Today, we give God glory for the life of Reverend Jesse L. Jackson. Rev. Jackson passed peacefully, today, February 17, 2026, surrounded by his family, today. 

God, we thank you for the life of your servant. We thank you for his commitment to justice and civil rights and the years devoted to our community. Thank you for the timeless reminder that, “I am somebody!” Surround his wife Jacqueline and his children with the peace of knowing that it is now well with Rev. Jackson’s soul, that he fought the good fight, finished his race, and held on to his faith.

May we do likewise in our lives, and remember always his many words of wisdom. In the name of Jesus, The Church By the Side of the Road does pray. Amen.

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​“Never look down on anybody unless you're helping him up.”

“You may not be responsible for being down, but you must be responsible for getting up.”

“It is time for us to turn to each other, not on each other.”  

"Leadership has a harder job to do than just choose sides. It must bring sides together." 

"At the end of the day, we must go forward with hope and not backward by fear and division." 

"You can't plant a seed and pick the fruit the next morning." 

"I am not a perfect servant. I am a public servant doing my best against the odds. As I develop and serve, be patient. God is not finished with me yet." ~ 1984 Democratic National Convention Address, delivered 18 July 1984, San Francisco.​​​​​

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