This is the third week in our series "Benediction".

This week we talked about the issues in our world that break our hearts and how we are often times feel helpless. But our prayer each week is that whatever it is that breaks our hearts... that we might be the kind of people who reach out our hands to turn others pain into joy.

Each week we dismiss with these words, "May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people so that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace."

Anger is no doubt a complicated emotion with many roots... but it is also one that causes us to make the issues in a world personal and to work towards transformative change in our world.

MAY GOD BLESS YOU with discomfort,

at easy answers, half-truths,

and superficial relationships

so that you may live

deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger

at injustice, oppression,

and exploitation of people,

so that you may work for

justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears,

to shed for those who suffer pain,

rejection, hunger, and war,

so that you may reach out your hand

to comfort them and

to turn their pain to joy.

And may God bless you

with enough foolishness

to believe that you can

make a difference in the world,

so that you can do

what others claim cannot be done,

to bring justice and kindness

to all our children and the poor.

Amen

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