Las Vegas pastor tackles big job: Praying for Senate harmony

Praying for harmony in the United States Senate would seem a daunting task. The body these days often is marked by a partisanship that descends into rancor on a more or less regular basis.

On Thursday, the Rev. D. Edward Chaney gave it his best shot. The pastor of the Second Baptist Church in Las Vegas was invited as guest chaplain to open the Senate with prayer.

The prayer, which is here along with video of the pastor, beseeches to "remove the divisive spirit" from the Senate and give lawmakers "strength and courage as they make decisions that impact the lives of all Americans."

"The focus of the prayer was for unity, to remain focused on settling divisive issues," Chaney said afterwards. "I really tried to move us forward and help gain strength and courage to do the right thing."

Chaney said it took parts of a week and a half to compose the minute-long prayer. It was difficult, he said, to reach just the right tone.

"You want to be inclusive, you want to be methodical, you want to be precise, you want to invite and invoke the presence of a good spirit and harmony," he said. "A prayer can be divisive. A lot of people don't understand that. You have to be careful to make sure that it is inclusive and that you don't disrespect or intimidate someone."

Chaney did his composing "in the wee hours of the morning, sometimes after midnight, when it is quiet."

"You compose a couple of lines, lay it on the side, meditate on that and come back and revisit it, read that again," he said. "You change and edit as you go. Finally you have to leave it alone.

"I don't consult with my wife or others. I just consult with God, just focusing on where we are as a country and what we need," he said. "That was how I was able to compose this prayer, just thinking about where we are, where we need to be, and where we come from."

Chaney, accompanied by his wife Avis C. O'Bryant-Chaney, arrived at the U.S. Capitol early Thursday and attended a weekly breakfast that Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., sponsors for visiting Nevadans.

The visiting clergyman consulted with Senate Chaplain Barry Black and then was given a walkthrough on the Senate floor before the session opened at 9:30 a.m.

"It was an overwhelming experience," Chaney said. "I could not have imagined being able to have that opportunity."

Chaney was asked if he'll be able to tell if his words have an impact.

"I guess we will see," he said.

Chaney may have gotten his answer several hours later. The Senate descended into a fight that featured a "heated argument" between Reid, the Senate majority leader, and Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, according to Congressional Quarterly.