Convocation Prayer, Graduation class, New Officers, County Detention Center, Lexington, Ky

Yesterday I was asked to give the Invocation at the graduation ceremony for the 16 new correctional officers at the Fayette County Detention Center, Lexington, Ky. It was well attended by family and friends, probably about 100 persons including staff. Here are my words:

Holy Mystery, God of Life and Death,
God of justice and mercy, of good and evil,
This day, this moment we pause before you.
The mystery of good and evil challenges our own lives
Now We face an awesome work:
to care for our fellow humans in trouble,
to even guard our society from them
without forgetting our common humanness with them.
Holy God, could any task, any stretching be more demanding?
Yet we know you will never ask of us more than we can do.
What else can we say?
You speak to us here in the silence of our souls.
Speak now to our hearts and tell us we can do it,
we can do our work and do it well.
--keep our balance between respect and firmness
remembering rules and policies designed for security sake.
Let us hear your voice within us.
If ever we fail in mercy or in justice -- and we will fail--
forgive us our failings -- on this basis: that we have forgiven first.
Guard us against the occupational hazard in security work of
becoming discouraged, cynical, and hardhearted.
Yes, forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Keep us linked to each other and safe from every danger and injury,
You can heal us all,
Please do so Holy One, in your own way --
Let us be your worthy agents in the work before us. Amen.