(An Invocation delivered by the Very Reverend Samuel G. Candler, Dean of the Cathedral of St.
Philip, for the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, Georgia, 4 July 2016)
Blessings, Blessings,
Blessings! From all over America, from all over the world, we gather this day
for the blessings of running and rejoicing.
Most of us are runners, but some
of us are not. Some of us are believers in God, but some of us are not. We are
wheelchairs, we are walkers, we are runners, we are elite, we are not-so-elite,
we are ordinary, and we are extraordinary.
But, today, we are One. We
are One today, believers in the Peachtree Road Race, and its ability to gather
all sorts and conditions of humanity in blessing America on this Fourth of
July.
Blessings to Muslims: Asalamu Aleikum!
Blessings to Jews. Barukh
atah Adonai, Eloheinu!
Blessings to Christians:
Christ bless you! Benedicite Deus!
To Hindus, to Buddhists, to
atheists, to agnostics!
God blesses each and every
one of us. Dios les bendiga!
May this Peachtree Road Race
be safe and fun, may it be challenging and relaxing. May today be a holiday, a holy
day, of blessing and grace, of vigor and energy!
In the Name of God, and in
all the Names of God, the God above us and the God beside us, the God at the
starting line and the God at the finish line, we bless each other.
We are One today, united in
energy and peace, hope and freedom. In the running of the Peachtree Road Race
today, in Atlanta, God bless all of America.
AMEN.
The Very Reverend Samuel G.
Candler
