What Happened with Robinson's Prayer?

I watched yesterday anticipating a prayer from The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire. It didn't make air? What happened?

I must admit that I was watching to see U2, the Boss, and others on stage. The opportunity to hear the Bishop offer a prayer for the nation was just gravy for me. So, I was set up. Surround Sound up, the VP and President-Elect waving and sit, and then the singing of the National Anthem . . . yada yada yada. No Bishop. I determine that the producers are going to something different and will end with the prayer of blessing as people depart for the rest of the Inaugural events. Cool idea. Singers come and go. Music of all kinds, mostly. The end arrives and no Bishop Robinson. What happened?

I got an email forwarded to me from my companion from a friend and peer in ministry, Stephen Sprinkle, to a blog called Box Turtle where it asks "Why" and determines it was an HBO snub of an openly gay person alongside not announcing the D.C. Gay Men’s Chorus singing with Josh Groban. Why? It is cable TV? HBO can't really have hang ups about sexuality can it? They offer shows like, "Cat House", "Real Sex", "Big Love" and all kinds of stuff that deal with human sexuality. What gives?

The great thing about this website, Box Turtle, is that is provides the text of Bishop Robinson's prayer. Upon review I have to wonder if it was not HBO executives that pulled the plug on the Bishop being broadcast as much as the Inaugural committee or group designing this first event. The content of the prayer is not bubble gum, unrealistic hope. It is prophetic and pastoral and meant for adults. It reminded me of the content of President Obama's words about race. We will never know who made the decision to pull the Bishop's prayer from broadcast. It may have something to do with his sexuality and if that can be proved it is disappointing, but more disappointing would be to discover that the Bishop was not broadcast because his prayer had too much depth, theological and civic, for the Inaugural committee's liking instead of bubble gum, make them feel good hope. I thought things were going to change?

Here is an excerpt of Bishop Robinson's prayer. Click here to read the entire prayer. It is worth a few minutes of your day.

"O God of our many understandings, we pray that you will…

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 discrimination, at home and abroad, against refugees and immigrants, women, people of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

Bless us with discomfort - at the easy, simplistic “answers” we’ve preferred to hear from our politicians, instead of the truth, about ourselves and the world, which we need to face if we are going to rise to the challenges of the future.

Bless us with patience - and the knowledge that none of what ails us will be “fixed” anytime soon, and the understanding that our new president is a human being, not a messiah."

Filed Mon - January 19, 2009, 11:00 AM in

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