I, the Lord, search the heart, test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.
Jeremiah 17:10
Congregants gathered for worship at Newton Highlands Congregational Church on the cold, snowy morning of Sunday, February 16, 2025.
The Reverend Dr. Ken Baily spoke about the removal of diversity, equity, and inclusion from government programs and websites. He then talked about the prevalance of the word “all” in the Bible. He stated that it appears 4,121 times. He contrasted that with the absence of the word “censor,” which does not appear.
“We should be very careful not to censor our own whole call, not our own compassion, our covenant, our convictions, our commitments to ‘all,'” he stated. “This may put us in conflict with some expressions and orders.”
He added, “Jesus did not win all his battles …but he left us with …the whole promise that we would never be alone…”
Children listened to a message about Jesus message of inclusivity using the word “we.”
The postlude was “Fanfare” (Conley), played by organist Yevgenia Semeina.