Reverend Dr. Joseph E. Lowery

to deliver the Benidiction.

God of our weary years,

God of our silent tears,

Thou, who has brought us thus far along the way,

Thou, who has by Thy might led us into the light,,

Keep us forever in the path, we pray,

Lest our feet

stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee,

Lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world,

we forget thee.

Shadowed beneath thy hand,

May we forever stand

True to thee, oh God, and True to our native land.

We truly give thanks for the glorious experience

we've shared this day.

We pray now, oh Lord, for your blessing upon thy servant

Barack Obama, the 44th president of these United States,

his family and his administration.

He has come to this high office

at a low moment in the national, and

indeed the global, fiscal climate.

But because we know you’ve got

the whole world in your hands,

we pray for not only our nation,

but for the community of nations.

Our faith does not shrink,

though pressed by the flood of mortal ills.

For we know that, Lord, you are able

and you’re willing to work through faithful leadership

to restore stability,

mend our brokenness, heal our wounds,

and deliver us from the exploitation of the poor,

of the least of these,

and from favoritism toward the rich, the elite of these.

We thank you for the empowering of thy servant,

our 44th president, to inspire our nation to believe that

yes, we can work together to achieve a more perfect union.

And while we have sown the seeds of greed - the wind

of greed and corruption

- and even as we reap the whirlwind of social and economic

disruption, we seek forgiveness

and we come in a spirit of unity and solidarity

to commit our support to our president

by our willingness to make sacrifices,

to respect your creation,

to turn to each other and not on each other.

And now, Lord, in the complex arena of human relations,

help us to make choices on the side of love, not hate;

on the side of inclusion, not exclusion;

tolerance, not intolerance.

And as we leave this mountain top,

help us to hold on to the spirit of fellowship

and the oneness of our family.

Let us take that power back to our homes,

our workplaces, our churches, our temples, our mosques

or wherever we seek your will.

Bless President Barack, First Lady Michelle.

Look over our little angelics Sasha and Malia.

We go now to walk together children,

pledging that we won’t get weary

in the difficult days ahead.

We know you will not leave us alone.

With your hands of power and your heart of love,

help us then, now, Lord, to work for that day

when nations shall not lift up sword against nation,

when tanks will be beaten into tractors,

when every man and every woman

shall sit under his or her own vine and fig tree

and none shall be afraid,

when justice will roll down like waters

and righteousness as a mighty stream.

Lord, in the memory of all the saints who

from their labors rest

and in the joy of a new beginning,

we ask you to help us work for that day

when Black will not be asked to get in back,

when Brown can stick around, -- [laughter] --

when Yellow will be mellow, -- [laughter] --

when the Red man can get ahead, man; -- [laughter] --

and when White will embrace what is right.

Let all those who do justice and love mercy say Amen,

AUDIENCE: Amen!

REV. LOWERY: Say Amen --

AUDIENCE: Amen!

REV. LOWERY: And Amen.

AUDIENCE: Amen! [Cheers, applause]