Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Church Service | Philadelphia, PA

Church of Christian Compassion
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

10:19 A.M. EDT

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Good morning, church.  Good morning.  (Applause.)  God is good.  God is good. 

Good morning.  Please have a seat, everybody.  Please have a seat.  (Laughs.)  (Applause.)

Thank you.  Thank you.  (Applause.)  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.

And I see all our leaders — young leaders here as well. 

So, Pastor Herndon, First Lady Herndon, I want to thank you so very much for this warm welcome and for all you do.  We talked before we came back in, and these have been days and years that I think, for so many people, have challenged our faith and have really highlighted the importance of the type of leadership that you so importantly and beautifully provide to remind us that we are all in this together. 

And I’m so thankful to be with you.  I know of the work of this church and this congregation.  (Applause.)  And I thank everybody: clergy, church leadership, the elected officials who are here.  (Applause.) 

Mayor, I thank you for your sisterhood and your friendship and your leadership.  Speaker McClinton, it is — you are just — (applause) — when I look at the rising stars of our country, my goodness, the future is so bright.

To every member here of the Compassion family, to all the elected leaders, I thank you for the warm welcome this morning.  And it is truly an honor to — (applause).  

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We love you!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: (Laughs.)  (Applause.)  Thank you. 

And it is an honor to be with you today on Pastor Appreciation Month — (applause) — right? — as we celebrate, of course, the leadership of this house of worship.  And I also — (applause) — and I also bring greetings from my pastor, Dr. Amos C. Brown from Third Baptist Church of San Francisco.  (Applause.)  And it is good to be with everyone and worship with you this morning.

So, in just nine days — (applause) — (laughs) — we have the power to decide the fate of our nation for generations to come.  And on this day, then — on this beautiful Sunday morning —

AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  — I am reminded — (applause).  (Laughs.)

God expects us to help him.  (Laughter.)  We got work to do. 

But I am reminded of something that I think speaks deeply to this moment.  The apostle Paul wrote about the power we possess, the power of the people.  Right?  He wrote that God is able to do “more than we ask or think” — (applause) — “according to his power that is at work in us.” 

And Paul speaks of this power from experience.  In his life, he faced every kind of test and trial imaginable: shipwreck, persecution, prison.  And in every instance, he saw divine intervention.  But Paul understood something profound, I believe, Pastor: that God’s power doesn’t just work for us, it also works within us.  (Applause.)

I grew up in a church that took that lesson to heart.  As a little girl on Sundays — and I know my sister was here recently.  My sister, Maya, and I would go to 23rd Avenue Church of God in Oakland, California, where we attended Sunday school, we sang in the children’s choir, and where I first learned in a way that I fully understood the teachings of the Bible and the power of faith. 

My earliest memories of those teachings are about a loving God — (applause) — a faithful God, a God who asks us to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves and to defend the rights of the poor and the needy — a God who empowers us to complete good works, not in our own power but through faith. 

 At church, I learned faith is a verb.  We show it in our actions, in our deeds, in our service.  And in hard times when we may grow weary in doing good, we must remember the power that works in us. 

The divine power that transformed Paul’s life, guided him through shipwreck, and sustained him through trials is the same power, church, that works in us today in our daily lives, in our communities, and, yes, in our democracy — (applause) — our power to advance freedom, justice, and opportunity not just for some but for all God’s children — (applause) — not just as the aspirations that are located in our founding documents but in practice in our daily lives.

And today, as we look ahead to a moment that will define the very character of our nation, I do believe Paul’s message holds great urgency. 

As a nation, we face real challenges.  We carry real —

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  (Inaudible.)

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  We carry —

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  (Inaudible.)

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  That’s why we fight for our democracy.  That’s why we fight for democracy.  (Applause.)  Every voice is important.  Every voice is important.  Every voice is important.

That’s all right.  It’s all right.  It’s all right.  Every voice is important.  (Applause.)  It’s all right.  That’s all right.

So — so, here’s the point.  There are th- — there are so many, for a variety of reasons, that carry a heavy heart and that want and must be heard.  We carry real burdens.  People feel real pain.  But like Paul, we must remember that divine power works through our actions.  And we have the power to move past division, fear, and chaos.  (Applause.) 

It is in and within our power to fulfill the promise of America, the promise to create opportunity for every child, to protect our basic freedoms; the power to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God — power the Black church understood and has used for generations — (applause) — all to help make sure America lives up to its extraordinary potential. 

And so, I will close with this point.  We have nine days — (applause) — nine days until we decide the future of our nation.  And I will tell you what feeds my spirit.  What feeds my spirit as I travel around our country, from state to state and church to church, I see —

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  (Inaudible.)

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  But let me share with you what I see.  I see faith in action all over, everywhere I go.  (Applause.)  I see remarkable acts.  I see a nation determined to turn the page on hatred and division — (applause) — to chart a new way forward. 

I see Americans from so-called red states and blue states who are ready to bend the arc of history toward justice.  (Applause.)

I see young people organized for change.  (Applause.)

I see neighbors helping neighbors recover and rebuild from disasters.  (Applause.)

I see voters standing together in the fight to defend freedom, knowing we all have so much more in common than what separates us.

And while we know there are those who seek to deepen division, to spread hate, to sow fear, and to cause chaos, who suggest that the measure of the strength of a leader is based on who you beat down instead of, what we know, the real measure of the strength of a leader is based on who you lift up.  (Applause.)

But I see all this, and it tells me why this moment in our nation has to be about so much more than partisan politics.  It must be about the good work we can do together, about our fundamental values, and about who we are as Americans and as people of faith.

Here in Pennsylvania right now, each of us has an opportunity to make a difference, because in this moment, we do face a real question: What kind of country do we want to live in?  (Applause.)  That’s before us right now.  What kind of country do we want for our children and our grandchildren: a country of chaos, fate — fear, and hate, or a country of freedom, justice, and compassion? 

And the great thing about living in a democracy is we, the people, have the choice to answer that question.  (Applause.)

So, let us answer not just with our words but with our works.  Yes, with our prayers, but also with our pressing.  Yes with our fate — and also our faith, but also our feet, as we walk to the polls.  (Applause.) 

And yes, in these nine days — these next nine days will test us.  They will demand everything we’ve got.  But when I think about the days ahead and the God we serve, I am confident that his power will work through us, because, church, I know we were born for a time such as this.  (Applause.)  And I have faith he is going to carry us forward. 

And the road ahead won’t be easy.  It will require perseverance and hard work, but in times of uncertainty, scripture reminds us, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”  (Applause.)

The path may seem hard, the work may seem heavy, but joy cometh in the morning.

And, church, morning is on its way.  (Applause.)

God bless you.  God bless America.  (Applause.)

END                 10:32 A.M. EDT