I have the audacity to believe that people
everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture
for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits. I believe
what self-centered men have torn down, God-centered people can build up.
You
most certainly recognize this as a quote from Martin Luther King. This week-end
we will have multiple opportunities to hear both the “Mountain Top” and “Dream
Speech”. Before King became a public voice, he was a preacher. We rarely have
the chance to hear the sermons preached each Sunday at Dexter Baptist Church in
Montgomery, Alabama. At Dexter Dr. King perfected his message. In this church
he also joyfully sang with the choir. He didn’t have a great voice. Ralph
Abernathy said, “We love Martin for his words but not his singing.”
None-the-less, Dr. King appreciated music and used it in his sermons. He had
two favorite singers, Mahalia Jackson and Odetta. That is a pretty high bar. I
have Bill, Kathleen, John, and Marianne which isn’t bad. Listen, as hopefully
we inspire you with excerpts from King’s sermons and the songs he loved.
Luke
10:29 - And Who is My Neighbor?
The Samaritan had a piercing insight
into that which is beyond race, religion, and nationalism. One of the great
tragedies of humanities long trek is that we limit our neighborly concerns to
our tribe. The God of the early Old Testament was a tribal God. “Thou shall not
kill” meant don’t kill a fellow Israelite but for God’s sake kill the
Philistine. Greek democracy embraced a certain aristocracy but not the slaves
who built the city. The universalism at the center of the Declaration of Independence,
“all are created equal” meant all white folk were created equal. What are the
devastating consequences of such a narrow, tribal attitude? If Americans are
only concerned about their nation, Americans will not be concerned about the
peoples of Asia, Africa, and South America. Isn’t this why we engage in war
without the slightest sense of guilt? If I murder a fellow American it is a
crime. If I murder the citizen of another nation, it is an act of heroic
virtue. We don’t see folks as humans. We see them as Chinese or Americans,
Christian or Muslim, Blacks or White. The priest and the Levite saw only a
bleeding body. What if the Samaritan had seen only a Jew? He didn’t. He saw
another human.
(Bill – If I can help somebody)
I
John 4:18 – Perfect Love Cast out Fear
Our faith endows us with the conviction
that we are not alone in this vast uncertain universe. Beneath and above the
shifting sands of time and the uncertainties that darken our days is a wise and
loving God. This universe is not a tragic expression of meaningless chaos but a
marvelous display of orderly cosmos. We are not just a wisp of smoke from
limitless smoldering. We are created in the image of God. By God we are given
wisdom for guidance, strength for protection, and boundless love. With a
surging fullness God moves us forward to fill the little creeks and bays of our
lives with unlimited recourses. Yet we remain fatigued by pessimism and our
neurotic fear of our demise. Death is not the ultimate evil. We only need to
fear living outside God’s love and that can never happen.
One of the dedicated participants in our
bus protest was Mother Pollard. Although poverty stricken and uneducated she
has an amazing understanding of God’s power. A Sunday after a difficult week in
which I was arrested and received many threatening phone calls at home, I tried
to stand before you and convey strength and courage through my words. But
inwardly I was depressed and fear-stricken. Mother Pollard came to the front of
the church and said, “Come here son, something is wrong with you.” Trying to
disguise my fears I retorted, “Nothing is wrong, I feel fine.” But she knew
better. “You can’t fool me. I knows something is wrong. Is it we ain’t doing enough? Is those white folks bothering
you? Martin, we are trying to be with you all the way, but even if we ain’t,
God’s gonna take care of you.”
Her words continue to remind me our
faith can transform the whirlwind of despair into a warm and reviving breeze of
hope. Let this motto be etched on our hearts:
Fear Knocked at the door.
Faith Answered.
There was no one there.
(Kathleen -
There is a Balm in Gilead)
Luke
11:5
– A Man came at Midnight Asking for Bread
In this parable a man knocks on the door
of a friend at midnight to ask for bread. At first no one answers. But the
neighbor is not deterred. He knocks a second and third time. Finally his call
for help is answered. Many people continue to knock on the door after midnight,
even after the church has bitterly disappointed them. They knock because they
have been told that the church has a word of hope. They have complex problems
and no one has answers yet the church claims to have something the rest of the
world cannot offer. Young people knock who are perplexed by the uncertainties
of life. They are confused by daily disappointments and disillusioned by the
ambiguities of history. Women come to the door because we have made them second
class citizens. The discouraged come to the door and knock. They see life as a
tragicomedy where nothing changes but the costumes and scenery. The weary come
to the door. They come to the church longing for a place of peace and find the
choir is singing, “Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.” Some who knock are
tormented by death. They are living in the evening of their life and cannot
imagine another sunrise.
Midnight is a difficult hour, especially
when no one will come to the door. But they continue to knock. They desire to
see the dawn and our eternal message has always been, the dawn will come. Our
fore-parents realized this. They were never unmindful of midnight because they
could never forget the rawhide whip of the overseer. In the darkness they sang,
“Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen, Gloria Hallelujah!
It was the belief in the dawn that kept
the slaves faithful. It was the belief that God is good and just that kept them
knocking on the door. People are still knocking. Despite disappointment,
sorrow, and despair they are knocking. When will we open the door and offer the
joy that comes in the morning?
(John - Precious Lord)
Micah 6:8 – Do Justice, Love
Kindness, Walk Humbly
My personal trials have taught me the
value of unmerited suffering. I have tried to make suffering a virtue if only
to save myself from bitterness. Some consider it a stumbling block, others
foolishness. I am convinced it is the power of God within me. Redemptive suffering
has brought me closer to God. I have always believed in the personality of God.
But until recently the idea of a suffering God was less than satisfying. Now,
in the midst of personal trials, the suffering of God has given me inner calm.
In the lonely and dark days I hear a voice whispering, “I am with you always.”
I have felt the power of God transform the fatigue of my despair into hope. I
am convinced the struggle for justice and righteousness is being orchestrated
by a power that knows my suffering. When I feel limited by my own strength, I
know God has conquered more than life. By defeating death, God is a living God.
Therefore I am not discouraged about the future. Every crisis has dangers and
opportunities. Every moment presents the world with a new moment for the
kingdom of God to reign in the hearts of man. My eyes have seen the glory of
the coming of the Lord.
(Marianne
– Battle Hymn of the Republic)
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