Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King
Read James 2:14-26.
 Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Baptist preacher who believed in equality and justice for everyone. He practiced nonviolence and risked his life to demonstrate God’s love.
He was effective, but never aggressive or belligerent. He was forceful, but never crazed. He didn’t tell jokes or distract his listeners with unnecessary details. He was clear and concise, always speaking the powerful truth from his own heart to the heart of our nation.
During this week, we remember him. But what, precisely, do we remember–the preacher or the social issues he raised? Some churches focus on his faith without much attention at all to the message of social transformation he preached. Some who are uncomfortable with his religion, for whatever reason, single out the social issues as the focus of their remembrances.
Martin Luther King would have us do both. When he talked about his faith, he did it in a way that included everyone. “There were no litmus tests hidden in his speeches, no things you had to believe before you could enter his faith story, no way you had to be judged before these promises and hopes belonged to you. King talked about himself as a man trying to do things, with God’s help, and he invited all of us to try, too.” (Quoted from a sermon “The Voice of God is Calling” by Nancy Rockwell.)
So let us consider King’s words to us once again:
“I decided early to give my life to something eternal and absolute. Not to these little gods that are here today and gone tomorrow, but to God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
From “Rediscovering Lost Values,” Feb. 28, 1954
“We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.”
“The question is not whether we will be extremist but what kind of extremist will we be.”
From “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” April 16, 1963
I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.
Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech, Dec. 10, 1964
What is your response to the words of the prophet and preacher whom we remember this week?
Prayer: O God, may my faith and my actions work together in ways that are pleasing to You. Show me ways to complete my faith by doing what You call me to do. Amen.
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