Forty years ago today, April 4, 2008, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated and, in the American press, there is a great deal of remembering and rededicating going on. Rev. Al Sharpton and Rev. Jesse Jackson are making the media rounds of interviews and sound bytes, as other prominent folks remember where they were when they heard, what they saw transpire as the American public became aware, and how their lives have been affected by his legacy.
Today, I am celebrating the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. but, I suspect, I am doing it in a far different manner. I have an inherent cynicism regarding the folks who manage always to 'find themselves in front of a camera', that they might become the voice of the movement or the memory of the one being remembered. So, I choose to celebrate the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by continuing his work as a disciple of Jesus Christ among the unseen, the unheard, and unregarded of God's children among us. Certainly Rev. Dr. King's work was predominantly among and for the African-American community of his time, but if his work is remembered today as only being for the equality and equity of the African-American community, then we disrespect and dishonor the very message he sought to embody in his discipleship to Christ.
It was because of his color, his experiences growing up, and his challenges as a young man of faith in a predominantly 'white' governed world that the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. developed the skill and message necessary to address the powers and principalities of his time on behalf of all God's children. His was the voice of religious conscience speaking in the midst of a faith community that had long before found it easier to disregard the very essence of their baptismal identity as equal children in God's kingdom than to speak up for the marginalized. His was the voice from the depths of humanity pointing out how much easier it was to enjoy the fruit of the land when privileged enough to have the trees of a good education, adequate health care, appropriate housing, and equal access to the work force, growing in your own yard, rather than tear down the fences that keep others out and share the wealth that all might have enough.
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the voice of radical inclusivity long before inclusiveness was kosher. His was the voice of one " . . . crying out in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord" among those who were, and in some cases remain, the brood of vipers among us in the faith. His was the voice of the lepers, the blind, the lame, the widow and the orphan, along the path that Jesus walked, for they were the only ones who recognized Jesus for who He was and called upon Him for healing and cleansing: the very things which would allow them to return to community, rather than stand outside of it. His was the voice of prophets, calling God's people to accountability for taking advantage of the weak and vulnerable that their own coffers would be increased upon the backs of those least able to defend themselves. His was the voice of generations of people crying out for justice, not for advantage, for justice, acknowledging that until there is justice and equity, there can never be peace. God's will in Christ will be done, and so Rev. Dr. King spoke, adding his voice to the voices of those who dared to stand in God's Holy Spirit before him, articulating the faith which is ours to claim in the Holy Spirit.
To remember with integrity Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is not to seek out a camera for publicity, it is to stand with Jesus next to the blind man at the side of the road, it is to articulate justice for the woman accused of adultery, it is to call the lepers to Him and cleanse them, it is to rededicate ourselves to the mission and ministry of Jesus Christ in this generation and space. To rededicate ourselves to the ministry of Rev. Dr. King is to miss the point. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was called, ordained, and sent to proclaim the coming Kingdom of God as a servant of Jesus Christ. So, too, are we today.
Therefore, I will honor with the greatest of humility and servitude the memory of this day, the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by rededicating myself to the mission and ministry of Jesus Christ on behalf of all God's people. Because, until all God's people have a place at the Table of grace and mercy, until all God's people have equity and justice " . . . on earth as it is in heaven . . .", until all God's people have a share in God's generous abundance for humankind, regardless of race, color, ethnicity, economic level, geography, gender, or background . . . . until such a time, Christ's ministry goes on and God will continue to call forth servants of the faith like Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who do not shrink back from their sacramental birthing, but go forth in the strength and conviction of the Holy Spirit.
Such living celebrates his life and legacy with honor, for it confirms in the current age the conviction of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's. soul and ministry in his age: Jesus Christ is Lord. Our call is to live that truth with power and devotion. So Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. lived and died, so may we live and die, that in the final roll call our names would be found worthy to be spoken on His lips.
Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Don
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