On Thursday, February 2, 2023, Interim President and General Secretary Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie served as one of two keynote speakers for the National Prayer Breakfast held at the Capitol. In attendance were President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and many other members of Congress.
Drawing from the familiar parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10), Bishop McKenzie challenged attendees to consider the possibility that the text was not focused on who is our neighbor, but rather, on how to be a good neighbor. Bishop McKenzie challenged those in attendance to look for opportunities to embrace the love, mercy, and compassion Jesus demonstrates throughout Scripture, and to look toward the humanity of others. “Could it be that he saw the man’s humanity? When he saw the man’s humanity, he saw his own. Maybe we need to see our own humanity and see the humanity of others,” she said.
Immediately following the event, the President and several members of Congress expressed their appreciation to Bishop McKenzie for offering a new perspective on the familiar passage.
The breakfast was broadcast live on C-SPAN. Click here to watch Bishop McKenzie’s presentation on their website.
