The man simply can’t stop talking about himself.

In the lobby of the Central Intelligence Agency Headquarters building in Langley, Virginia, there is a large marble wall. In the wall are engraved 117 stars. Each star represents a C.I.A. agent who lost his or her life in the service of our country. There are no names attached to the stars. Intelligence work is dangerous and requires secrecy and anonymity. So the identity of the agent each star represents is not revealed in order not to endanger the lives of other agents.

That Memorial Wall is sacred space, like Arlington Cemetery and the Vietnam and World War II Memorials.

I stood in front of that wall once and found myself thinking that those stars and what they represent are a quintessential example of what we know as Servant Leadership. It’s a phrase that has gained currency not only in the churches but corporations, business, industry, even the military. There are lots of books describing and documenting how when a leader submerges ego, loses self in pursuit of the enterprise’s goals, good things happen. Employees work more diligently with less interpersonal conflict, organizations experience less turnover and more success in reaching their goals. We Christians like to take a little credit for the concept of Servant Leadership and trace its origins directly back to Jesus and St. Paul. Those C.I.A. agents who obviously dedicated their lives and submerged their own egos, identities, even their names in the line of duty are examples of Servant Leadership at its highest and best.

And standing in front of that wall on Saturday morning the newly inaugurated President of the United States, our leader, not only could not submerge his own ego for a few minutes, but could not stop talking about himself: how great his Inauguration speech was, how even the dishonest media loved it, how huge the crowd at his inauguration was, larger than any crowd before it and how the media lied by publishing clearly doctored pictures depicting a crowd significantly smaller than his predecessor’s, how he will make us win again, be great again and by his leadership be “first” again.

It was a performance astonishing in its insensitivity and utter egotism and narcissism. It was as far as possible from Servant Leadership.

There is a lot about the new President that concerns me: during the campaign making fun of a handicapped reporter, bragging about grabbing women’s genitals, bullying and belittling opponents and critics, demonized and discrediting the press, and now appointing a Cabinet of billionaires. I comforted myself after his nomination that if and when he was elected President he would change, reach out to those who voted against him – which turned out to be a healthy plurality in the popular vote – soften the crude rhetoric, tone down the self-serving, self-celebrating egotism, maybe even talk civilly and coherently.

If the first days of this presidency are any indication we are in for some dark times ahead. Like the majority of voting Americans I disagree with many of his positions: his disregard of climate science, his intent to see Roe v. Wade reversed and Planned Parenthood defunded, his dismissal of the Black Lives Matter movement, his demonizing immigrants and Muslims, and his relentless advocating “America First!” in a way that flies in the face of our long history of generous global leadership. I could handle all of that because I have such respect and esteem for our country, its laws and institutions, its form of government – including the office of President.

But I have never seen anything like his campaign and the first days of his presidency. So I did something unlikely for me. I put on a pink hat and accompanied my wife on the Women’s March on Chicago Saturday morning. I was glad to be there with 250,000 women and men who share our concerns and more importantly our hope for a better, kinder, more just future.

And I went to church this morning and was reminded that God is the Lord of history, all history, even this little chunk of it; that though there are times of exile and dislocation from the values we all hold dear and that are a precious part of our nation’s history and heritage, there will be a restoration, a return to generosity, civility, respect, kindness, inclusivity. I don’t think I ever needed church like I did this morning. The hymns were stirring, the music beautiful, the players gathered us all up – our concerns and anxieties and fears and our hopes. And when our minister reminded us that cultural and political divisions have always been reflected in the life of the community of faith, we followers of Jesus stubbornly refuse to forget that everyone, even those with whom we strongly disagree, everyone, is a child of God; that before we are Republicans or Democrats, even before we are Americans, we are Christians, the gathered congregation was grateful, relieved to be reminded of who we are and whose we are, glad to be together, and we applauded.