In recent weeks, Donald Trump has run advertisements selling the “God Bless the USA Bible.”  These ads have garnered a response from our Southern New England Conference, UCC Conference Minister Rev. Darrell Goodwin who says, in part:

“If you were like me in the middle this year’s Holy Week, you may have been confronted with something that I think is completely unholy, and it was the pedaling of the Holy Scriptures for $60 by a former leader of this country. $60 to have a book emblazoned with the pledge of allegiance and the American flag embroidered upon the front.

I remember the first Bible that I got.  This was my Bible from high school, tattered and read maybe too much as I was searching through the Scriptures, trying to have a deeper understanding and a connection with God.  I discovered within these pages a new understanding of my faith, a new connection to a God who was loving, accepting, and somehow reminded me that there was nothing I could ever imaginably do that would separate me from that God’s love.

That message cannot be sold for $60. 

Saints of God, members of the United Church of Christ in Southern New England, as your Conference Minister, I hope you will walk alongside me in proclaiming as loudly and as clearly as we can, that our faith is indeed not for sale. Our justice commitments are not for sale. Our belief that no matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here is not for sale.

I encourage you, during this Eastertide, to find as many ways as possible to be a reminder that our faith – that’s over 2000 years old – is not for sale.  Any and every way that you can make your church’s extravagant welcome more palatable, more available, and more visible to the folks in this region I encourage you to do so.”

I join our Conference Minister in these sentiments.  Hawking our holy scriptures for political gain is distasteful to say the least.  It is, however, yet another reason to refine First Congregational Church as a place where hate has no home and where the bible and the flag are separated so that we remember that our first allegiance is to God.

See you in church,

–Rev. Dominic