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God’s DEI Program

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

Thirty-nine years ago today, my sister suffered a debilitating stroke. She was just 33 years old. The exact cause of the stroke was never determined. She had none of the medical issues that would increase her risk of stroke. In fact, she had just participated in an 5K race the week before. The stroke left her permanently impaired on her right side, and she lost the full use of her dominant right arm and hand–a condition that required her to learn how to do everything–including writing–with her left hand.

Her body may be impaired, and it may take her an hour for an activity that would take 30 minutes for a person with two hands, but she is not unable to have a meaningful and purpose-filled life. She is a peer mentor for stroke patients; she participates in multiple stroke studies; she assists student doctors and physical therapist in what is called “educational modeling.” She has walked two half-marathons. She has climbed the 103 flights of stairs to the top of the Sears Tower…twice. She has even jumped out of an airplane (skydiving). She ties her shoes with one hand! I still don’t know how she does that, and I’ve tried multiple times to master it without success. I joke that she has done more with half a brain than most people do with a whole brain. It’s actually not a joke. It is accurate. And beneath it all, her faith in God has sustained her through every challenge.

So often, people with disabilities are dismissed and devalued. The word “disability” implies “lack of ability.” People with disabilities are perceived to be “takers” and “dependents” and a “drain on society.” Occasionally, my sister needs help–but who doesn’t? Not one of us is truly fully independent; and not one of us could survive without the supports of social networks and societal programs.

My sister has taught me that abilities come in a variety of forms. And every “body”–every person–regardless of appearance is, in the words of the Psalmist, “fearfully and wonderfully made,” (Psalm 139:14), and all people bear the stamp of God’s image (Genesis 1:26). She has also reminded me that God has purposely chosen and used the undervalued, the underestimated and the overlooked throughout history. In the words of St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:27-29, “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before [God].”

These verses articulate God’s own DEI program–a program that elevates those who have been cast aside and scapegoated because of their “disability,” their gender, their economic status, their race, their ethnicity, or their documentation. The powerful and the wealthy of the world would discount my sister and others like her. Thankfully, God sees things differently and delights in the diversity of God’s people, opens the doors of equal opportunity and includes them as full-fledged (never second-class) citizens of God’s kin-dom.

And if God chooses the foolish, weak, lowly and despised by the world’s measurements, who are we to reject them? And if we do reject them, how will we justify it before God?

Breathe… (If You Can)

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

Over the past three months, I’ve been advised to handle my stress and anxiety by box breathing–the practice of breathing in deeply for 4 counts, holding it for 4 counts, exhaling for 4 counts and holding it for 4 counts–repeat.. I’ve done it and found it to be calming and centering. But, today, I learned that breathing deeply is becoming a challenge for a growing number of people in the US because of air pollution. Particulate matter and ozone in our air are increasing, and nearly half of Americans are breathing unhealthy levels of air pollution according to the American Lung Association’s annual State of the Air report.

Since the passage of the Clean Air Act in 1970, air quality in the US has improved significantly, but It is likely that will change in the coming years. On March 12, 2025, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the rollback of environmental regulations, directly impacting the air we rely on to live. Among the proposed changes are relaxing the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, relaxing the National Emission Standards for hazardous air pollutants for manufacturers and relaxing the Particulate Matter National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

When announcing the rollbacks, Administrator Zeldin said, “Today is the greatest day of deregulation our nation has seen. We are driving a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion and ushering in America’s Golden Age.”

It would appear that he is driving a dagger straight into our lungs as well.

The Earth Also Grieves

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With the passing of Pope Francis, the Earth has lost one of its greatest advocates. The Pope’s encyclical, “Laudato Sí,” framed the climate crisis as a moral and spiritual crisis and called out the human hubris that exploits the earth and its resources without thought for the consequences. He was not reticent in naming the excesses of capitalism and the greedy pursuit of wealth as the culprit. For him, the earth’s condition and our care for the our common home was not a political issue or a question of science. Fundamentally, our mistreatment of the planet and our disregard for our symbiotic relationship with the rest of creation is rooted in the sin of idolatry. We act as if we are God. And the earth and its creatures groan. And the poorest among us suffer. And–in the end–we destroy ourselves.

On this Earth Day, let us be reminded of our proper role–not as owners, but as caretakers; not as creators, but fellow creatures. We are inextricably linked to our environment. What happens to the earth ultimately happens to us. If we love our children and grandchildren, we must love the planet and do all we can to protect it.

There is no “Planet B.”

Remembering Pope Francis

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

The world lost a great leader today. Pope Francis showed us that the way of Jesus–humble, merciful and tender-hearted–was not weak and ineffectual, but powerful. He got my respect immediately when he rejected the papal mansion in favor of a modest apartment. And my respect only increased as he washed the feet of prisoners and Muslim women. He blessed children, embraced people with disabilities and affirmed the dignity of the poor. He demonstrated compassion for those on the margins and grace towards those considered unredeemable. He apologized for the church’s role in the erasure of indigenous culture and openly and regularly expressed his opposition to the onslaught in Gaza–including a condemnation of the “deplorable humanitarian situation” and a call for a ceasefire yesterday–Easter Sunday.

He was not perfect. Who is? But he reminded us that be a follower of Jesus is to follow the way of peace, justice and love. Pope Francis took the call to serve others seriously–with special attention to the ‘least of these” among us. May we take up the basin and towel as he did and shine with the light of Christ as he did.

And may the those who aspire to leadership be reminded by the life and witness of Pope Francis that influence and respect are not gained by authoritarian force or manipulation, but by sacrificial love and service.

Rest in peace, Pope Francis. Well done.

Budgets Are Moral Documents

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

On Tuesday, February 25, the US House of Representatives passed a budget by the slimmest of margins (217-215). Once a budget is passed by the House, it goes to the Senate, where it will likely be met with a competing budget that will have to go through a process of “reconciliation.” The final budget may look different from the House version–at least I hope so.

The budget passed by the House was exactly what the President wanted–$4.5 trillion in tax cuts, about $2 trillion in spending cuts, but with spending increases in the hundreds of billions of dollars for the military and border security over the next 10 years..

So who suffers from the spending cuts? Though the budget is not specific to program, it is widely assumed that the cuts will be targeted at programs that make up the safety net for poor and working families–programs like Medicaid (healthcare), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – aka SNAP (hunger), and HeadStart (early childhood education).

And who benefits from the tax cuts? The budget proposal extends the President’s previous tax cuts which reduced corporate rates from 35% to 21%. Tesla (owned by Elon Musk) has paid NOTHING in federal taxes in 2 of the last 3 years despite making a profit in each year. And giving tax cuts to the wealthy increases the national debt. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates that the deficit would increase at least $2.8 trillion to the deficit in the next 10 years. (see Financial Times).

In the end, most of us lose with this budget. Budgets that make the rich richer on the backs of the poor aren’t just unfair, they are immoral. Proverbs 22:16 speaks to the immorality of robbing the poor and giving gifts to the rich. “One who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and one who gives gifts to the rich—both come to poverty.” God’s justice protects the afflicted. Jesus announced his mission to “announce good news to the poor.” This budget is an announcement of bad news for anyone already struggling. Reducing SNAP benefits while grocery prices continue to rise is condemning children and seniors to malnutrition. Cutting Medicaid is sentencing people to sickness and death. Cutting HeadStart is delivering children to the school to prison pipeline. Every cut to the social safety net is a cut to the heart of Jesus.

These cuts expose the truth. The very same people who called for the elimination of foreign aid so we can take care of the problems in the US, actually have no interest in helping people or solving social problems. The cuts make it obvious that their priority is their own wealth and power. And God has a name for that: idolatry.

Now is the time to tell our Senators that we will not accept a budget that delivers hardship to those already suffering. We will not accept any cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, HeadStart or any other social program that protects the vulnerable and is necessary to their survival. We. will not accept an immoral, idolatrous budget. Period.

Justice Takes Sides

~ Bruce Ray ~ 1 Comment

My wife has a collection of T-shirts that express a variety of opinions depending on the circumstances. One says, simply, “Ugh!’ (She got that one while running a school during COVID.) Another shouts, “I dissent,” quoting Ruth Bader Ginsburg. (She dissents a lot lately.) Yet another defiantly declares, “We will not go back.” Last week, she announced that she has found her next T-shirt. It says “Justice Takes Sides.”

The T-shirt is available at https://justicetakessides.com, a site developed by Dr. Jemar Tisby, a public historian, author, speaker and a Christian.. I regularly follow his Substack, “Footnotes”. Here’s why he created the T-shirt:

Elie Wiesel, a holocaust survivor and the recipient of the 1986 Nobel Peace Prize, included the following statement in his acceptance speech:

We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere.

Neutrality has consequences. As Tisby writes: “Neutrality in situations of injustice only supports the status quo. It only aids the empowered and further harms the disempowered.”

The prophets of Hebrew Scripture took sides, calling out and condemning injustice and demanding accountability for the perpetrators of oppression. There was no space for neutrality; no room for fence-sitting. .

Isaiah shouts: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20 – NRSVUE) and “Woe to those who make iniquitous decrees, who write oppressive statutes, to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, to make widows their spoil and to plunder orphans!” (Isaiah 10:1-2 – NRSVUE)

Jeremiah cries out: “Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness and his upper rooms by injustice, who makes his neighbors work for nothing and does not give them their wages.” (Jeremiah 22:13 – NRSVUE)

Amos calls out: “Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory and lounge on their couches and eat lambs from the flock and calves from the stall…, who drink wine from bowls and anoint themselves with the finest oils but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!” (Amos 6:4, 6 – NRSVUE)

And in the tradition of the prophets, Jesus announces: ““Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.” (Matthew 23:25 – NRSVUE)

In this precarious time, it is the right time to ask ourselves, “Which side am I on?” The side of justice or the side of oppression? The side of the prophets or the side of the oppressors? The side of truth or the side of disinformation and alternative facts? The side of the marginalized or the side of the powerful? The side of healing or the side of harm?

When the most vulnerable are being sacrificed on the altar of “efficiency” and threatened by the forces of “unbridled greed”, sitting on the fence isn’t an option. Because sitting on the fence is actually taking the side of injustice.

The Lie of Inevitability

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Y’all have heard the quote: “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” I’ve heard it; I’ve seen it; I’ve affirmed its truth. I’ve also listened to others speak it with a despairing tone. No matter how much we want justice, truth and integrity to thrive, it won’t happen. Those with power will be corrupted. And corruption will ultimately win. It’s too late. There is nothing that can be done about it. It is inevitable.

Psalm 11 is written by David as a response to people who are watching the foundations of the social order crumbling around them. They see what is happening: “The foundations of law and order have collapsed! What can the righteous do?” In their minds, the only option in the face of this inevitable collapse is to find the exit. They say, “Fly like a bird to the mountains for safety!”

But David refuses to flee. He refuses to believe the lie of inevitability and the despair that leads to giving up. He writes: “I trust in the Lord for protection.” David’s not going anywhere. Instead of “flight,” he is going to stick around to “fight”, trusting in the God of justice and righteousness.

Let me go back to the quote ab out corrupting power. When English Catholic historian Lord Dalberg-Acton wrote it in 1887 in a letter to a Bishop , it was not to state the inevitable, but to issue a warning of the dangers of concentrated authority. Power becomes abusive and corrupt when there are no checks, no guardrails, no resistance. Concentrated authority is the problem. Steadfast resistance to autocracy is the solution.

Sherrylin Ifill, a civil rights attorney, writes on her Substack:

Despair and believing that you are powerless is a form of “obeying in advance” which ensures the victory of autocracy. I understand the exhaustion, anger, the feeling of being overwhelmed and the grief that those of us who believe in democracy, equality and justice are experiencing right now. And painful as it is, I have accepted that there are no guarantees that we can overcome all that we are facing. But I do know that unless we fight, we cannot prevail.”

Autocracy wants us to believe that we are powerless. Autocracy thrives on despair. When someone asks, “What can the righteous do?, autocracy is standing behind us, whispering in our ear, “There’s nothing you can do, so do nothing.” But it’s a lie.

What can the righteous do? The are many ways to resist autocracy, but the one way that is available to 100% of us is to raise our voice. Whether it be on the street in non-violent protest or calling our elected representatives and senators to voice our demands as their constituents, our voices can make a difference. Don’t know who represents you? Don’t what to say? 5calls.org is a simple tool to help you speak clearly and simply on issues you care about. I used it today. I encourage you to check it out.

Let’s stand firm in our faith and act for God’s justice. Remember the word of the Psalmist: “The righteous Lord loves justice. The virtuous will see [God’s] face.” (Psalm 11:7)

Is This What You Voted For?

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

Every day, there is yet another assault on our faith, our freedom, our constitutional rights, and our democracy. The government is methodically being dismantled by unelected, unaccountable appointees using illegal and unconstitutional means. We are watching an internal coup.

And while some (mostly Democratic) Senators and Representatives have spoken boldly in opposition to the take over the Treasury Department, the closing of USAID, the unconstitutional firing of Inspectors General, the illegal withholding of grants, the elimination of DEI policies and programs, etc.; many more congresspeople have either been silent or are publicly supporting the takeover.

Why are we shocked at what is happening? This is what #47 said he would do, and he’s doing it with a speed that would impress Adolf Hilter (who dismantled the Weimar Republic and its constitution in 53 days)! When he was campaigning for President, #47 made his agenda clear–a policy agenda articulated by Project 2025 (though he strenuously denied knowing anything about it). Mass Deportations. “De-weaponizing” the Department of Justice and the FBI. Scaling back USAID and placing it under the direction of the State Department. Ending DEI programs. Drill, Baby, Drill! It’s all there and the executive orders mirror it–sometimes almost word for word.

Lots of people I know voted for #47 because he was going to secure the southern border and make sure “the worst criminals.” would be taken off our streets, restoring order–especially in our cities. But something different happened. On the day of his inauguration, he signed an executive order to begin the deportation. Six days later, ICE agents descended on Chicago and other “sanctuary cities” and arrested hundreds of undocumented individuals–many with no criminal arrests or convictions. When asked about the arrests on January 28, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that “the Trump administration sees all undocumented immigrants as “criminals” and isn’t just seeking to deport those who commit violent acts.” Families were separated; children were traumatized; non-citizens with and without documents felt fear and anxiety.

And then it got worse. By executive order, #47 rescinded Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans. And announced daily arrest quotas for ICE agents. Could it get worse? Yep.

#47 placed a 90-day freeze on Refugee Resettlement and the funding agencies tasked with helping refugees (including Christians experiencing religious persecution in their home countries) count on. Those agencies (World Relief, Church World Services and many other faith-based agencies) have been forced to furlough staff and end assistance for those in the process of resettlement. The closure of USAID has also shut down humanitarian assistance provided by organizations like World Relief. The innocent will die.

On February 2, billionaire Elon Musk and his unconstitutional “Department of Government Efficiency” called funding of Lutheran Family Services–a faith-based organization with a 150 year history of service in multiple states including Illinois–“illegal payments,” that “must be shut down” citing General Michael Flynn, who posted on X: “Now it’s the “Lutheran” faith (this use of “religion” as a money laundering operation must end): Lutheran Family Services and affiliated organizations receive massive amounts of taxpayer dollars, and the numbers speak for themselves.” The work of the gospel is under direct attack!

Is this what you voted for? Maybe it isn’t, but it is what you got. I’m fighting the temptation to say, “I told you so!” but pointing the finger and blaming isn’t helpful. It only shuts people down, So, instead of heaping guilt on those who voted for this administration but may be having second thoughts, I want to say this:

If the acts and executive orders of the past two weeks are taking this country in a direction that is different than you expected or want, please consider changing your own direction. It is difficult to admit when we’ve been scammed, and we tend to try to hide it because we feel shame and guilt. We’ve all experienced it, but hiding isn’t helpful for our souls. Adam and Eve know something about that. They hid after making a life-altering (bad) decision, afraid of exposure. But, God still sought them out. There were consequences, but God mercifully covered their exposure. Voting for Donald Trump has had real-life consequences–many of them threatening to human flourishing, but God is still seeking us, ready to help us confront our complicity and lead us to transformation.. The apostle John wrote, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, [the one] who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” It’s time for an altar call!

Will you stand up and speak up for Jesus’s kingdom values of neighbor-love and justice, or will you minimize (or worse–justify) the current crisis and just hope that things will work out? I hope you have the courage to honestly face this existential crisis, turn from the way of destruction, and walk anew in the way of Jesus.

The ‘Real’ Dr. King

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Today, most Americans will enjoy a day off from school and work—not because of the frigid temperatures and not because of the Inauguration, but because the nation will honor America’s greatest advocate of civil and human rights—the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Today, we will share his quotes on social media, lift up his “dream” and maybe even sing freedom songs. Today, we love Dr. King. 

But let’s be clear.  When King was alive, he was a thorn in America’s side and was condemned and vilified for his vision of America. In 1967, King was named “the most hated man in America” because of his condemnation of the evils of racism, materialism and militarism.  

“The evils of capitalism are as real as the evils of militarism and racism. The problems of racial injustice and economic injustice cannot be solved without a radical redistribution of political and economic power.” – Dr. King to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) board. March 30, 1967.  

Throughout his public ministry, King articulated a vision of the Beloved Community in which everyone,“regardless of their race, sex, religion, or creed, is equally valued and has the opportunity to thrive.”  In 1968, he and his trusted advisor, Bayard Rustin, developed a “Freedom Budget” and a plan to eliminate poverty that became known as the Economic Bill of Rights, demanding full employment, a guaranteed annual income and affordable housing.

King’s vision was truly radical—akin to Jesus’s announcement good news for the poor and the upside-down kingdom of heaven. King’s vision was diverse and inclusive—like the radical diversity and inclusion of Jesus’s followers—women as well as men, eunuchs, Samaritans and Gentiles as well as Jews.  And like Jesus’s message, King’s message was too radical for most people—even most Christians—and the response was an assassin’s bullet.  We killed the prophet.

But now, we love Dr. King.  We have erected monuments and statues, named highways and schools and bridges after him and set aside a holiday in his honor, but let’s be honest….we have failed to honor his vision.  It was too radical for Americans in 1967. It is still too radical.  We lift up the “dream”, but, as a nation, we continue to perpetrate the nightmare of racism, materialism and militarism.  We declare that “all people are created equal”; that we are the “land of the free”; that we are “one nation under God;” but we cast our ballots for a leader who promises great privilege for a few and vilifies anyone who protests as “threats to America’s greatness.” Today exposes our hypocrisy.  

Before Rev. King was killed on April 4, 1968, he had prepared his sermon for the following Sunday. It was entitled, “Why America May Go to Hell.”  We are well on our way. 

Link HERE to read the sermon King never preached. 

What is the 4th of July?

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

Sermon delivered on July 3, 2022

In 2003, Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright, pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ, preached a sermon that shook the nation and almost ended Barak Obama’s 2008 campaign for President.  Entitled, “Confusing God and Government,” Rev. Wright went through a litany of all the ways that the US had failed to do what was just and right. And at the end, he dropped the equivalent of an F-Bomb.  He said, “We’re supposed to sing, “God bless America?” No. No. No. Not God bless America; God damn America.”  

The soundbite went viral, and he was quickly condemned as the leader of a hate group. But he was just telling the truth–truth no one wanted to hear.

From the arrival of the first colonists to this day, our nation has committed unspeakable atrocities and often with the full support of people who claimed to be Bible-believing Christians:  Slavery, forced removal of indigenous peoples from their land, massacres and cultural genocide, the invasion and occupation of sovereign nations–some to this day, interference in democratic elections. support of coups, internment camp, mass incarceration, family separation, expulsions of American citizens of foreign ancestry, and the list goes on and on.  Can God really bless America?

170 years ago, before Rev. Wright, another Black man stood before a large crowd on the occasion of Independence Day. It was July 4, 1852. Former slave, Frederick Douglass, delivered a speech entitled, “What to the Slave is the 4th of July?” Listen to his answer…

What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciations of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade, and solemnity, are, to him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy — a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices, more shocking and bloody, than are the people of these United States, at this very hour.

Go where you may, search where you will, roam through all the monarchies and despotisms of the old world, travel through South America, search out every abuse, and when you have found the last, lay your facts by the side of the everyday practices of this nation, and you will say with me, that, for revolting barbarity and shameless hypocrisy, America reigns without a rival.

On this 4th of July, while so many celebrate freedom from the tyranny of English rule, we must acknowledge that not everyone is free.  And so, I ask the questions: What is the 4th of July to women this year? What is this day to immigrants, indigenous tribes and people of color? What is this day to LGBTQ+ folks? It is nothing but the reminder that the ideals of this nation and the inalienable rights outlined in the Declaration are empty promises and hollow platitudes.  It is the reminder that freedoms given can be quickly and decisively taken back.  It is the reminder that liberty and justice, full citizenship and equal participation in society, is reserved and protected by the few for the few. Despite the words, it was never intended to be for ALL.  

But what increases the duplicity of this day is that many people who claim to be followers of Christ are still using their voice and vote to ensure the restoration of bondage, oppression and second-class citizenship, convinced that the church’s call is to protect the nation from the threat of “godless sinners” who are out to destroy the very foundations of our “Christian nation”.  And like the ancestors, they support the acts of injustice with God’s holy word.   As Fredrick Douglass so elegantly pointed out, it is hypocrisy. And because of the hypocrisy, “God’s holy name is slandered among the nations.” (Romans 2:24) 

The nation needs a reckoning.  The nation needs a moral revival. The nation needs reformation. But equally necessary is a reckoning in the church. The church needs a moral revival and a new reformation that ends its deadly alliance with Christian nationalism, paternalism and white supremacy and pledges itself to an authentic Christianity rooted in Jesus’s radical mission of love.

On this 4th of July, the Spirit is calling the church to be the church of Jesus Christ–not the cheerleader of the empire; the Spirit is calling the church to be the church of Jesus Christ to speak and live the truth–not repeat the lies and deceptions of the powers that be; the Spirit is calling the church to be the church of Jesus Christ to defend the rights of the poor, the vulnerable and the marginalized—not ignore them—or worse–to blame them for their condition; The Spirit is calling the church to be the church of Jesus Christ to repent from the wicked ways of greed, hate, disenfranchisement, and arrogant supremacy and return to the ways of love for God and love for others—the ways that lead to the justice, mercy and humility. 

The Lord spoke through the prophet Isaiah, “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”  (Isaiah 29:13) That is an accurate assessment of the current state of the American Church—giving only lip service to the ways of Christ while turning to the ways that serve and preserve its own interests.  

Lord, in your mercy, forgive us and grant us new hearts—hearts of flesh activated by Your Spirit ready to do your will as revealed to us by Christ, who came, not to be served but to serve and to give his life for us. Remove from our hearts every evil and every attitude that denies the full personhood of others.  Create in us clean hearts that seek first the kingdom of God and God’s justice. Fill our hearts with love for God and love for others that results in what the Lord requires—to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God. To the glory of your name in the church and throughout the world. Amen.