"We pledge to be stronger together" - My prayer at the meeting of the Massachusetts Presidential Electors

Today I attended the ceremony where the Massachusetts Electors for President of the United States met at the State House to cast their votes for President. All 11 of the Massachusetts electoral votes went for Hillary Clinton. 

The presiding state Secretary of State received thunderous applause when he reflected back on Massachusetts' role in the 1972 election of Richard Nixon: "I'll conclude by reminding you that 44 years ago this day, at this proceeding, Massachusetts stood alone as the only state not voting for the constitutional winner of that election. Less than two years later, he was no longer president." 

I was honored to be chosen, along with a Catholic Priest and Muslim Imam, to deliver an invocation before the balloting. 

Watch:

This was my prayer (slightly edited):

We pause in this moment to give thanks to the Holy One, the Source of All, who brings us to this historic moment to witness the fulfillment of the historic duty of these electors, representing the diversity of our people and the values that are representative of this Commonwealth. We give thanks to the Holy One for the good that has come from the historic administration of the first African-American president of these United States. And we give thanks for the goodwill that resides in the American people, we give thanks for these leaders, and for all who are committed to the highest ideals of this democratic republic, we give thanks for those who believe in the ideal of public service and good governance, and for the ideal of working together for the common good.

In the Jewish tradition, we mark the ending of a sacred book by standing together and proclaiming, in Hebrew chazak, chazak, venitchazek, meaning “be strong, be strong, and we all will become stronger." As we close the book on one era and prepare to open another, we speak to one another as a sacred community and say, “I will be strong, you will be strong, and together, we will be stronger."

We pledge today to be stronger together to resist the forces that seek to divide us.

We pledge today to be stronger together to support one another when faced with bigotry and hatred.

We pledge today to be stronger together to preserve our planet’s life and health.

We pledge to be stronger together to defend the Constitution.

We pledge to be stronger together to protect human rights.

We pledge to be stronger together to sustain our democracy.

Chazak, chazak, venitchazek. Holy One, Source of All, give us all the strength to stand together through adversity and challenge as we have stood together through prosperity and progress. Stand with us, Holy One, and make us stronger as we face the days ahead.