First Immanuel’s Pastor Raasch Delivers Opening Prayer
On Wednesday, Pastor Randolph Raasch of First Immanuel Lutheran Ministries in Cedarburg and Saukville delivered the opening prayer to the Senate chamber. Serving the 20th Senate District since January 1989, Raasch serves as the senior pastor for the church and school. Raasch also serves as the chaplain for the Cedarburg Police Department.
On behalf of my senate colleagues, I would like to express gratitude to Pastor Raasch for taking his morning to travel to Madison.
Here is the text of the opening prayer delivered by Pastor Raasch:
“Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we give thanks to You for this day in which you call us to serve You. Lord, we pray for Your grace to rest on our great state and its citizens. Bless those who labor in factories; those who toil in fields; those who work in offices and those who maintain households. Thank you, Lord, for those who dedicate themselves to protecting us. Give courage and strength to our firefighters, police officers and those who serve in our National Guard, that they may carry out their duties with honor.
We pray, O Lord, for all those who serve as elected officials. Thank you for their dedication to our citizens and the well being of our state and its future. As the women and men of this chamber take up the matters of budgets and education and transportation and infrastructure, grant them wisdom to carry out their responsibilities; give them integrity to rise above partisan politics; provide them courage to do what is good and right and just, that they would be judicious stewards of the resources they are called to manage. Lord, Your Word says to each of us, “whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” No matter what our occupation, may it be said of us, that we served the Lord by serving one another.
Gracious God, before we undertake the business of our great state, we place into your arms of mercy those who serve in our nation’s capital, who are victims of a violent and senseless act. We thank You that life was spared and ask that You provide quick and complete healing for those injured. We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.”
