[Episcopal News Service] Presiding Bishop Michael Curry held a virtual Morning Prayer service with nine members of Congress and some of their staffers on Jan. 26, sharing memories and stories that he hoped would inspire the kind of faith that might guide them through these challenging times.

The attendees, including members of both houses of Congress and both major political parties, joined via Zoom for Morning Prayer and then met with Curry privately in a virtual breakout room.

Curry preached on Hebrews 11, which lays out the powerful feats that Old Testament figures accomplished through faith, even when circumstances seemed insurmountable.

He recalled meeting Archbishop Desmond Tutu and being inspired by his campaign to end apartheid in South Africa and bring reconciliation to the country, and Curry also remembered another personal hero: his grandmother, who would sing the hymn “O for a Faith That Will Not Shrink.”

The “faith that will not shrink, though pressed by many a foe,” is what will carry Americans through crises that may seem impossible to solve, he said. He also put it in more contemporary terms, paraphrasing the actor John Wayne: “Courage means being afraid but getting back up on the horse.”