Rabbi Joe Black Music

 Our God and God of All creation:The Psalmist writes:I lift up my eyes to the mountains – from there wil my help come.” (Psalm 121)In this sacred chamber, the tasks of governance seem both insignificant and indispensable at the same time.  When we try to assess our actions in light of the challenges that face us, our attempts to create change can  seem insignificant. And

Our God and God of all people:God of the Rich and God of the PoorGod of the Broker and God of the Broken. God of the Hungry and God of the sated.God of those who have no God.Over the past few days, we, in Colorado, have been experiencing something unusual – something that has not been part of our daily lives for a long time: It has been raining and snowing!  Our hardened earth,

Our God and God of all Humanity:

 Our God and God of all people:On this sacred day – these legislators are focused on the difficult task of approving a $46.8 Billion budget for our beautiful State of Colorado.   While many perceive the budgeting process as a tedious wrangling of numbers from one column to another, there is another perspective.  Instead of seeing columns, figures and numbers, I

Our God who calls us to reflect on who we are and why we are here: This morning, we come together in liminal space and time as we   near the half-way point of our legislative session.  We marvel at weeks and months that have passed while simultaneously feeling the anxiety of the layers of unfinished business that loom in front of us. We find ourselves experiencing

Our God and the God of all people,This past Tuesday, Jews around the world celebrated the Jewish festival of Purim.  We read the Book of Esther – an ancient story of oppression, bravery, and vindication.  In synagogues around the world – and in bomb shelters in Israel, Jews dressed up in costumes, lost their inhibitions, and forgot about the problems that confronted us.On

Our God and God of all people.We know you by many names:God of mercy, God of Justice, God of Salvation, God of all Humanity But this morning – let us call you God of Love…..Today is February 12th. In 2 days we will be celebrating Valentine’s day. Some here today – the more cynical among us - might think that a day set aside to focus on love is a ploy to sell chocolate and flowers.

 Our God and God of all people: 

This is the 14th year that I  have been delivering opening prayers at the Colorado House of Representatives every Thursday.  Here is today's prayer: Our God and God of All People:

 On November 7, 1938, a distraught young German-born Polish – Jewish expatriate named Herschel Feibel Grynszpan shot and killed Nazi German Diplomat, Ernst Von Rath in cold blood in his office in Paris, France.  Grynszpan had a troubled youth. He was known to have a violent temper. The reason for his brutal crime was supposedly in revenge for the Nazis’ decree stripping Polish Jews