvation of the Jewish people from a threatened massacre in ancient Persia. 

The Purim story is found in the biblical book of Esther which is one of two books in the Bible where God's name is never mentioned. Yet, our tradition insists that God is very much present in the story, in the actions of the characters who literally risk their lives to confront hatred and bigotry by taking a stand for justice, tolerance and compassion.  Perhaps God's name is missing because it's not up to God, rather it's up to us.

The most important of the four obligations for this holiday is to give charity to the poor--it's not sufficient to to give a donation, you must place it in their open hand and see their eyes. 

And when we gaze heavenward, we should "Pray as if everything depended on God.  Act as if everything depended on us" (Ferdinand Isserman, often attributed to Augustine and Ignatius).  

During this time of health and economic uncertainty, may you Senators and staff have the courage to come together to legislate with wisdom, kindness and resilience to manifest the Divine presence in our state with heroic actions and open hands and hearts so that we not only survive, but thrive together.  It's up to us.

Amen.

Invocation for Colorado State Senate February 12th, 2020 Lincoln's Birthday

Invocation for State Senate Feb 12th, 2020

by Rabbi Eliot J Baskin

Seventy-third General Assembly

Wednesday, February 12, 2020 STATE OF COLORADO

As our 2020 Legislature meets during this week of important birthdays, President Abraham Lincoln whose birthday is today, President George Washington next week and, (shameless plug) yours truly on the 20th, grant, O God, that you Senators and staff be imbued with the spirit of mission, purpose and vision of our great presidents.

May you dream big as Lincoln said “It often requires more courage to dare to do right than to fear to do wrong.”  May you get it right, for the rights of all.

May you temper your criticism with care, said Lincoln,

“One has a right to criticize, who has a heart to help.”

May you compassionately make sure to help the widow, the poor, the orphan, and the strangers in our midst.

And finally, President Lincoln said, “When I do good, I feel good.”  May you all feel good after a session of doing good for all the people of our state.

May the Source of Wisdom, Chonein haDaat, continue to favor all of you who legislate here in Colorado with presidential inspiration, integrity and insight!

Amen

Invocation at Colorado State Senate April 10, 2019 Blizzard Blessing

Invocation at Senate Seventy-Second General Assembly April 10, 2019 STATE OF COLORADO 97th Legislative Session

Blizzard Blessing

Rabbi Eliot Baskin

As we approach this spring bomb cyclone blizzard, grant, O God, that you Senators and staff be imbued with a spirit of mission, purpose and tenacity.

May peace and harmony always prevail in your midst so that the ever expanding needs of our state receive your undivided attention, unhampered by stormy circumstances.

May you weather the economic forecasts as you bundle up to conserve all that is important.

May your hearts brave the fiscal elements so that you do not give the cold shoulder to the less fortunate and strangers in our midst.

May your hard work break the ice of partisan animosities and lead to a thaw in party cold fronts so that together you may finalize a blue sky budget and lay the foundation for a promising spring.

May the One who makes peace in the Heavens, oseh shalom bemromov, help us to make peace, healing and warmth for all of us here in Colorado.  

Amen.

Invocation for the Colorado State Senate during March Madness March 23, 2019

SENATE 

Seventieth General Assembly March 23, 2019

STATE OF COLORADO 85th Legislative Day

Rabbi Eliot J. Baskin

O God, during this auspicious time of March Madness as our legislative clock necessitates buzzard beaters, I pray that you Senators and staff may always be a true sportsperson on the court of life.

May you never lose sight of your baseline.

May your actions never be out of bounds.

May you learn to obey life's rules so you may be spared harsh penalties.

May you, like your field goal percentage, be brimming with 2 and 3 pointers.

May your turnovers be few, your recoveries quick.

When your pass is intercepted, may you work to improve your aim.

When you sink a basket, remember what you owe to the team.

Learn to prize an honest defeat, above a dishonest victory.

When you strive to pass idealistic legislation, may these alley-oop  attempts succeed.

May you so play the game that the Divine Referee will include you in the Hall of Fame for championing transformative legislative brackets.

Amen. 

Invocation for the Colorado State Senate, February 13th, 2019 Erev Presidents' Day

Invocation for the Colorado State Senate, February 13th, 2019,                      Erev Presidents' Day Seventy-Second General Assembly, 41th Legislative Day.

As our 2019 Legislature meets during this week of important birthdays, President Abraham Lincoln, President George Washington and, yours truly, grant, O God, that you Senators and staff be imbued with the spirit of mission, purpose and vision of our great presidents. 

President Lincoln said, “When I do good, I feel good.”  May you all feel good after a session of doing good for the ever expanding needs of our state during this promising time.

President Washington cautioned, “It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.” May you take responsivity as you govern with integrity and offer no excuses!

May the Source of Wisdom, Chonein haDaat, continue to favor all of you who legislate here in Colorado with presidential goodness, integrity and insight!

Amen