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Good Morning

Off the top of my head, I can remember words from only two US Presidential inaugural speeches.Ìý John F Kennedy’s Ìý‘Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country’; and Donald Trump’s, ‘From this day forward it's going to be only America first – America first!’Ìý Ìý

What will Joe Biden say later today, at his inauguration?Ìý Words can inflame, and they can inspire.Ìý They can hurt, or comfort.Ìý But whether in daily life, or government, only good words hand-in-hand with good actions can make a lasting difference.ÌýÌý People encouraged by words of cheer and honesty - driven by their hopes, and not their fears - can move mountains, and see themselves in their neighbour.

In 1994, Nelson Mandela said this at his inauguration:

‘Our daily deeds as ordinary South Africans must produce an actual South African reality that will reinforce humanity's belief in justice, strengthen its confidence in the nobility of the human soul and sustain all our hopes…’

Ìý

There’s poetry there, but the vision is rooted in this reality: How we act, how we treat each other determines what kind of society we create.Ìý Nelson Mandela practised what he preached: he walked into the sunshine of freedom after 27 years in prison, with a commitment to peace and justice. ÌýHe couldn’t heal everything, but he restored – by his words and his actions – the soul of his nation.ÌýÌýÌý

Loving God, grant peace and hope today, and may the words of our mouths and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable to you.Ìý Amen