Getting to the Root of It Archives - United Church of Christ https://www.ucc.org/category/column/getting-to-the-root-of-it/ Wed, 02 Apr 2025 20:49:20 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.4 https://www.ucc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/cropped-favicon-32x32.png Getting to the Root of It Archives - United Church of Christ https://www.ucc.org/category/column/getting-to-the-root-of-it/ 32 32 United in Solidarity with Unions and Workers  https://www.ucc.org/united-in-solidarity-with-unions-and-workers/ Wed, 02 Apr 2025 20:47:49 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=245080 “In the workplace, two factors greatly influence wages, benefits, and working conditions: workers’ bargaining power and public policies. Unions play important roles in both these areas…when workers come together in a union, they can exert pressure for better wages and…

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]]> State of the (Dis)Union: Our Constitutional Crisis   https://www.ucc.org/state-of-the-disunion-our-constitutional-crisis/ Thu, 06 Mar 2025 13:00:00 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=243760 In the 45 days since Inauguration Day, we have witnessed overwhelming changes in our federal politics. Since taking office, President Trump has released dozens of executive orders that step well beyond his legal authority as president. These orders violate the…

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]]> Crisis Control: An International Conflict Roundup https://www.ucc.org/crisis-control-an-international-conflict-roundup/ Thu, 06 Feb 2025 13:00:00 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=242732 In a world embroiled in conflict, it is hard to know where to focus one’s time, energy, and advocacy. Each of us is called to do our part, but where to start?   Amidst an overwhelming news cycle, no one…

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]]> Leading with Love in 2025  https://www.ucc.org/leading-with-love-in-2025/ Thu, 02 Jan 2025 14:21:47 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=241063 This new year brings us a new Congress, new administration, and new political landscape across the globe. For many, these transitions bring feelings of anxiety, uncertainty, and fear. Communities around the country are navigating painful divisions within their families, friends,…

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]]> The Best Government Money Can Buy  https://www.ucc.org/the-best-government-money-can-buy/ Thu, 05 Dec 2024 13:00:00 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=240524 In our democracy, every person eligible to vote has the same number of votes as everyone else when they go to the ballot box. Those who are elected run the government. These elected officials meet with the people they represent…

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]]> Holding Space for Grief and Hope After the 2024 Election  https://www.ucc.org/holding-space-for-grief-and-hope-after-the-2024-election/ Thu, 07 Nov 2024 15:15:34 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=239629 Beloveds, for many the results of the US election are a devastating departure from the just world we are called to build. We face immense challenges ahead and in historic moments such as this, it may feel like everything has…

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]]> Don’t be Scared, be Prepared: What to Expect in the 2024 November Election  https://www.ucc.org/dont-be-scared-be-prepared-what-to-expect-in-the-2024-november-election/ Tue, 01 Oct 2024 15:21:40 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=237251 With November 5th approaching fast, it can be difficult keeping the election anxiety at bay. The past few years have demonstrated how the time between the presidential election and the presidential inauguration can be uncertain, chaotic, and even scary. As…

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]]> Countering Project 2025 With Love: A UCC Response https://www.ucc.org/countering-project-2025-with-love/ Thu, 05 Sep 2024 11:00:00 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=235733 Project 2025 is a compilation of policy proposals and presidential transition project launched by the Heritage Foundation. The document outlines an extreme set of policies that, if implemented, would threaten basic freedoms, punish the most vulnerable, and dismantle not only…

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]]> Our Nuclear Legacy  https://www.ucc.org/our-nuclear-legacy/ Thu, 01 Aug 2024 11:00:00 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=233954 This summer is the 79th anniversary of both the Trinity test that launched the atomic age, and the U.S.’s nuclear attack on Hiroshima and Nagasaki that killed and injured hundreds of thousands. The Hiroshima and Nagasaki anniversaries are a somber,…

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]]> Losing Faith in the Supreme Court https://www.ucc.org/losing-faith-in-the-supreme-court-2/ Wed, 03 Jul 2024 14:12:14 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=231533 Over the last few weeks, the Supreme Court has released several decisions that put people in need at risk and allow those who obstructed democracy to escape accountability. During this past term, we have witnessed decisions which: As people of…

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]]> Loving Out Loud https://www.ucc.org/loving-out-loud/ Thu, 06 Jun 2024 13:28:45 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=227663 The United Church of Christ gathered this past weekend to celebrate the start of Pride month as part of the Love is Louder campaign, with 16 Ohio UCC churches participating in the Pride parade on Saturday, chanting “Love is louder.” The weekend was capped off in Cleveland with…

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]]> Building the Beloved Democracy https://www.ucc.org/building-the-beloved-democracy/ Thu, 02 May 2024 14:04:09 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=225448 Six months out from Election Day, it seems our political systems have become increasingly unresponsive to the will of the people. As lawmakers fail to address the biggest questions of our time, those same questions split our communities apart. This…

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]]> A Cry for Peace https://www.ucc.org/a-cry-for-peace/ Wed, 03 Apr 2024 14:53:07 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=224387 In recent months, we have seen international news coverage focus on what is happening in Gaza and Ukraine. While these crises are important to highlight and do need to be kept at the forefront of the news coverage, other conflicts…

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]]> 2024 State of the Union https://www.ucc.org/state-of-the-union/ Thu, 07 Mar 2024 14:04:00 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=218776 On March 7th, President Biden will give his 2024 State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress. The Constitution stipulates that the President must report to Congress “Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to…

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]]> Imagine Reparation Germination https://www.ucc.org/imagine-reparation-germination/ Thu, 11 Jan 2024 13:54:45 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=223416 When a tree is planted, establishing the “root ball” correctly is critical to the plant’s long-term growth and thriving. And placement is, too! Will it have enough sun? How will its growth impact the world around it? Most importantly, is…

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]]> Overdose Prevention Centers Show Us How to End the Overdose Crisis  https://www.ucc.org/overdose-prevention-centers-show-us-how-to-end-the-overdose-crisis/ Wed, 10 Jan 2024 15:46:37 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=218107 In 2023, the overdose death rate rose to over 112,000 people, the highest rate ever recorded during a twelve-month period (Centers for Disease Control). During a similar time period, the nation’s first sanctioned overdose prevention centers in New York, OnPoint…

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]]> 2023 JPANet Sign Off https://www.ucc.org/2023-jpanet-sign-off/ Thu, 21 Dec 2023 19:40:25 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=217834 Dear JPANet Advocates, As we near the end of 2023, it’s important to reflect back on all we have accomplished this year as a community committed to creating our UCC vision of a Just World for All. Together we have…

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]]> U.S. Asylum Laws Rooted in Sacred Tradition Must Not be Traded Away for Military Aid https://www.ucc.org/u-s-asylum-laws-rooted-in-sacred-tradition-must-not-be-traded-away-for-military-aid/ Wed, 06 Dec 2023 16:20:28 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=217395 Right now, a group of U.S. Senators are discussing which pieces of our asylum laws they would like to cut as a bargaining tool to reach an agreement on foreign aid to Israel and Ukraine. The types of proposals being…

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]]> Gaza…again https://www.ucc.org/gaza-again/ Wed, 01 Nov 2023 18:08:53 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=216361 Following the declaration of the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, Palestinians experienced what in Arabic is called the Nakba, or “catastrophe,” when more than 400 Palestinian towns and villages were destroyed and more than 750,000 Palestinians were…

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]]> Media Justice & Communication Rights https://www.ucc.org/media-justice-communication-rights/ Tue, 03 Oct 2023 20:57:39 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=215506 Greetings Advocates, It is a great honor to share my thoughts with the Justice & Peace Action network this month—I work as the policy advisor for the historic United Church of Christ Media Justice Ministry and a focus this month…

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]]> Advocating for a Just Farm Bill https://www.ucc.org/advocating-for-a-just-farm-bill/ Tue, 05 Sep 2023 21:00:51 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=214588 As Congress returns from recess, they have a lot of work ahead with several crucial business items on the agenda. One of their top priorities is negotiating and passing a new farm bill. “Farm Bill” is the colloquial term for…

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]]> August Recess https://www.ucc.org/august-recess/ Thu, 03 Aug 2023 19:28:45 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=213226 Dear Advocates, Recess was often the favorite part of my school day growing up. It was a break in the day – a time to relax, play kickball, connect with friends, and prepare for what was to come. Here on…

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]]> The ADA and The Church….It’s Complicated! https://www.ucc.org/the-ada-and-the-church-its-complicated/ Mon, 26 Jun 2023 21:34:22 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=211352 Every Sunday, hundreds of UCC pastors, ministers, liturgists, and lay people proclaim that, ‘no matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here!’ And they say it from an altar that they probably walked…

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]]> A Moral Call to End Solitary Confinement, Torture in Our Name https://www.ucc.org/a-moral-call-to-end-solitary-confinement-torture-in-our-name/ Wed, 31 May 2023 20:52:02 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=210126 This summer, as the United Church of Christ gathers for the Thirty-Fourth General Synod, “A Resolution Condemning Solitary Confinement as a Form of Torture” will be considered. The resolution calls on UCC congregations to join the growing movement to end a form…

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]]> The Nakba­, Then and Now https://www.ucc.org/the-nakba-then-and-now/ Wed, 03 May 2023 13:53:11 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=208961 This May 15, Palestinians commemorate 75 years of displacement and dispossession. The Nakba, or “catastrophe,” is how Palestinians remember and refer to the events surrounding the declaration of the establishment of Israel in May 1948, when more than 400 Palestinian towns…

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]]> Bending Swords into Plowshares – Securing Enough for All https://www.ucc.org/bending-swords-into-plowshares-securing-enough-for-all/ Wed, 05 Apr 2023 21:08:12 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=207744 One of the most famous statues outside the United Nations in New York is the sculpture by Evgeniy Vuchetich, “Let Us Beat Swords into Ploughshares.” This gift from the Soviet Union in 1959 depicts the biblical image from the prophet…

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]]> Our Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives https://www.ucc.org/our-missing-and-murdered-indigenous-relatives/ Tue, 28 Feb 2023 20:56:47 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=205371 84% of Native women and girls experience violence in their lifetime and 56% will experience sexual violence.[1] Homicide is the third leading cause of death for Native women and girls aged 10-24. 82% of Native men and boys will experience…

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]]> The State of the Union https://www.ucc.org/the-state-of-the-union/ Wed, 01 Feb 2023 20:50:59 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=203574 On February 7th, President Biden will give his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill. The Constitution (Article II, Section 3, Clause 1) stipulates that the President must report to Congress “Information of the…

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]]> Getting Started with the 118th Congress https://www.ucc.org/getting-started-with-the-118th-congress/ Wed, 11 Jan 2023 16:10:05 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=202208 In the political world, the turning of the calendar to January means a new Congress. The 118th Congress gaveled in on January 3, with new members and a new majority party. You may now live in a new district because…

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]]> Dreaming Toward Freedom: Abolition Visions of Love-Made-Flesh https://www.ucc.org/dreaming-toward-freedom-abolition-visions-of-love-made-flesh/ Tue, 29 Nov 2022 20:18:18 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=200437 Whenever I talk about contemporary abolition movements with people, especially prison and policing abolition, one of the first responses raised in critique often goes something like this: “but abolition is just focused on tearing something down; we have to be…

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]]> The Fight For Reproductive Justice Depends on this Election https://www.ucc.org/the-fight-for-reproductive-justice-depends-on-this-election/ Wed, 02 Nov 2022 20:27:53 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=198453 It’s been more than 130 days since the constitutional protection of abortion access for women and people who can get pregnant was obviated by the Dobbs decision. Twenty-two million women of reproductive age now live in states where access to…

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]]> Domestic Violence: The Shadow Pandemic https://www.ucc.org/domestic-violence-the-shadow-pandemic/ Tue, 04 Oct 2022 21:35:10 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=196284 October is Domestic Violence Awareness month here in the United States. Domestic violence, also called intimate partner violence, continues to be a problem in every community and was exacerbated by the lockdowns that occurred at the start of the COVID-19…

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]]> The Imperative Right to Organize https://www.ucc.org/the-imperative-right-to-organize/ Wed, 07 Sep 2022 21:09:32 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=193614 Honoring the Dignity of All Means Empowering Workers Work in the modern industrial era is broken. Companies are focused on the bottom line, trying to drain as much work from employees and workers as possible, while also tightening budgets. The…

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]]> A Seismic Shift https://www.ucc.org/a-seismic-shift/ Thu, 07 Jul 2022 15:01:55 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=189117 An Overview of the June 2022 Supreme Court Rulings It is not hyperbole to say that this past Supreme Court session was one of the most consequential in modern American history. It is not hyperbole to say the repercussions of…

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]]> ‘Do Not Forget the Things Your Eyes Have Seen’ https://www.ucc.org/do-not-forget-the-things-your-eyes-have-seen/ Wed, 01 Jun 2022 18:29:43 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=186206 Juneteenth, Hidden Histories, and the Distance between Emancipation to Freedom This year offers the nation our first opportunity to honor and celebrate Juneteenth since it became a federally-recognized holiday last year, thanks to the decades-long advocacy of Opal Lee, a…

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]]> Join the Poor People’s Campaign on June 18, 2022 https://www.ucc.org/join-the-poor-peoples-campaign-digital-mobilization-on-june-18-2022/ Wed, 04 May 2022 21:54:17 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=184572 In 1968, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. launched a Poor People’s Campaign believing that people joining together could create, “a new and unsettling force in our complacent nation.” Over the last several years, UCC members and congregations have…

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]]> The Fierce Urgency of Advancing Civil and Human Rights https://www.ucc.org/the-fierce-urgency-of-advancing-civil-and-human-rights/ Wed, 06 Apr 2022 18:29:51 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=182604 The United Church of Christ is a co-sponsor and major supporter of the annual Ecumenical Advocacy Days (EAD), an event that brings together up to 1,000 people of faith each year to worship, learn about issues of public policy, and…

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]]> Those Naïve, Idealistic Peace Activists https://www.ucc.org/those-naive-idealistic-peace-activists/ Wed, 02 Mar 2022 21:46:12 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=180217 A number of years ago during a period in which the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan was not a top-of-mind concern for many U.S. citizens, I would regularly pass by a corner in which a small cluster of activists held a…

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]]> Time to Re-Create https://www.ucc.org/time-to-re-create/ Wed, 02 Feb 2022 17:48:49 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=178808 The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me all around them; there were very many lying…

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]]> Showing Up in 2022 https://www.ucc.org/showing-up-in-2022/ Wed, 12 Jan 2022 21:20:16 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=177242 The work of building a just world for all, through public policy advocacy and transformative public dialogue, has been so very challenging in the last several years. Here we are entering a new year of advocacy and activism, and our…

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]]> Boycott Pillsbury This Holiday Baking Season https://www.ucc.org/boycott-pillsbury-this-holiday-baking-season/ Wed, 01 Dec 2021 20:26:23 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=175229 When we think about Pillsbury we usually think about sweet treats and tasty rolls that make our cooking and baking easier. And of course, we think about the Doughboy and his cute laugh that we hear in commercials. What we…

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]]> Connecting the Dots: Ending Sacrifice Zones https://www.ucc.org/connecting-the-dots-ending-sacrifice-zones/ Wed, 03 Nov 2021 18:20:43 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=173144 Years ago, while I was a law school student in my twenties, the course of my life changed in a single moment—a God-moment. I was reading a legal textbook for a class when I learned about a case involving the…

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]]> The Credits Work, Let’s Make Them Permanent https://www.ucc.org/the-credits-work-lets-make-them-permanent/ Tue, 05 Oct 2021 22:20:09 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=171490 Last March, Congress passed the American Rescue Plan, a bill designed to help aid millions in recovery from the economic devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic. Part of that legislation was a plan to expand eligibility for the Earned Income…

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]]> Ending Endless War https://www.ucc.org/ending-endless-war/ Wed, 01 Sep 2021 18:55:18 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=169907 “Never forget.” Those words have remained etched in our collective memory in the years since 9/11. We remember where we were on that day, and we can quickly recall the feelings of fear, vulnerability, anger, and uncertainty that accompanied watching planes crash…

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]]> Addressing Racism as a Public Health Crisis https://www.ucc.org/addressing-racism-as-a-public-health-crisis/ Wed, 30 Jun 2021 18:00:42 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=164768 In a famous sermon at Riverside Church in 1967, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called on us to not only respond like the Good Samaritan did, with compassion for the suffering we encounter, but to ask why the road to Jericho was…

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]]> What’s Love Got to Do With It? https://www.ucc.org/whats-love-got-to-do-with-it/ Wed, 02 Jun 2021 17:44:42 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=162718 “Church folks, come and listen to what I have to say. Some of you believe and practice the great commandment to love God, and to love and welcome neighbors and strangers. The rest of you love your nation more than…

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]]> Loving Mothers Well Means Fighting For Them https://www.ucc.org/loving-mothers-well-means-fighting-for-them/ Thu, 06 May 2021 13:01:58 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=161063 Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. – 1 John 3:18 (NRSV) Every child of God came from a mother. Mothers literally create bodies out of their own bodies, giving us flesh,…

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]]> The Weight of History https://www.ucc.org/the-weight-of-history/ Wed, 31 Mar 2021 14:24:57 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=158416 In 1991, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton stood before an audience gathered at the First National People of Color Leadership Summit. The Summit had sought to redefine environmentalism from the perspective and lived experience of those typically not represented in largely…

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]]> Women’s Bodies Are Not Battlefields https://www.ucc.org/womens-bodies-are-not-battlefields/ Thu, 04 Mar 2021 19:47:47 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=150354 In my second year of seminary, I chose to do a community-based field placement at a comprehensive women’s health clinic in New Haven, CT. It was not lost on me that in order to enter the clinic – providing the…

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]]> Before Building the City, Repair the Breach https://www.ucc.org/before-building-the-city-repair-the-breach/ Thu, 04 Feb 2021 17:00:23 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=143742 Isaish 58:9b-10, 12 (NRSV) “If you remove the yoke from among you,  the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,  10 if you offer your food to the hungry  and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,  then your light…

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