WASHINGTON, DC -
Rev. Jonathan Falwell has followed his father's footsteps to Washington, delivering the opening prayer Wednesday for the U.S. House of Representatives.
Falwell took over as pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia, after his father, the Rev. Jerry Falwell, died in 2007. The younger Falwell didn't know if his father had ever delivered the opening prayer. But Jerry Falwell founded the Moral Majority, which mobilized Christians to elect conservative leaders in the 1980s. Jerry Falwell's widow, Macel, was in the House gallery Wednesday to see their son give the invocation.
During his prayer, Jonathan Falwell asked God to forgive the nation's sins and guide its leaders.
"We know as our forefathers knew and as the scriptures tell us that righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people," Falwell prayed. "And so today we ask Your forgiveness for the sins that we as a people and we as a nation have committed. We seek Your wisdom and Your guidance in all that takes place in this room. We ask You to be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Above all, we ask You to continue to bless this great land that we call home."
He then concluded his prayer in Jesus' name.
