'Let's Be the Doers of the Word': Biden's Message at National Prayer Breakfast

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today marked the 70th annual National Prayer Breakfast in the nation's capital where lawmakers from both sides of the aisle put aside their differences for a morning to come together to unite in prayer.  

This year's breakfast looked different than years past with lawmakers returning to the roots of the event in an intimate audience on Capitol Hill instead of the larger crowd composed of faith leaders from around the world that have joined lawmakers in this event for years.  
 
Speaking to a bipartisan group of House and Senate members, President Biden offered a message of unity and hope, encouraging them to follow God's commandments. 
 
"Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, all thy mind, and all thy soul. And love thy neighbor as thyself," declared Biden. "That's the hardest one I think, at least it's hardest here. Didn't used to be as hard."
 
"My prayer for this prayer breakfast is we start to see each other again, look at each other again, travel with each other again, argue like hell with each other again but then still go to lunch together," continued Biden. 
 
Biden promised to lead by example through his relationship with Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy.
 
"Let's start treating each other with respect," said Biden. "That's what Kevin and I are going to do. Not a joke, we had a good meeting yesterday. I think we got to do it across the board. Doesn't mean we're going to agree and fight like hell, but let's treat each other with respect."
 
And Biden asked the crowd of lawmakers – where do we go from here?
 
"My message to all of you and to the nation as we go forward, go forward together," said Biden. "Let's be the doers of the Word. Let's keep the faith, let's remember who we are, we're the United States of America."
 
The event also featured a message from Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie.
 
"What a powerful message it would be to the world if we walked together, put compassion over callousness, cooperation over competition, and at the end of it, go and do likewise," preached McKenzie. 
 
Pastor Jim Cymbala from the Brooklyn Tabernacle preached, as well.
 
"Everyone who humbles themselves and comes to God and says God help me, God has given His word 'I will never, ever turn you away, I will give you the very thing that you need,'" said Cymbala. "If anyone needed to pray for wisdom, isn't it you folks? Every single day, every single hour."
 
In addition to today's prayer breakfast, every week on Capitol Hill bipartisan groups of senators and representatives come together to pray – a tradition that has been going on for decades.